EARLY NAVIGATION OF WESTERN RIVERS.
Navigation of the Mississippi by
the Early Explorers - Flat-boats -
Barges - Methods of Propulsion - Barges
and Schooners - The first Steamboat
on Western Waters - The "Orleans"
- The "Comet" - The "Enterprise"
- Capt. Shreve - The "Washington"
- The "General Pike " -
First Steamboat to St. Louis - The
"Independence" - the first
Steamboat on the Missouri - Capt.
Nelson - "Mackinaw Boats"
- Navigation of the upper Mississippi
- The "Virginia" - The "Shamrock"
- Capt. James May - Navigation of
the upper Missouri - Steamboating
on the Smaller Rivers.
WE have accounts of the navigation
of the Mississippi river as early
as 1539, by De Soto, while in search
of the "fountain of youth".
His voyage ended with his life, and
more than a hundred years passed away,
when Marquette and Joliet again disturbed
its waters with a small bark transported
57
from the shores of Lake
Superior. At the mouth of the Wisconsin
they entered the Mississippi, and
extended their voyage to the mouth
of the Arkansas. Their account is
the first which gave to the world
any accurate knowledge of the great
valley of, the Mississippi river.
Their perilous voyage was made in.
the summer of 1673. The account was
read with avidity by the missionaries
and others about Lake Superior, and
soon after a young Frenchman named
La Salle set out with a view of adding
further information in relation to
the wonderful valley of the great
river. His expedition was followed
by other voyages of exploration on
western rivers, but the narratives
of the explorers are mostly last,
so that very little of interest remains
from the voyage of La Salle to the
latter part of the eighteenth century,
when the French, then holding Fort
Du Quesne, contemplated the establishment
of a line of forts which would enable
them to retain possession of the vast
territory northwest of the Ohio river.
Regular navigation of the Ohio and
Mississippi, however, was not attempted
until after the Revolution, when the
United States had assumed control
of the western waters. Trade with
New Orleans did not begin until near
the close of the century. A few flat
boats were employed in the trade between
Pittsburg and the new settlements
along the Ohio river. The settlement
of Kentucky gradually increased the
trade an the Ohio, and caused a demand
far increased facilities for conveyance
of freight. Boatmen soon found it
profitable to extend their voyages
to the Spanish settlements in the
South. Freight and passengers were
conveyed in a species of boat which
was sometimes called a barge, or bargee
by the French. It was usually from
75 to. 100 feet long, with breadth
of beam from 15 to. 20 feet, and a
capacity of 60 to 100 tons. The freight
was received in a large covered coffer,
occupying a portion of the hulk. Near
the stern was an apartment six or
eight feet in length, called "the
cabin ", where the captain and
other officials of the boat quartered
at night. The helmsman was stationed
upon an elevation above the level
of the deck. The barge usually carried
one or two masts. A large square sail
forward, when the wind was favorable,
sometimes much relieved the hands.
The work of propelling the barges
usually required about fifty men to
each boat. There were several modes
of propelling the barges. At times
all were engaged in rowing, which
was often a waste of labor on such
a stream as the Mississippi. Some
times the navigators resorted to the
use of the cordelle, a strong rope
or hawser, attached to the barge,
and carried along the share or beach
on the shoulders of the crew. In same
places this method was impracticable
on account of obstructions along the
shares. Then what was known as the
"warping" process was resorted
to. A coil of rope was sent out in
the yawl, and fastented [fastened]
to a tree on the share, or a "snag"
in the river. While the hands on board
were pulling up to this point, another
coil was carried further ahead, and
the "warping" process repeated.
Sometimes it was expedient to use
setting poles, but this method was
used chiefly in the Ohio. During a
period of about twenty-five years,
up to 1811, the mode of conveyance
on all western rivers was by flat-boats
and barges. It required three or four
months to make a trip from Pittsburg
to New Orleans. Passengers between
these paints were charged from $125
to $150, and freight ranged from $5
to $7 per 100 pounds. It cannot be
supposed that under such circumstances,
the commerce of the West was very
extensive.
Previous to the
introduction of steamers on western
waters, attempts were made to use
brigs and schooners. In 1803 several
ships were built on the Ohio, and
in 1805 the ship "Scott"
was built on the Kentucky river, and
58
in the fall of that
year made her first trip to the falls
of the Ohio. While there two other
vessels, built by Berthone & Co.,
arrived. All of them were compelled
to remain three months, awaiting a
sufficient rise in the river to carry
them over the falls. In 1807 Mr. Dean
built and launched a vessel at Pittsburg.
