Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley / Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Vol. I.

by E. G. Squier; E. H. Davis

PLATE XL. ANCIENT MONUMENTS, DADE COUNTY, WISCONSIN.

This group of mounds is figured and described from actual survey, by Mr. R. C. TAYLOR.[85] It occurs about eighteen miles west of the “Four Lakes,” and seven miles east of the “Blue Mounds,” in Dade county, Wisconsin. It is situated on the Great Indian Trail already noticed, and consists; as will be observed, of effigies of six quadrupeds, six mounds in the form of parallelograms, one circular tumulus, one effigy of the human figure, and a small circle. The area comprehended in the map is something less than half a mile in length. The dimensions of the figures and their relative positions are indicated in the plan. It is not easy to make out, from the effigies, the character of the animals intended to be represented. It has been suggested that they were designed to represent the buffalo, which formerly abounded in the vicinity; but the absence of a tail and of the characteristic hump of that animal would seem to point to a different conclusion. They display a closer resemblance to the bear than to any other animal with which we are acquainted. These figures seem to be most prevalent; and, though preserving about the same relative proportions, vary in size from ninety to one hundred and twenty feet. In many other places, as at this point, they occur in ranges, one after the other at irregular intervals. In the midst of this group is the representation of a human figure, placed with its head towards the west, and having its arms and legs extended. Its length is one hundred and twenty-five feet, and it is one hundred and forty feet from the extremity of one arm to that of the other. The body is thirty feet in breadth, the head twenty-five feet in diameter, and its elevation considerably greater than that of most of the others, being not much less than six feet. The human figure is not uncommon among the effigies, and is always characterized by the extraordinary and unnatural length of its arms. The conical mound in the centre of this group is the most elevated work, and commands a view of the entire series. These works are situated upon a high open prairie, on the dividing ridge between the waters of the Rock and Wisconsin rivers. Half a mile westward of this remarkable group, and on the same elevated prairie, occurs a solitary mound, about ninety feet in length, representing an animal in all respects like those just described, but lying with its head towards the south-west. p127

“Along the space of twenty miles from this position,” observes Mr. R. S. Taylor, “extending to the Four Lakes eastward, similar monuments, intermixed with plain tumuli, are seen at almost every mile, in the lowest situations as well as crowning the highest swells of the prairies; and they are still more numerous all around those beautiful but almost unknown lakes. It would be a ceaseless repetition of similar forms to figure many of these.”

• [♠]
  • No. 1. Group of works 10 miles west of Madison, Dade Co. Wisconsin.
  • No. 2. Group of works 8 miles east of the Blue Mounds, Dade Co. Wisconsin.
  • No. 3. Enlarged Plan of Mound A, Group No. 1, on this plate, showing the method of survey.
• XLI.

• PLATE XLI. ANCIENT WORKS, DADE COUNTY, WISCONSIN.
  • NUMBER 1.—This group is figured both by Mr. R. C. TAYLOR and Prof. LOCKE, whose plans agree with great exactness. It occurs ten miles west of Madison, Dade county, Wisconsin. The old Indian trail, now the military road, runs between the nose of one animal and the tail of the other. They lie on the borders of an undulating prairie, at the edge of the woodland, upon a gentle slope. A short distance (five hundred or six hundred feet) to the west of them is a natural swell of ground, with an artificial circular tumulus on the top of it, overlooking the two figures. No. 3 on the same Plate illustrates the method of survey adopted by Prof. Locke, and also gives an enlarged plan of the more perfect figure of the group.[86] These effigies are the favorite resort of badgers, which, finding them raised and dry, have selected them for their burrows. Mr. Taylor suggests that these figures were intended to represent the fox. Prof. Locke, on the other hand, remarks that “they have an expression of agility and fleetness, and may have been intended to represent the cougar or American tiger, an animal still existing in that region.”
