Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-07-04
THE MOUNDS OF MISSOURI.


Extract of letter from gentleman in
Missouri to his relation in this county
communicated for the Winchester
Republican.
know of nothing that would be more
entertaining than few speculative or
descriptive ideas upon the curiosities of
this country, both natural and artificial,
and which, were l adequate to the task,
might furnish matter for the scientific re-
searches and itinerant labOrs for months
At present l shall contine my observa-
lions to the Mounds, which Ior their num-
Der, variety and even construction, in
nv apprehension, claim more dlstin
guished place amongst the artificial curl
osities of antiquity than they have hither-
to sustained; and l am surprised that
writer's heretofore have taken no more
notice of them These ancient works
pervade almost the whole western coun-
try, and vary both in magnitude and form.
Some are conical from the base to the
top-others present only the lower seq
ment of cone; some are semi gIobular-
others in the form of paralleiegram. =
The most remarkable appearances of
mounds or pyramids In the western coun-
try, within my knowledge, are on the
Mississippi, consisting of two groups; the
one about two miles above the Kahokia,
which empties near st. Louis, and the o.
Their nearly the same distance below it:
which, in all, exceed one hundred and fifty.
Near ST. Louis, within one mile of the
Mississippi, on the east side, is the upper
group which, at little distance, resem.
bles a cluster of enormous hay-stacAs;
they are generally circular, and some of
them of great height, having space e.
nough ON the top to contain several hun
dred men. The largest of these mounds
is stupendous pile of earth, to form
which must have required the labors of
thousands for years: it stands immediate
ly on the banks of the Kahokia. Were it
not for the regularity and design display
ed, the plain alluvial ground on which it
stands, and the great number of others
scattered around it could scarcely be
lieve it to be the work of human hands.
The shapeis parallelogram from north to
south: on the south is broad apron about
half way down, and from this another
projection nearly fifteen feet wide: the
whole circumference is 500 yards, and the
height of the mound 80 feet The monks
of La Trappe have settled near it, who
have made the apron into kitchen gar
den and sowed the top with wheat
The extraordinary appearance of this
cluster of mounds forces conviction on the
rejecting mind, that they are the only re-
lies which time has secured from oblivi-
On, ofa great and populous city. The
large mounds were probably sites of tenn
Piles, and many of the smaller ones monu-
ments Of distinguished chiefs. There is,
perhaps, no spot in the west capable of
producing more abundantly and of sup
porting more numerous population than
this tract, called the American bottom
The great number of mounds, and the sur
prising quantity of human bones, every
where dug up or found on the surface of
the ground, with other appearances
prove this valley to have been anciently
filled with the habitation of men. Near
St. Louis is a curious work, much admi-
red called the Fallen Garden. 1t sug
gests to the mind of the spectator the idea
of situation for assembling the people
for public councils.