JONESVILLE — The old Black River Bridge is gone, and it’s only a matter of time before the dirt that was used to build it up will once again form the Great Mound.

The ancient mound at one time stood at 80-feet tall, the second largest American Indian mound in the North America, but in the 1930s when the old Black River bridge — now demolished — was built, construction crews practically leveled the mound as they mined it for dirt to build up the bridge’s approach.

Plans to build a small replica of the mound using the original dirt have been under way for three years, and Catahoula Parish Historical Society and Museum President Bill Atkins said that if it weren’t for recent weather, the mound rebuilding effort would have already begun.

“If the rain hadn’t kicked in on us, we would have already started moving the dirt and started getting it packed up,” he said.

Currently, archeologist Butch Lee is sifting through the dirt approximately five centimeters at a time, making sure there are no artifacts in the soil, Atkins said.

“Chitimacha Chief Lonnie Martin has been on the site to watch for the Native Americans to see if anything will arise,” Atkins said. “Mainly they were concerned about any human remains and making sure they are treated with care.”

Once the archeological examinations are completed, dirt will be moved to an area adjacent to the original mound site, and a local farmer has volunteered to turn up the ground where the mound replica will be built.

“(He will) disc up the dirt so we will be able to bond the existing dirt at the location with the ancient Indian dirt when we bring it in,” Atkins said.

When the replica is finished, it will be approximately 90-feet by 90-feet at its base, and will rise at a 42-degree angle to a height of 15 feet.