I'm always on the lookout for interesting historical, geological, and archaeological sites in my travels. As I was planning a trip back to my hometown, near St. Louis, I stumbled across information on the Stonefort Trail. This is remnant of an ancient rock wall atop a bluff in the Giant City State Park of Southern Illinois. Archaeologists are unsure of the exact purpose, but they do not believe it was defensive in nature. Regardless, it seems just the kind of interesting site that I want to check out.
After parking my car, I start the short hike up the bluff along a cascading stream. The trail is well marked and once I reach the top, I'm struck by the wall, which was obviously a human construct. While much of it has been destroyed over time, long sections still remain and seem to create a defensible barrier facing the forest, while the tall bluff we're atop provides a very likely unclimbable barrier to any attacking from that direction. For whatever the evidence that the experts have relied on to move away from the defensive structure theory, I'm not convinced. This is one of the best fortified areas, I've ever visited.
While I would love to stay and explore more, I still have several hours of driving and one further stop to hit before I make it home. This was only a short hike of 0.4 miles, but a very interesting one nonetheless.
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