This vessel made a trip to Leghorn,
and when making her entry at the custom
house there, her papers were objected
to on the ground that no such port
as Pittsburg existed in the United
States. The captain called the attention
of the officer to the Mississippi
river, traced it to its confluence
with the Ohio, thence following the
latter stream past Cincinnati and
Marietta, to the new city in the wilderness,
more than two thousand miles by water
from the Gulf of Mexico! All these
vessels were found inadequate for
the purpose of trading on the western
rivers, and were soon abandoned. They
could not stem the current of the
Mississippi. They were transferred
to the gulf, and the commerce of the
rivers was abandoned to Mike Fink
and his followers, remaining with
them until 1811. In this year Fulton
and Livingston opened a ship-yard
at Pittsburg, and built the small
propeller "Orleans", which
was also furnished with two masts.
She was a boat of one hundred tons
burthen, and the first steamer that
was launched on western waters. In
the winter of 1812 she made her first
trip to New Orleans in fourteen days.
As she passed down the river, the
settlers lined the banks, and the
greatest excitement prevailed. The
flat-boatmen said she never could
stem the current on her upward trip.
After her first trip, the "Orleans"
engaged in the Natchez and New Orleans
trade, and paid her owners a handsome
profit on their ,investment. The next
steamer was the "Comet",
and she was built by D. French.
She carried but twenty-five tons,
and made her first trip to New Orleans
in the spring of 1814. Soon after
she was taken to pieces, and her engine
used in a cotton factory. The "Vesuvius",
of 48 tons burthen, was launched at
Fulton's ship-yard in the spring of
1814, made a trip to New Orleans,
and on her return was grounded on
a sand bar, where she remained until
the next December. This boat remained
on the river until 1819, when she
was condemned. The "Enterprise"
was the fourth steamboat, and was
built by Mr. French, who built the
"Comet." The "Enterprise"
carried seventy-five tons, and made
her first trip to New Orleans in the
summer of 1814. When she arrived at
her destination she was pressed into
the service of the army, under Gen.
Jackson, then at New Orleans. She
was very efficient in carrying troops
and army supplies from the city to
the seat of war, a few miles below.
During the battle of the 8th of January
she was busily engaged in supplying
the wants of Jackson's army. On the
5th of day following she left New
Orleans, and arrived at Louisville
in twenty-five days.
In 1816 Captain
Henry Shreve built the "Washington"
with many improvements in construction.
The boilers, which had hitherto been
placed in the hold, were changed by
Captain Shreve to the deck. In September,
1816, the "Washington" successfully
passed the falls of the Ohio, made
her trip to New Orleans, and returned
in November to Louisville. On the
12th of March, 1817, she departed
on her second trip to New Orleans,
the ice then running in the Ohio slightly
retarding her progress. She made the
trip successfully, and returned to
the foot of the falls in, forty-one
days--the upward trip being made in
twenty-five days. By this time it
was generally conceded by the flat-boatmen
that Fitch and Fulton were not visionary
fools, but men of genius, and that
their, inventions could be turned
to immense advantage on the rivers
of the West. Steamboats from this
time on rapidly
59
multiplied, and the
occupation of the old flat-boatmen
began to pass away On Captain Shreve's
return to Louisville the citizens
gave him it public reception. Toasts
and speeches were made, and the "Washington"
declared to be the herald of a new
era in the West. Captain Shreve in
his speech asserted that the time
would come when the trip to New Orleans
would be made in ten days. His prediction
was more than verified, for as early
as 1853, the trip was made in four
days and nine hours.
While these festivities
were going on in Louisville, the "General
Pike" was stemming the current
of the Mississippi—for a new
port in steamboat navigation. With
a heavy load of freight and passengers
she left New Orleans for St. Louis.
On her arrival at the latter city
several thousand people greeted her
as she slowly approached the landing.
Steam navigation commenced on the
Missouri in 1819, the first boat being
the "Independent", commanded
by Captain Nelson. She ascended as
far as Chariton and Franklin, at which
points she received a cargo of furs
and buffalo hides, and returned with
them to St. Louis.