  • NUMBER 2.—This group of works closely resembles that last described. One of the effigies (C) was opened by Prof. Locke. “It was composed of sand without any change to mark the original surface, although it is now overgrown with grass and covered with a thin black mould. The whole of the descent near the bottom of which the figure lies, has evidently been formed from the disintegration of the sandstone bluff contiguous; and at the time of the formation of this tumulus, it was most probably destitute of loam at this point, as it now is at a point nearer p128 the bluff. A section of the embankment, near the gap, exhibited a thin line of loam, even with what might be supposed to have been the surface of the ground. Alluvial stratification is positive proof that a formation is not artificial; but the absence of a base of mould is not proof of the same thing, for the surface of the earth may have been removed before the erection of the mound. In examining the tumuli of Wisconsin, I did not at any place discover a ditch or cavity from which the earth to construct them had been taken. They are uniformly raised from a smooth surface, always above inundation, and guarded from temporary currents produced by showers. The backs of the effigies are uniformly placed up hill.”

• PLATE XLII.
  • NUMBER 1.—This group of works is sufficiently well explained by the Plate itself. It is situated about two miles from the group last described, on the road to Madison. The large figure in the supplementary plan is about two thousand feet south-west of the embankment represented in the plan. “It appears to be solitary; lies on a low, level ground; and seems to be mutilated. If intended to represent an animal, the head is evidently too large, and the attitude stiff and rectangular.”
    • [♠]
      • No. 1. Group of Remains, Ten Miles East of the Blue Mounds, Dade Co. Wisconsin.
      • No. 2. Group of Works, North Bank of Wisconsin River, Richland Co. Wisconsin.
    • XLII.
  • NUMBER 2.—This singular group of works is situated upon section two, township eight, near the north bank of Wisconsin river, one and a half miles west of the principal meridian, Richland county, Wisconsin. It is minutely described by Mr. S. TAYLOR. The figures composing the group are so arranged as to constitute a sort of enclosure of about half an acre area, which Mr. Taylor terms the “citadel.” The ground is here prominent; to the north, south, and west of the embankments it has a graded descent; to the east it spreads into a broad plateau, upon which, as well as to the southward, are numerous other embankments of various forms and dimensions. From the top of the principal mound, occupying the centre of the group, and within four hundred yards to the westward, may be seen at least a hundred elevations similar to those forming the boundaries of the “citadel.” “The elevation of these embankments generally is no more than thirty inches, and of the lesser mounds twenty inches, while the altitude of the large mound overlooking the whole group is ten feet. Exterior to the group, upon the east and north-east sides, excavations from which the earth had been removed are plainly indicated; and it was here, no doubt, that a portion of the material composing the structures was obtained. Notwithstanding the rank growth of vegetation upon these works, and the probability that they have been much reduced from their original height, the angles and terminations are quite visible. Near the north-east part of the group, part of the embankment appears to have been destroyed.” p129
  • The supplementary section, A, exhibits the excavation made by Mr. Taylor in the large central mound. “A shaft was sunk about midway from the top to the bottom of the mound. At the depth of eight feet the original sod was reached; it here assumes a different appearance from that which it possesses at the exposed surface, is hard and compact, resembling what is technically denominated ‘hard pan,’ caused perhaps by the pressure of the superincumbent earth. The mound is composed of ferruginous sand; and as it is free from any admixture, and is destitute of any appearance of stratification, it must have been built at one time, and not by contributions at intervals. The original sod is here about six inches thick; beneath it is the regular stratification of the plain. A shaft was carried along the original level for the space of fourteen feet, and some distance beyond the centre of the mound; but no remains of any kind were discovered.”

• PLATE XLIII.
  • NUMBER 1.—This interesting group of remains is situated in the village of Muscoda, (English Prairie,) Grant county, Wisconsin. It is described as follows, by Mr. S. TAYLOR: “The late cultivation of these grounds has in a measure obliterated these works, many of them being in the streets and commons; and the village in its future increase may destroy them entirely. In the group are three figures in the form of a cross [bird?]; in the centre of the largest of them is a depression, perhaps caused by an Indian caché. The outlines of the various figures are easily traced, although their elevation at this time does not exceed thirty inches. From the excavations around many of them, it is apparent that they must have been constructed with materials obtained adjacent to them. Some of these mounds however seem to have successfully resisted the abrasions of time; those towards the south-western portion of the group are six feet in height. The distance, from one to the other of the group here represented, is about four hundred and sixty yards. The site is a beautiful arenaceous loam, free from trees and shrubbery, so that a view of the entire group is commanded from the summit of some of the more prominent mounds. Human bones have been found in many of these.”
