![The Muskogean people built mounds there during the Mississippian Period, which began around 900 AD, for meeting, living, burial, and agricultural purposes. A bill seeks to upgrade the Ocmulgee Mounds national monument to a national park and preserve.](https://www.gpb.org/sites/default/files/styles/flexheight/public/news/images/body/2014/08/10/ocmulgee_national_monument.jpg?itok=fHQW2h5Z)
Caption
The Earth Lodge, where Native Americans met in Macon, Ga., is seen. A National Park Service study released Nov. 16, 2023, provides Congress with a path to federally protecting land along 50 miles of the Ocmulgee River.
Credit: GPB/File