In 1816 Fort Armstrong
was erected at the lower end of Rock
Island. On the 10th of May of this
year Col. Lawrence, with the Eighth
Regiment and a company of riflemen,
arrived here in keel boats. Col. George
Davenport resided near the fort and
supplied the troops with provisions,
and also engaged in trading with the
Indians. Most of his goods were brought
from "Mackinaw" through
Green Bay, thence up Fox river to
the "Portage", where they
were packed across to the Wisconsin
river, and carried down the Mississippi
in what were called "Mackinaw
Boats." The navigation of the
upper Mississippi was confined to
keel-boats until 1823, when the first
steamboat-the "Virginia"—from
Wheeling ascended with provisions
to Prairie du Chien. This boat was
three or four days in passing the
rapids at Rock Island. After this,
up to 1827, steamboats continued to
ascend the upper Mississippi occasionally
with troops and military stores. In
this year Capt. James May,
of the steamboat "Shamrock",
made the first voyage with her from
Pittsburg to Galena. This was the
first general business trip ever made
on the upper Mississippi by a steamboat.
Capt. May continued as master of'
a steamboat on this part of the river
until 1834.
The first navigation
of any considerable portion of the
Missouri river was that of Captains
Lewis and Clarke, when in 1804 they
ascended that river in keel boats,
or barges, from its mouth almost to
its source. Of late years steamboats
have navigated it regularly to Fort
Benton. Steamboat navigation has also
been employed on many of the smaller
rivers of the West, including the
Des Moines and Cedar rivers in Iowa.
The introduction of railroads has
superseded the necessity of depending
upon the uncertain navigation of the
smaller rivers for carrying purposes.
The great water-courses, however,
will doubtless always remain the indispensible
[indispensable] commercial highways
of the nation.
ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE NORTHWEST.
Ancient Works - Conjectures - Works
of the Mound Builders in Ohio - Different
forms and Classes - Mounds at Gallipolis,
Marietta, and Chillicothe - Relics
Found - Ancient Fortifications at
Circleville and Other Places - Pre-historic
Remains in Other States - In Iowa
Excavation of Mounds-Elongated and
Round Mounds-Their Antiquity-Who were
the Mound Builders?
60
SCATTERED all over the great Northwest
are the remains of the works of an
ancient people, who must have been
infinitely more advanced in the arts
than the Indian tribes who inhabited
the country at the time of the advent
of the European. The question as to
whether the Indians are the descendants
of that people, the Mound Builders,
is a subject of antiquarian speculation.
One thing, however, is certain, that
a people once inhabited all this vast
region who possessed some considerable
knowledge of the arts and even the
sciences; a people of whom the Indians
possessed no knowledge, but whose
works have survived the mutations
of hundreds, and perhaps thousands
of years, to attest that they lived,
and acted, and passed away; There
have been various conjectures of the
learned concerning the time when,
by what people, and. even for what
purpose, these monuments of human
ingenuity were erected. Their origin
is deeply involved in the obscurity
of remote antiquity. Neither history,
nor authentic tradition, afford any
light by which to conduct inquiries
concerning them, and it is probable
that no certainty upon the subject
will ever be attained. Brief mention
of some of these ancient works cannot
fail to interest the reader. They
are found distributed over the country
generally from the Alleghany Mountains
to the Rocky Mountains. They are more
numerous and more remarkable, however,
in some parts of the country than
in others.
Some of the most
remarkable fortifications in Ohio
are at Worthington, Granville, Athens,
Marietta, Gallipolis, Chillicothe,
and Circleville; also, on Paint Creek,
18 miles northwest of Chillicothe,
and on a plain three miles northeast
of the last named city. In some localities
there are both mounds and fortifications,
while in others there are mounds only.
The mounds vary in magnitude, and
also somewhat in shape. Some are conical,
extending sharply at the summit, and
as steep on the sides as the earth
could be made to lie. Others are of
the same form, except that they present
a flat area on the top, like a cone
cut off at some distance from its
vortex, in a plane coincident with
its base, or with the horizon. Others
again, are of a semi-globular shape.
Of this description was that standing
in Gallipolis. The largest one near
Worthington is of the second kind,
and presents on the summit a level
area of forty feet in diameter. There
is one at Marietta of this kind, but
the area on top does not exceed twenty
feet in diameter. Its perpendicular
height is about fifty feet, and its
circumference at the base twenty rods.