    • [♠]
      • No. 1. Grant Co. Wisconson.
      • Nos. 2–13. Various Localities.
    • XLIII. Ancient Works
  • NUMBER 2 is situated on the north-east part of Sec. 35 N., and is within a mile of the Wisconsin river. It occupies an eminence, and is the centre of a group of mounds, fifteen in number, extending the distance of three hundred yards, and placed at intervals of about twenty-five feet apart. “It appears to have been originally constructed as represented by the dotted lines, having at those points an elevation of about three feet. Additional earth seems then to have been heaped upon the head and breast, elevating those points to the height of six feet.” p130
  • NUMBER 3 occurs about a mile to the westward of group No. 1, just described. “It represents a human figure having two heads, which gracefully recline over the shoulders. It is well preserved. The arms are disproportionately long; their full length is not exhibited in the plan for want of room. The various parts of the figure are gracefully rounded; the stomach and breast are full and well proportioned. DIMENSIONS.—Widths: from one arm-pit over the breast to the other, twenty-five feet; over arm at shoulders, twelve, and tapering to four feet at the extremities; over hips, twenty; over legs, near the body, eight, and tapering to five; over figure above the shoulders, fifteen; over each neck, eight; over the heads, ten. Lengths: of body, fifty feet; arms, one hundred and thirty; neck and heads, fifteen. Elevations: of breast, shoulders, and abdomen, thirty-six inches; arms at the junction of the shoulders, same height, diminishing towards their extremities to ten inches; the thighs near the trunk are twenty, at the feet but ten inches in height.”
  • NUMBER 4 lies about four miles west of the village of Muscoda. It may have been intended to represent a bird, a bow and arrow, or the human figure. In the forest near this work are extensive groups of ancient monuments.
  • NUMBER 5 is situated on the Wisconsin river, east of the fourth principal meridian. The length of this figure is one hundred and fifty feet; elevation three feet. Mr. S. Taylor suggests that it is intended to represent the frog; it approaches nearer the form of a turtle. There are other works of a similar shape near by; also some in the form of a cross, mammillary mounds, and parallelograms.
  • NUMBER 6 occurs near group No. 1 of this plate. “It seems to have been intended to represent some fleet animal. It is one hundred feet in length, and eighteen inches high.”
  • NUMBER 7 is found not far from that last described, and is supposed by Mr. Taylor to represent the turtle. It is seventy-six feet in length, and its greatest height is thirty inches. It is a common figure in Wisconsin.
  • NUMBER 8 was situated in Richland county, Wisconsin. Mr. Taylor thinks it was intended to represent a bear. It was fifty-six feet long, and twenty inches high. It has lately been destroyed by the passage of a road over it.
  • NUMBER 9 occurs in the vicinity of No. 2, and is the terminating figure of the series of which that is the centre. Earthworks of this form are common in Richland county.
  • NUMBER 10, near Blue river, English Prairie; length eighty-four feet, height six feet; supposed to represent a bear.
  • NUMBER 11 is found near No. 4. It is very perfect in outline; seventy-nine p131 feet long, and twenty-four broad. “Throughout this region,” observes Mr. S. Taylor, “embankments of this form are very numerous: some have two parallel projections from the back of the head; in the present case they seem to be so blended as to represent but one.”
  • NUMBER 12, one mile from the English Prairie, represents, according to Mr. S. Taylor, “a species of mounds which, under various modifications, are very numerous, comprising about one fifth of the embossed works of the region in which it occurs. The elevation of the figure, as well as of the group of which it forms a part, is about four feet. Between the base of the trunk and the southern wing, is a mound twenty-one feet in diameter, and five feet high.” Supposed to represent a bird with wings partially expanded.
  • NUMBER 13, designated the “horned bird” by Mr. Taylor, is situated in the county of Grant, upon S. 16, T. 8, R. 1, W., where an extensive group of several hundreds may be seen.

• PLATE XLIV.
