Mound A served as a symbol of grandeur meant to impress visitors to the Crystal River site. From its flat top, public performances, speakers, or ceremonies could be seen by people below, while those on the mound had a commanding view of the surrounding area. Mound A stood intact for over 1,000 years until developers bulldozed two-thirds of it for use as landfill in the late 1950s. At around 28 feet tall, it was a major construction project, and scientists estimate that it contains about 317,901 cubic feet of shell, or about 256,372 bushels or baskets full. If a community of 50 to 100 people piled up 36 baskets of shell a day, building a mound of this size would have taken 7,202 days, or more than 19 years.