Those in Worthington and Gallipolis
are each from fifteen to twenty feet
in circumference at their bases. A
large mound once stood in the heart
of the city of Chillicothe, but was
leveled forty or fifty years ago to
make room for the erection of a block
of buildings, and in its destruction
a number of relics were exhumed. Several
smaller mounds were located in the
same vicinity. They are found scattered
in profusion in the vallies [valleys]
of the Miamis, Scioto, Hocking and
Muskingum rivers, as well as south
of the Ohio river. One of the largest
is near the Ohio river, 14 miles below
Wheeling. This is about 33 rods in
circumference, and consequently between
ten and eleven rods in diameter at
its base. Its perpendicular height
is about seventy feet, On the summit
is an area of nearly sixty feet in
diameter, in the middle of which is
a regular cavity, the cubical content
of which is about 3,000 feet. Within
a short distance of this mound are
five smaller ones, some of which are
thirty feet in diameter. Some of the
mounds mentioned, and others not referred
to, have been excavated, either by
the antiquarian or in the construction
of public works, and in most of them
human bones have been discovered.
Most of these bones crumble in pieces
or resolve into dust shortly after
being exposed to the air; except in
some instances, wherein the teeth,
61
jaw, skull, and sometimes a few other
bones, by reason of their peculiar
solidity, resist the effects of contact
with the air. From the fact of the
finding human remains in them many
have inferred that they were erected
as burial places for the dead. In
some defense of them, however, which
have been examined, no human remains
have been discovered but pieces of
pottery, stone hatchets, and other
relics, are found in nearly all.
Many of these mounds are composed
of earth of a different quality from
that which is found in their immediate
vicinity. This circumstance would
seem to indicate that the earth of
which they were composed was transported
some distanced. A striking instance
of this difference of composition,
was first noticed some sixty or seventy
years ago, in a mound at Franklinton,
near the main fork of the Scioto river.
This mound was composed altogether
of day, and the brick for the court-house
in that town were made of it at that
time. In it were likewise found a
much greater number of human bones
than is usual1y found in mounds of
its size. The characteristics mentioned
in connection with the mounds in Ohio
apply to those generally throughout
the Northwest.
Not so numerous
as the mounds, but more remarkable
as involving the principles of science,
especial1y mathematics, are the fortifications,
or, earth walls, found in many places.
They are commonly supposed to have
been forts, or military fortifications.
They generally consist of' a circular
wall, composed of' earth, and usually
as steep on the sides as the dirt
could conveniently be made to lie.
Sometimes, though rarely, their form
is elliptical, or oval, and a few
of them are quadrangular or square.
In height they are various; some of
them are so low as to be scarcely
perceptible; some from twenty to thirty
feet in height, while others again
are of an intermediate elevation.
The wall of the same fort, however,
is pretty uniformly of the same height
all around. They are likewise equally
various in the contents of the ground
which they enclose, some containing
but a few square rods of ground, while
others contain nearly one hundred
acres. The number of their entrances,
or gateways, varies in different forts
from one to eight or more, in proportion
to the magnitude of the enclosure.
The walls are mostly single, but in
some instances these works have been
found to consist of two parallel walls,
adjacent to each other. The forts
are generally located on comparatively
elevated ground, adjoining a river
or stream of water. Their situation
is usually such as a skillful military
engineer or tactician would have selected
for military positions. This fact
would seem to strengthen the theory
that they were designed and constructed
for fortifications.
The city of Circleville,
Ohio, is located on the site of one
of the most remarkable of these fortifications,
and from this circumstance ,takes
its name. There are, or were, indeed,
two forts at that place, one circular,
and the other square, as represented
in the diagram on the opposite page.
In this, it will
be seen that a square fort adjoins
a circular one on the east, communicating
with it by a gateway. The black points
in the square fort, opposite the gateways,
show the location of mounds, each
about three feet high. The circular
fort consists two parallel walls,
whose tops are, apparently, about
three rods apart, the inner circle
being forty-seven rods in diameter.