  • NUMBER 1.—The only enclosure in Wisconsin at all resembling those of a lower latitude, or which seems to partake of a defensive character, is situated upon the west branch of Rock river, township seven, of range fourteen east, in the Milwaukie land district. It is known as the city or ruins of Aztalan. Several brief notices of this work have appeared in the public prints; the only account, however, which is at all satisfactory, was communicated, together with an illustrative map, by Mr. S. Taylor, to the American Journal of Science and Arts, in 1843.
    • [♠]
      • No. 1. On Rock River, Wisconsin.
      • Nos. 2–8. Various localities.
    • XLIV. Ancient Work
  • This work, although possessing several features peculiar to itself, has others closely resembling those that characterize the works bordering the Gulf. It is described as situated in a beautiful rolling country, conveniently interspersed with timber, and watered by Rock river and its tributaries. It is said to consist of a “brick wall” five feet high by twenty-five feet base, enclosing an area of twenty acres, and having the general outline of an oblong square. Upon three sides the wall is interrupted, at intervals of from two to five rods, by bastions of the same height as the main wall, and extending seventeen feet beyond it. The inner wall, extending along the bank of the river, is much lighter than those upon the remaining sides, and is destitute of the singular feature last mentioned. Within this enclosure are a number of truncated pyramids, forty or fifty feet square upon the top, and between fifteen and twenty in height. Two of these are connected with each other by an elevated way, after the manner of some of the Mississippi and Louisiana structures. (See Plate [XXXIX].) Two parallel ways or embankments are carried longitudinally, nearly the whole length of the enclosure. Several p132 conical mounds are mentioned in the description as occurring within the enclosure, but do not appear in the plan. Quite a number occur just exterior to the walls, some of which are represented to be of large size. Covering the south-west angle is a crescent-form work of considerable extent, which also has bastions at intervals throughout its length. A cellar and stairway within one of the square mounds, and a subterranean passage arched with stone, are mentioned as existing here; but they lack confirmation and deserve little credit.
  • The walls, which are described as being built of brick, are composed of clay, probably burned on the spot. Whether they are burned throughout, has not yet been ascertained, and can only be determined by removing a section of the wall. It will doubtless be found that the burning is superficial, resulting from the combustion of some wooden superstructure, or from design. We shall be warranted in ascribing the use of burned bricks to the race which built these works, only upon the most conclusive evidence, and such we do not at present possess.[87] The walls of many of the enclosures in the Scioto valley appear to have been slightly burned. (See page [28].)
  • The plan of the work presented by Mr. Taylor is palpably an imperfect one. No gateways or entrances are represented, nor is the scale upon which the work is laid down exhibited,—omissions which would not be likely to occur in a plan made after accurate survey. A complete map and description of this work, such as its singular character merits, is a desideratum.
  • This is the only work with projections partaking of the character of bastions, which has fallen under notice, and is in this respect remarkable.
  • That these projections were designed to subserve the purposes to which bastions are applied in modern fortification is not clear. The object of the bastion is to enfilade the wall of the defence, so as to preclude an enemy from approaching it or carrying on his operations under its shelter. Hence they are placed at such intervals as may easily be swept or commanded by the weapons in use; the distance of a bow-shot apart would therefore be adequate to all the purposes for which their erection is required. So far from this being the case in the work under notice, it appears that they are placed at the short intervals of from thirty to eighty feet. This circumstance, though not conclusive on the point, would seem to indicate that they were not constructed for the purpose which we should be apt at first glance to assign to them.
  • NUMBER 2.—“Among the various works of antiquity in this region,” observes Mr. S. Taylor, “those in the form of men are numerous. This figure forms one of an extensive series of these works, of various shapes, situated upon S. 35, T. 9, R. 1, W. of 4th M., in the margin of a forest, and is covered with large trees. It is truly a giant, measuring from the extremity of one arm to that of the other, p133 two hundred and seventy-nine feet, and from the top of the head to the end of the trunk, one hundred and eleven feet. Its shoulders, head, and breast, are elevated four feet. In the centre of the breast is quite a depression, probably once used as a place of concealment for provisions by the French, called a caché. About a mile to the north of this figure is another of human shape and like magnitude, accompanied by a large group of works. Among them is a large mound two hundred feet in circumference, and fifteen in height.”
