When Cahokia was first discovered, most historians doubted that the Native Americans were capable of constructing a city as astonishing as some European cities at the time. They believed that the city must have been formed by natural formation. This is because the idea of them being able to construct a city while isolated from the most advanced technology seemed absurd to them. In addition, some historians believed that the Americas before Columbus came was empty land. However, Brackenridge and Crosby were two historians who believed the Indians constructed ruins like Cahokia and others in the Midwest. This is because they noticed that they cleverly exploited their environment to be able to be self sufficient, defying great odds to have no