The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-04

Archaeological Discoveries Near Chicn

Archaeological Discoveries Near Chicago.
discovery has just been made in the
suburbs of Chicago which, it is believed, will
add much towards the solution of problems
connected with the earliest inhabitants of
North America. Prof. William Stimson, who
has long been connected with the Chicago
Academy of Sciences, a short time since,
while passing Mr.. Thatchers farm, Just be-
yond the town Of Harlem, and adjoining
Haas Park, discovered hillocks which he sus-
pected might belong to the mound-building
period, and might contain valuable memen-
toes of past age. A few days afterwards he
obtained permission of the owner of the farm
to make examination of the mounds and last
week he, together with Charles Kennicott,
made personal examination of the premises,
and uncovered the earth to the depth of
about three feet. They had dug but a short
time, when human bones were discovered,
which, upon examination, proved to be of a
race at present extinct upon the continent of
North America. Persevering efforts
of several days were rewarded with the find
ing of several other similar mounds, and the
remains of twenty human beings Two en-
tire skeletons were found with the exception
that one of them lacked two cervical bones,
and the other a few of the bones of the hands
and feet The bones themselves were very
friable, and required the most careful han
ding to prevent their falling into dust again.
The bones which mark the peculiar characters
of the beings who once possessed them are
those of the Uranium. 1t is well known that
the heads of Europeans and all descendants
of the Caucasian race are usually much
greater in length and breadth. They have
what is technically called the dOlichO-cephalic
skull, while the Iroquois Indians, who in
habited America at the landing of Columbus,
possessed square heads, or skulls which ar
ch@ologists call Grachy-cephdBc. The skulls
found at Thatchers farm are of the brdChY-
cephdkc type, and this fact stamps them as
being at least as old as the first discovery of
America. 1t is said that the influences of
civilization have entirely changed the shape
of the Indians skull, so that the present
tribes, no matter how much isolated from the
white man, present no cases of the antique
Indian head Another evidence Of the an
tiquity of these remains is the position in
which they were found. Professor Stimson
was obliged to remove large tree which
grew on one of the mounds to reach the skele-
| tons. A cross section of this tree disclosed
| 81 rings, and since botanists claim that the
| evidences of the first Is years growth of old
| trees has been obliterated, it follows that this
| tree was at least 100 years old. The mounds
were about two feet above the surface of the
prairie, were oval in shape, and were about
or feet wide, and from 10 to 20 feet in
length. They were each surrounded by
| well-defined trench. Before reaching the
remains a layer of hard blue clay was
| penetrated, and the bones were found re-
posing in bed of gravel. The remains
were found three feet below the surface. The
mounds contained no tools or weapons, or at
least none have yet been discovered; although,
as the researches have not terminated, it is
not impossible that these objects may yet be
found. The remains were apparently thrown
together promiscuously, as if the rites of
sepulture had been hurried-perhaps at the
close of a battle. From all the circumstances,
| it is believed that when the beings were
buried there the place was the margin of the
lake, and thus the phenomena are closely con-
nected with another interesting series of
questions relating to the lake and its physical
condition and boundaries before the shores
were discovered by Europeans. DR.. Durham
read the following report on these discoveries
before the Chicago Academy of Sciences
''There were five in number, located near
the eastern bank of the Desplaines river
The ground is covered with young trees and
un6erbrusb and the soil is clay interspersed
with gravel. On the farm of Mr.. True on
section SO of the town of Layden, circular
mound, 40 feet in diameter, was discovered.
The first discovered was an elliptical mound
lying near and parallel to the main bank of
the Intentionally located for lookout sta
| tion. This mound is 124 feet in circum-
ference and As in diameter from northwest
to southwest, and % feet northeast to south
| east. AT the southern end Is shallow trench
eight feet wide. Upon this mound are several
black oak stumps, the largest of which is
nineteen inches in diameter, with 81 rings
1t has very gentle slope, and is elevated ~
inches above the surrounding ground. Mr..
Kennicott made an exploratory excavation to
the depth of three and half feet, and found
the mound composed of clayey soil, very
compact Fifty-two feet south of this mound,
and 60 feet from the bank of the river, was
another elevated to the height of 81 inches,
and surrounded by well-defned shallow
trench six feet across. The measurements
re:-Circumference, lOS feet; long diameter,
81 feet short diameter, % feet. The ground
is covered with hazel-brush and scrub
oaks, and there are four small stumps, six
inches in diameter. An excavation was made
in this mound, but no signs of stratifcaton
of the SOIL which was clayey in charac-
ter, were found. But at the depth of
thirty-six inches there was found q small
bone-a fragment of unio-but nothing
else. The excavation was continued six
inches below the surrounding level, and
harder clay, with no indications of removal.
was found Fifteen feet distant is remark
able mound, which has some resemblance to
an animal, and has been christened sThe
Black Bear. The bear lies parallel TO the
Desplaines river, seventy feet southeast of
No l. and tho body is sixty feet long. thirty
feet wide, and elevated three and a.half feet.
The extremites are lower and hatter. Tho
anterior oXtrenities aro tweuLy.ona feet il