  • NUMBER 3.—This group occurs upon the English Prairie, within the limits of Iowa county, Wisconsin. “In the vicinity of these are many other figures of various forms and dimensions. To the eastward commences a series of mammillary mounds, varying from one to two and a half feet in height. They are beautifully and with much regularity arranged at intervals, and extend to the distance of about fifteen hundred feet, terminating abruptly in a mound eighteen feet in height, and two hundred and twenty-five in circumference. To the north and south of the figures, and parallel with them, are numerous embankments with passage-ways through them.”
  • NUMBER 4.—This group is also situated in the vicinity of English Prairie. But half of the figures are represented; the remainder are of the same forms, supposed to represent birds.
  • NUMBER 5.—“The site of this remarkable work is upon an eminence, near Eagle Mills, Richland county, Wisconsin. It seems to be a combination of two figures, one representing the buffalo, perhaps, and the other a man. Immediately to the south-west, and within twenty feet of the head of this figure, commences a series of mounds, mostly conical.”
  • NUMBER 6 is near Blue river, English Prairie. Its outlines are very distinct; probably designed to represent the otter or a lizard. Figures of the kind are quite common.
  • NUMBER 7 is in the village of Muscoda, county of Grant. Its length is two hundred and sixty-four feet; height thirty inches.
  • Fig. 26.
  • There are many rectangular and some circular figures in addition to the animal-shaped effigies of which so many examples have been given. Fig. 26 represents the manner in which they are often combined. This example is from the great group on the English Prairie. Individual figures might be multiplied, but enough have been presented to convey a general idea of the character of these singular monuments. A complete survey of the field of their occurrence might disclose a dependence between the various groups, and go far towards explaining the mystery of their origin and purposes. p134
  • Some of these mounds have been excavated and found to contain human remains in all parts, while the excavations in others have been attended with no such developments. Those examined by Prof. Locke and Mr. S. Taylor revealed no deposits. Mr. R. C. Taylor mentions that twelve mounds, near Red Bank on the Fox river, were opened in 1837, and found to contain human bones in a very advanced stage of decomposition. One of the mounds was an animal-shaped structure, one hundred and fifty feet in length. The position of the skeletons indicated that the bodies had been placed upon the original surface previous to being heaped over. There were no appearances of excavation beneath the surface in any of the interments. It may be suggested that the human remains found in these mounds were deposited by the existing tribes of Indians, a suggestion which derives great force from the fact that both the Messrs. Taylor concur in representing that many of the Indians to this day bury in these structures, conceiving that they were originally designed for that purpose, although they possess no tradition respecting their origin. Some of the Indians, on the other hand, express the belief that the mounds in the form of animals were made by the “Great Manitou,” and are indicative of a plentiful supply of game in the world of spirits. At any rate, they are regarded with reverence by all the Indians, and are never disturbed by them, except for purposes of sepulture.
  • Proceeding upon the assumption that they were designed as burial-places, Mr. R. C. Taylor ingeniously suggests that their forms were intended to designate the cemeteries of the respective tribes or families to which they belonged: thus, the tribe, clan, or family possessing as its characteristic totem, blazon, or emblem, the Bear, constructed the burial-place of its members in the form of that animal; the clans having the Panther, Turtle, Eagle, or other animal or object for their totems, respectively conforming to the same practice. Upon this hypothesis we can readily conceive the ancient inhabitant to have possessed the same anxiety to be buried in his family tomb which we see exhibited at this day, among our own people, “to rest in the sepulchres of their fathers.” Mr. Taylor discreetly remarks, however, that there is no evidence to show that any existing tribes of Indians ever erected such monuments, but that, on the contrary, they acknowledge the profoundest ignorance of their origin. He advances the suggestion only as a plausible conjecture, in the absence of any satisfactory solution of the problem, which still remains unsolved.
  • What significance may attach to the fact that they occur mainly on the great lines of traverse between the Mississippi and Lake Michigan, or to the further fact that most if not all of these groups have one or more conical mounds so placed as to command a view of the remainder, it is not undertaken to say.[88] That similar works are found in the central and western portions of Michigan, as p135 well as in Wisconsin, we have the assurance of witnesses whose statements are entitled to full credit. Whether they are identical with those noticed above is unknown; their character remains to be ascertained.[89] The few animal effigies found in Ohio, and of which an account has already been given, seem to have few features in common with those of the North-west, and probably, in their purposes, admit of less doubt. We cannot venture to assign a similar origin to the latter,—certainly not, until we are in possession of more facts concerning them, whereon to base our conclusions.
