The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-03-15
The Three Stone Heads !"


| Recent discoveries in Eastern Ore.
: goa appear to contirm the speeulations
which assign great antiquity to the,
residence of man on the American
continent. The so-called Aztec re-.
mains il New Mexico, and the various
evidences of human agency traced
through the mining operations in Cali
fornia have already been described in
these columns Tie march Of discov.
: cry now -eems to have turned north
ward, and Oregon has begun to iurn.
ish the geoloyist and the antiquarian
materials for the development of sci-
ence. Among other interesting relics
lately found Ia Oregon, what a: e known
as the "three stone heads" have at
tracted much attention, and are now.
. being widely discussed These are
heads of extinct animals, not men,
and SO can furnish. only Collateral data,
of an chronological character. They
are, nevertheless, extremely interest.
ing, and their discovery may prove of
important service in constructing the
history of American zoology.
The "Three Stone Heads" wers,
found imhedded in the Cascade Range
near Mount Hood in Eastern Oregon.
They are pronounced by the best local
authorities to be older than Mount
Hood self, to have been formerly ff.
teen hundred feet below the surface.
and to have been uncovered by the
slow action of a mountain ravinS
through which had flowed the freshets
of thousands of years. The heads
belong to an extinct race, and appear
to have been allied with species now
widely separated. They had the teeth
of runIinants with tusks. One of them
must have been something like the
camel aud something the tapiri
and is said to bs entirely new to. sci
encc. The second head is supposed
to be Of the same species as the first.
! but there is no doubt on this point,
because it consists of little more than
the cast of Il side face, and, moreover;
has been much ahra1ed by long action
/ of water and exposure to air. The
third specimen is head of totally dif.
fercnt shape from the others. and its
species is also not yet determined IL
is, however, affirmed with confidence
to have belonged to different species.
anI to much larger animal than tbs
others. In the same region of coun-
try other animal remains have like
wise been found. Among these ara
the teeth and frequently homes of the
rhinoceros, the flag nents denoting the
existence Cf two species-the tapir AID
pcccary-and a creature of different
form, but closely allied to, the horse.
! These Oregon fossils are asserted by
some to be Of similar ch .racter to
those which haze been already folnd
in what are called the Bal Lands"
of Nebraska. The territory whence
they have been taken has, at all events,
almost Identical characteristics. The
original surrounding rock, that Is 10
say, is OF the miocene or middle ter
tiary period; it is supposed to have
been sedimate originating in the de.
post of fresh water lakes, AMI the sur
rounding region was once tnvironed
i by majestic forests, in VII ch the palm
grew to vast size, aud were accompan-
/ led by tropical trees, shrubs and plants.
| The theory is that these lakes were ul-
tinatcly drained off to the sea- R!v-
ers like the Colorado at the South.
and the Columbia at the North, furn-
ishcd the channel for this drainage
These channels, in course of time.
!: were put down lower and lower, until
what was once the lake beds became
/ high and barren waste. In the differ
ent geological periods, different ami
mails existed, and traces of many of
teen have been found. At various
epochs, later than that of these stone
heads, the camel and the elephant
hourished in the same region. as we'll
as other curious beasts, which belong
alto yether to the past. .e .t g. .rs
With the accumulation of material
like these now found relics, the re-
sources of science will, of course, be
increased for the determination of the
stupendous problems connected with
the origin Of species. Whether the
! ancient view Of q distant creation in
each instance, the Darwinian view Of
the development OF various types from
the original cne. the theory of "evolu-
ton" through the unfolding cf one
species int, another, or the theory Of
SiJSCItl CoiihS GRCSIco
for special ficlds-is to be sustained or
enplo led bv the progress of discovery,
we may conjecture but cannot decide.
1t is assumed hat the discoveries made
in the great Columbia Valley must be
of Immense consequence to the prose-
cution of the inquiry. The reason
for this is manifest The valley con
tains the whole of the geological record.
The Rocky Mountains, it is held, were
the first new barriers to the Pacific
ocean; then the Blue MountainsS
then the Cascade range. and lastly the
Coast range. To the regions beyond
these successive ranges the sea has
never gone back since the cretaceous
period, as is shown by the total alb
aence Of shells The "Three Stone
Heads then come from most inter
esting section, and one which may be
in time to supply other valu
able links of the great chain o. geo
logical and ethnic discovery.-N r