Between these two wa11s is a fosse,
excavated sufficiently deep and broad
to have afforded earth enough for
the construction of the exterior wall
alone, and no more. From this circumstance
and others, the earth for the construction
of the inner wall is supposed to have
been transported from distance. The
inner wall is composed of clay, and
the outer one of dirt
62
and gravel of similar
quality with, that which composes
the neighboring ground, which is another
circumstance quite conclusive of the
correctness of the conjecture that
the material for, the inner wall was
brought from a distance. There is
but one original opening, or passage,
into the circular fort, and that is
on the east side, connection' it with
the square one. The latter has seven
avenues leading into it, exclusive
of the one which connects with the
circle. There is one at every corner,
and one on each side equi-distant
from the angular openings, These avenues
are each twelve feet wide, and the
walls on either hand rise immediately
to their usual height, which is above
twenty feet. When the town of Circleville
was originally laid out, the trees
growing upon the walls of these fortifications
and the mounds enclosed in the square
one, were apparently of equal size
and age, and those lying down in equal
stages of decay, with those in the
surrounding forest, a circumstance
proving the great antiquity of these
stupendous remains of former labor
and ingenuity. Of course, the progress
of modern civilization in the building
of a city over these ancient remains,
has long since nearly obliterated
many of their parts. The above is
a description of them as they appeared
sixty years ago, when Circleville
was a mere village, and before the
hand of modern vandalism had marred
or obliterated any of the parts. A
somewhat minute description of these
ancient remains is given, not because
they are more remarkable than many
others found in different parts of
the Northwest, but as an example to
show the magnitude of many similar
works. Among others in the same State
may be mentioned are remarkable mound
near Marietta, which is enclosed by
a wall embracing an area 230 feet
long by 215 wide. This mound is thirty
feet high and elliptical in form.
This mound, with the wall enclosing
it, stand apart from two other irregular
enclosures, one containing fifty and
the other twenty-seven acres within
the larger of these two enclosures
there are four truncated pyramids,
three of which have graded passage
ways to their summits. The largest
pyramid is 188 feet long by 132 feet
wide, and is ten feet high. From the
southern wall of this enclosure there
is a graded passage way 150 feet broad,
extending 600 feet to the immediate
valley of the Muskingum river. This
passage way is guarded by embankments
on either side from eight to ten feet
high. In the smaller square there
are no pyramidal structures; but fronting
each gate-way there is a circular
mound. The walls of these several
enclosures are from twenty to thirty
feet broad at the base, and from five
to six feet high. Besides these, many
similar embankments may I be traced
in the same vicinity.
Squier and Davis,
authors of that most elaborate work,
entitled "The Ancient Monuments
of the Mississippi Valley", estimated
that there were in Ross county, Ohio,
at least one hundred enclosures and
five hundred mounds. They give the
probable number in that State at from
one thousand to fifteen hundred enclosures,
and ten thousand mounds. These estimates
are quite likely to be far below the
actual number, as their investigations
were made many years ago, when large
portions of the State were yet covered
with forests, and before any general
interest had been awakened on the
subject of which they treated. Among
the remarkable fortifications in Ross
county, is one at Cedar Bank, on the
east side of the Scioto river, about
five miles north of Chillicothe. It
is of a square form, enclosing an
area of thirty-two acres. The west
side of this enclosure is formed by
the high bluff bordering the river
at this point. There are two gate-ways
opposite each other, one on the north
and the other on the south side. Inside
of the enclosure,
Scale 466 ft. to the inch
63
on a line with the gate-ways,
there is a mound 245 feet long, and
150 feet broad. The form of this work
is shown by the diagram on the opposite
page.
When this work
first attracted the attention of s,
and others engaged in archaeological
research, it was in the midst of a
dense forest of heavy timber. Trees
of the largest growth stood on the
embankments, and covered the entire
area of ground enclosed. About a mile
and a half below, on the same side
of the Scioto, are other fortifications,
both circular and square, even more
remarkable than the one last described,
on account of the forms and combinations
which they exhibit. Another fortification
in this county, in the form of a parallelogram,
2,800 feet long by 1,800 feet wide,
encloses several smaller works and
mounds, which altogether make 3,000,000
cubic feet of embankment.
A series of the
most .wonderful and most gigantic
of these pre-historic works, is to
be found in the Licking Valley, near
Newark. They cover an area of two
square miles. The works are of such
vast magnitude that even with our
labor-saving implements to construct
them, would require the labor of thousands
of men continued for many months.
"Fort Ancient ", as it is
called, in Warren county, Ohio, has
nearly four miles of embankment, from
eighteen to twenty feet high.