  • The absence of enclosures, or works of defence, (such as are found in great numbers in the Ohio valley,) in connection with these animal effigies, has been noticed in a preceding page. It appears that the effigies themselves, accompanied by short, low lines of embankment, are sometimes so arranged as nearly to enclose certain areas; whether the arrangement resulted from design or accident is not however very apparent.
  • Such is the extent of our knowledge respecting the monuments of Wisconsin. Carver mentions earthworks in the vicinity of Lake Pepin; and it is reasonable to conclude that they are scattered, in greater or less profusion, over the intervening territory. Of this, however, we are still uninformed. It would be an interesting point to determine the range of the mound effigies, and whether they merge gradually into the works of a lower latitude, or whether they occupy an exclusive field, and possess characteristics sufficiently striking to warrant us in ascribing them to a different race or era. Their purposes, in our present state of information concerning them, do not seem to be satisfactorily settled: it is still a matter of doubt whether they are sepulchral in their origin, connected with the superstitions of their builders, or erected as the monuments and memorials of migrations and events unrecorded by the pen of history. Certain it is that they are now invaded by a busy population, careless alike of their origin and of their future fate, before whose encroachments they are rapidly disappearing. Already the plough has broken in upon the outlines and symmetry of hundreds, and unless the present favorable moment is seized upon to secure their accurate admeasurement and delineation, these embossed illustrations of our ancient history will be obliterated forever. It is impossible to estimate their value in the elucidation of the grand ethnological problems involved in the past history of our country, until their extent and dependencies as well as their general character are better understood.
  • In the State of Missouri, and especially in the country lying between the Missouri and Arkansas rivers, various singular remains are represented to exist, which differ materially from those that have been noticed in the preceding pages. p136 These are said to consist of the ruins of towns, sometimes of great size, regularly laid out, in streets and squares. Dr. BECK mentions one of these ruined towns in Gasconade county, (probably now falling within the county of Crawford, erected out of Gasconade,) in which the sites of houses, possessing foundations of stone, are distinctly visible. Stone walls are said to occur in some parts of the area, covered by heaps of earth.[90] The same author describes several works of stone displaying, in his estimation, great architectural skill, which occur on Osage river and Buffalo creek, one of its tributaries. One said to exist on Noyer’s creek, near the town of Louisiana, Pike county, has been particularly noticed. “It presents the dilapidated remains of a building constructed of rough, unhewn stones, fifty-six feet long and twenty-two broad, embracing several divisions and chambers. The walls are from two to five feet high. Eighty rods eastward of this structure is found a smaller one, of similar construction. The narrow apartments are said to be arched with stone, one course overlapping the other, after the manner of the edifices of Central America.”[91] Nothing of this character has been observed elsewhere, and it is extremely probable that there is some mistake in the matter. If works answering to this description really exist, at the points mentioned, they deserve the careful attention of the archæologist. It is suspected that they will not bear a rigid scrutiny, such as is required to a proper substantiation. Our authority observes, that “these remains form a class of antiquities entirely distinct from the walled towns, fortifications, barriers, or mounds; and that the regularity and other peculiarities of structure which they display, favor the conclusion that they are the remains of a race different from those who erected the former, and who were familiar with the rules of architecture, and perhaps with a perfect system of warfare.”[92]
