Five Years After a Devastating Tornado, Caddo Mounds Reopens With a New Mission

On April 13, 2019, a tornado touched down directly on Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, in Alto, about thirty miles west of Nacogdoches. The storm chewed up cars, trees, and most of the modern, human-made structures on the site. The titular mounds—three large, sloping ceremonial earthworks at least a thousand years old—were unscathed, but the human toll was another story. One passerby died, one survivor became paraplegic, and several others were seriously injured. After the tornado came, everything changed. To some, it seemed like nature had demanded it.That day in 2019 had been the annual planned observance of Caddo Culture Day, when dozens of Caddo members traveled from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma to East Texas to celebrate with traditional song and dance on the sacred…

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