Mounds and fortifications
similar to those in Ohio are found
in all the States of the Northwest,
and indeed, throughout the entire
valley of the Mississippi and its
tributaries. In the valley of the
Wabash, in Indiana, are many interesting
remains of the works of the Mound
Builders. Near Cahokia, Illinois,
there is a mound 2,000 feet in circumference,
and ninety feet high. Many remarkable
objects of interest to the antiquary
are found in Wisconsin. Scattered
over her undulating plains are earth-works,
modeled after the forms of men and
animals. At Aztalan, in Jefferson
county, is an ancient fortification
550 yards long and 215 yards wide.
The walls are from four to five feet
high, and more than twenty feet in
thickness at the base. Near the Blue
Mounds, in that State, there is another
work, in form resembling a man in
a recumbent position. It is one hundred
and twenty feet long and thirty feet
across the trunk. At Prairieville
there is still another resembling
a turtle in shape which, is fifty-six
feet in length. At Cassville there
is one which is said to resemble the
extinct mastedon. In some instances
these animal resemblances and forms
are much defaced by time, while in
other cases they are distinctly visible.
Fragments of ancient pottery are found
scattered about most of them.
Scattered over the surface of Iowa,
also, are to be found many of these
monuments of a pre-historic race.
The mounds especially are numerous,
appearing most in that portion of
the State east of the Des Moines river,
hut in a few instances west of it.
Groups of mounds are found along Iowa
river, in Johnson county, presenting
the same general appearance with those
in the States east of the Mississippi.
Near the mouth of this river, in Louisa
county, are the remains of an ancient
fortification, with a number of mounds
in the same vicinity, which have attracted
the attention of the curious. In the
vicinity of Ottumwa, Wapello county,
are a large number of mounds, several
of which have been examined. There
is a chain of them in this last named
county, commencing near the mouth
of Sugar Creek, a small tributary
of the Des Moines, and extending twelve
miles northward, with distances between
them in some instances as great as
two miles. Two of them were excavated
several years ago. One of them was
about 45 feet in diameter, and situated
upon the highest ground in the vicinity.
The other was directly
64
north about one-fourth
of a mile. Its diameter at the base
was about 75 feet. In the center of
this last named mound, was found,
at the depth of tour feet, a layer
of stone, with the appearance of having
been subjected to the action of fire.
There were also found a mass of charcoal,
a bed of ashes, and calcined human
bones. A number of relies were also
found in the smaller mound first mentioned.
These examinations were made by several
gentlemen of Ottumwa.
Mr. F. C.
Roberts, in a Fort Madison paper,
writes of the examination of a mound
situated about six miles north of
that city, a few years ago. It is
located on the brow of a hill, is
of an elliptical shape, and small
in size, being only about 30 feet
long, and fifteen feet wide; its height
was about six feet. The mound contained
a number of separate compartments,
constructed as follows: First, there
was a floor made of limestone, which
must have been brought a distance
of several miles, as none nearer could
have been obtained. This floor was
laid regular and smooth, the best
stone only being used. Above the floor,
with an intervening space of about
twenty inches, there was a roof, also
made of limestone. The sides of this
vault, if it may so be called, seemed
to have once had stone walls, but
they were more or less caved in. It
was also thought that the roof had
originally been much higher. The compartments
were made by partitions or wraps of
stone. Each compartment was occupied
by a human skeleton, and articles
of flint and stone, as well as some
bones of animals. All the skeletons
of human origin were placed in a sitting
position, with the knees drawn up,
and the head inclined forward between
them. The arms were placed by the
side, and sometimes clasped around
the knees. Besides the human bones,
there were those of some large birds
and of some animal. Some of these
were charred, and were found in connection
with charcoal and ashes. There were
numerous flint weapons, and small
three cornered stones.
In Clayton and
other counties in the northeastern
part of the State, the Mound Builders
have left numerous monuments of their
existence in that, region in pre-historic
times. The researches of Hon. Samuel
Murdock, of Clayton county, have
been extensive and successful in,
giving to the scientific and antiquarian
world much information in relation
to these works of an ancient people
who once occupied our continent. He
has collected a vast number of relics
from the mounds in that portion of
the State. After long and thorough
investigation, he gives it as his
opinion that in
Clayton county
alone there are not less than one
hundred thousand artificial mounds;
including the two classes, the round
and the elongated, the latter ranging
from one hundred-to six hundred feet
in length. All of them, so far as
examinations have been made, contain
more or less skeletons. One which
was examined near Clayton was estimated
to have contained over one hundred
bodies. From investigations made,
the inference is drawn that the elongated
mounds are of greater antiquity than
the round ones. The skeletons found
in the former are in a more advanced
state of decay, and in some of them
there is scarcely any trace of bones.