  • I. DILLE, Esq., of Newark, Ohio, in a communication addressed to the authors, presents the following facts respecting the remains of Missouri, which cannot fail to prove interesting in this connection: “I have been much interested in a singular kind of antiquities found in the State of Missouri. They have been mentioned, but not described, by various writers. They consist of small tumuli, generally raised about twelve or eighteen inches above the surface, and have the general form of an ellipse, measuring usually twenty-five by eighteen feet. They are very numerous, particularly upon the head waters of the St. Francis river, and are always near streams and water-courses. I have dug into several, but never succeeded in finding anything except coals and a few pieces of rude pottery. Hence I have concluded they are the remains of mud-houses. They are always arranged in straight lines, with broad streets intervening between them, crossing each other p137 at right angles. In different villages their distance apart varies, but is generally uniform in the same group. Sometimes they are as near as ten paces to each other, while in other instances they are separated twenty or thirty paces. These ruined villages are numerous in the vicinity of Mine la Motte.[93] The town of Frederickton stands upon one of these sites. I have noticed in them the usual prerogative of power,—the largest houses are always nearest the water, and the smallest most distant. It would appear that the selection of the site was governed by the convenience of water alone; the principals taking the nearest position to the stream. I have counted upwards of two hundred of these mounds in a single group. Arrow-heads of jasper and agate, and axes of sienite and porphyry, have been found in these vicinities. No other remains of a remarkable character have, so far as I am aware, been discovered.”[94]
  • It may be conjectured, that the remains here mentioned are the traces of Indian villages. The Mandans, Minatarees, and some other tribes, built their huts of earth, resting on a framework of wood. Previous to their erection, however, the soil was excavated to the depth of about two feet, and the ruins of their towns are designated rather by depressions than elevations. It is also well known that their lodges were grouped without regularity, and close together, with just enough room between them to permit of moving about.[95] The sites of most of the Indian towns are only indicated by the graves in their vicinity, and by the bones and fragments of rude pottery scattered over the surface.
  • Besides these remains, there are numerous others in the valley of the Missouri, bearing a close resemblance to those upon the Ohio and its branches. Lewis and Clarke describe a very extensive series of works, one thousand miles up the Missouri, embracing an area of about four hundred acres. It is situated upon a peninsula formed by a bend of the river, and consists of two long walls, from six to fifteen feet in height, and from seventy-five to one hundred feet broad at the p138 base, one of which is six thousand feet long and extends across the isthmus, the other runs along the bank of the stream. The extremity of one of the long walls terminates in a species of citadel, of semi-circular shape, which has horn-works and curtains defending the gateways, and also protected ways to the river. Here are a number of mounds and excavations similar, in all respects, to those characterizing the defensive works generally. This work is not entire, having evidently been greatly encroached upon by the river, which is constantly undermining the elevated terrace upon which it stands. Still beyond this point, upon the Platte, Kanzas, and the numerous other tributaries of the Missouri, many large and interesting works are said to occur.[96] They have been remarked high up the streams, in the valleys overlooked by the Rocky Mountains. But little more than the fact of their existence is known; of their character we are ignorant.
  • In the vicinity of the city of St. Louis formerly existed a very large and interesting group of works, consisting mainly of a series of mounds so arranged as to constitute the sides of a parallelogram. These mounds were generally square or oblong, with level summits. Some were terraced, bearing a close relationship to those in Mississippi and Louisiana. A few conical mounds occurred in connection with them, but there was neither embankment nor ditch. All were situated upon the second terrace.
  • The most interesting feature of the group is the singular work yet preserved, denominated the “Falling Garden.” This, as described by James, consists of a succession of terraces, artificially formed from the bank of the natural terrace, which is here upwards of fifty feet in height. The lowest of these terraces is eighty-seven feet broad by one hundred and fourteen long; the second is fifty-one feet, and the third thirty feet wide. Their slopes are regular, and the aspect of the structure that of a Mexican teocalli of four stages.[97]
  • Structures of brick are mentioned as occurring both in Missouri and Arkansas, but their existence is not sufficiently well authenticated. There are, without doubt, numerous remains scattered over the territory embraced in Arkansas, Texas, and New Mexico; and it is not impossible that their investigation would result in developing the fact that there is a gradual transition, from the earthworks of the Mississippi to the more imposing structures of brick and stone of Mexico and Central America.[98]
  • [♠]
  • XLV. Great Mound at Marietta, Ohio.

• FOOTNOTES TO CHAPTER V.
  • [85] From Silliman’s Journal of Science and Art, vol. xxxiv. p. 91.
  • [86] The measurements of this figure are given by Prof. Locke as follows, in feet and inches. Triangles: Eye to shoulder, 23 feet; shoulder to foot, 29,4; fore foot to eye, 37,8; eye to nose, 20,4; nose to shoulder, 35,10; eye to point half way between the ears, 11,0; shoulder to same point, 24,10; shoulder to hip, 38,4; fore foot to hip, 57,0; shoulder to hind foot, 47,8; hind foot to hip, 28,10; hip to tip of tail, 38; hind foot to tip of tail, 41,6. Diameters: Of neck, 13; fore leg, 11; body, 14,7; hind leg, 9,9; tail, 8. Distances: Eye to front, 7,6; ear to ear, 14; shoulder to armpit, 9,9; shoulder to back, 8,4; hip to rump, 7; hip to flank, 9,7; hip to insertion of tail, 7,6; length of throat, 12 feet.
  • [87] The authors have the assurance of a gentleman for some time connected with the Milwaukie Land Office, and who is every way qualified to judge in the matter, that the walls are of clay, probably only superficially burned, and possess no indications of having been composed of bricks. The representations to the contrary have probably been the result of misapprehension.
  • [88] “The choice, in selecting the sites of these monuments of ancient days, appears to have been influenced mainly by their contiguity to the lakes and principal rivers, and to those great lines of interior communication, which, from an unknown period, traversed this country. * * * These mounds are almost invariably contiguous to Indian paths, whose narrow but deeply-worn tracks attest their extreme antiquity and long use.”—R. C. Taylor.
  • [89] No accurate account of them has yet been published; and it is, consequently, uncertain whether any bear the form of animals. They are rather vaguely described as low elevations of considerable extent and well defined outline, somewhat resembling garden beds. Mr. Schoolcraft speaks of these remains as existing in considerable numbers on the Elkhart, St. Joseph’s, Kalamazoo, and Grand rivers. According to the same authority, no large tumuli or Teocalli occur in connection with them. Similar monuments, it will be observed, are found in the State of Missouri.
  • [90] Beck’s Gazetteer of Missouri, p. 234.
  • [91] Ibid. p. 306.
  • [92] Dr. BECK also mentions another stone work, described to him by Gen. Ashley, as situated upon a high cliff on the west side of the Gasconade river, from whence it commands an extensive prospect. It is represented to be from twenty-five to thirty feet square; and, although in ruins, exhibits an uncommon degree of regularity. From the monument leads a devious path, extending down the cliff to the entrance of a cave, in which was found a quantity of ashes.
  • [93] Remains, similar to those here described, are abundant in Peru, where they indicate the sites of ancient towns and cities. The streets are always easily traced, and cross each other at right angles with great regularity. “The sites of the houses or huts are generally marked by heaps of earth; though in some instances the walls of the larger structures remain, in part, standing. These walls are represented to be three feet in thickness. Some of these towns are enclosed by fortifications, which have now crumbled down so as to present the simple appearance of earth embankments. The remains of one of these ancient towns, occurring midway between Truxillo and Huanchuco, cover several miles in extent.”—Proctor.
  • [94] It is probable the remains here described are similar to those observed by Lewis and Clarke, on the Missouri, some distance above the mouth of the Platte. “At ten miles above our encampment, we examined a curious collection of graves or mounds, on the south side of the river. Not far from a low piece of land and a pond, is a tract about two hundred acres in extent, which is covered with mounds of various shapes and sizes: some of sand, and some of both earth and sand; the largest being nearest the river. These mounds indicate the position of the ancient village of the Ottoes, before they retired to the protection of the Pawnees.”—Lewis and Clark, p. 26.
  • [95] Catlin’s North American Indians, vol. i. p. 82; Breckenridge’s Voyage up the Missouri, (Views of Louisiana,) p. 248. “Imagine you see a heap of cabins without order or design, some like cart houses, others like tubs, built of bark, supported by posts, sometimes plastered on the outside with mud in a coarse manner; in a word built with less art, neatness, and solidity, than the cabins of the beaver; and you have an Indian village.”—Charlevoix’s Travels in Canada, vol. ii. p. 127.
  • [96] Lewis and Clarke, p. 48.
  • [97] Views of Louisiana, p. 189; James, Expedition to Rocky Mountains, vol. i. p. 314.
  • [98] “The distance from the large mounds on the Red river to those in New Spain is not so great, but that they may be regarded as existing within the same country.”—Breckenridge.