In nearly all the round mounds skeletons
were found in remarkably good state
of preservation, and can be obtained
by the thousand. These facts indicate
most conclusively that the elongated
mounds were the work of an older race
of the Mound Builders, and that they
were erected ages before the round
ones were. The fact that human remains
have been found in nearly all of both
classes favors the theory that they
were erected as receptacles for the
dead.
65
A Pioneer Winter
66
While workmen were excavating a mound
for the foundation of a warehouse
in the city of McGregor, in the, summer
of 1874, human bones were found, and
also a stone axe weighing thirteen
pounds. It was embedded twenty feet
below the original surface.
As stated, the work of the Mound Builders
was not confined to that portion of
the State embracing the Mississippi
drainage. Similar remains, though
not so numerous, are observed on the
western slope of the water-shed between
the two great rivers bordering the
State. Some five miles below Denison,
Crawford county, in the valley of
Boyer river, there is a semi-circular
group of artificial mounds. They are
situated on a plateau, rising above
the first, or lower bottom, and are
about nine in number, each rising
to a height of from five to six feet
above the general level of the ground.
Another similar
group is located on a second bottom,
at the mouth of Paradise creek, in
the same county. Human remains have
been found in some of them. having
noticed briefly some of the various
forms in which these stupendous works
of men who lived far back in the centuries,
whose annals have not come down to
us in any written language, we can
say now that the most learned have
only been able to conjecture as to
the remoteness of their antiquity.
The evidences that they are of very
great age are abundant and conclusive,
but how many hundreds or thousands
of years? This is the problem that
many an antiquary would freely give
years of study and investigation to
solve. The length of time which elapsed
during which these works were in progress
is another of the unsolved questions
connected with them, and yet there
is abundant evidence that some of
them are much older than others; that
the process of their construction
extends over a large duration of time—a
time during which the Mound Builders
themselves passed through the changes
which mark the monuments that they
have left behind them. It is a well
known fact that the manners and customs
of rude nations isolated from intercourse
and commerce with the world, pass
through, the process of change and
development very slowly. The semi-civilized
nations, of eastern lands, after the
lapse of thousands of years, still
cling to the manners and customs,
and the superstitions of their ancestors,
who lived at the early dawn of our
historic period. They use the same
rude implements of husbandry, the
same utensils in the household, the
same arms in warfare, and practice
the same, styles of dress—all
with but little change or modification.
The changes are only sufficiently
marked to be perceptible after many
generations have passed away. Situated
as the Mound Builders were, we can
but infer that they too passed slowly
through the processes of change, and
the works which they have left behind
them thoroughly attest the truth of
this proposition. Their older works
appear to be more elaborate and more
intricate, showing that the earlier
workers were possessed of a higher
degree of attainment in the mechanical
arts than those whose works are more
recent. The inference is that probably
after long ages, they gradually retrograded,
and were finally subdued or driven
southward into Mexico and Central
America, by the ancestors of the Indians,
who came upon them from the northwest,
as the Goths and Vandals invaded and
subverted the Roman Empire. This final
subjugation may have resulted after
centuries of warfare, during which
time these fortifications were constructed
as defences [defenses] against the
enemy. That they were for military
purposes is scarcely susceptible of
a doubt. This implies a state of warfare,
and war implies an enemy. The struggle
ended in the final subjugation of
that people to whom
67
we apply the name of
Mound Builders—their conquerors
and successors being a race of people
in whom we recognize to this day,
traces of the Asiatic type.
We, another race
of people, after the lapse of other
ages, tread to-day, in our turn, on
the ruins of at least a limited civilization—a
civilization older than that of the
Aztecs, whom Cortez found in Mexico.
This great Mississippi valley was
once a populous empire, millions of
whose subjects repose in the sepulchers
scattered in our valleys and over
our prairies. While we bow at the
shrine of a more intelligent Deity,
and strive to build up a truer and
better civilization, let us still
remember that we tread on classic
ground.
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