The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1873-05-01
AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES.
III

III
The Indians of the United States had
little or no knowledge of working III
metals. Their highest art was to form
very rude implements from stone.
Wherever mounds have been opened
there have been found various imple-
ments-.of war and peace. The former
are generally metallic, many are very
curiously wrought These not only in
dictate knowledge of metals, but also
knowledge of civilized war, Off there is
such thing) The latter, an advance
In the arts of peace far above the Amer
lean Indians. The weapons have been
found not III any particular locality, but
wherever are the mounds and fortifca-
tions. Some very curious weapons have
been discovered. Many years ago an
English traveller found very curiously
wrought sword In a mound near the
Scioto river. He supposed that it was
Roman. On comparing the Notifications
on the Scioto with those of the ancient
Romans, he found that there was great
resemblance. This obscure English
traveller is not the only person that has
been struch with the similarity It is
very improbable, however. that the Ro-
mans had any knowledge of America
While cropping in the dark for the origin
of this people, we can not accept with
certainty the few scattering disconnect-
ed evidence that the Romans were the
mound builders. The weight of evil
dence is all the other way, rather aseribe
them Scandinavian origin
The implements of peace, found in
the mounds are of more importance than
the weapons. Among savage tribes the
former are non est or very rude. They
subsist almost entirely by hunting and
fishing, and have no need of implements
of peace. They had a slight knowledge
of pottery, and very little knowledge
of agriculture
These people had both.
Much pottery has been onearthed,
some is very rude, other specimens are
finely carved, very few remain whole.
At Mackinaw, Mich, much broken pot
terry has been found. It seems to have
been made from pounded sand stone.
Only few pieces have been found per-
feet. These pieces all had some kind of
hieroglypic writing on them. Their an
tiquity is shown from the fact that near
ly all were found four or five feet below
the surface large trees grew over the
places where they were found Many
very large specimens have been found
in various sections of the county. The
sculpture of these Implements claims
our attention.
The sculpture bears close resem-
blance to that of Mexico and Central
America. Very few remains of the sculp-
tured vases are perfect at the present
time. The vase found near the main
wall or fertilization near KY. is one of
the best specimens intact. Because
these are few, many persons claim that
they may have been brought here by
accident. How many vases etc. are in
existence to-day that were in use by the
last generation, much less centuries
ago. The salt mines in the western
county were once worked, undoubtedly
by this people. The implements that
have been found near the works prove
this. Very large clay or stone vessels
have also been found there. These were
undoubtedly used in the salt manufac-
ture. Mott of these have been found
many feet below the surface, showing
that they are of great antiquity. The
implements found near the ancient salt
mines coincide in every important par
tcular with those found i'll the mounds.
What length of time must hsve elapsed
since the mound builders delved in our
mines and reared monuments in our fer
tile plains. The copper and lead mines
We're also worked. The copper mines,
because their implements were mostly
of copper, whence should this come if
not from the copper mines now known to
us. A few years ago at Galena some
miners were opening new mine, when
they came to collection of copper min
ing tools, showing plainly that these
mines were once worked.
There is every reason to believe that
this country was once densely popula-
lated by this people. We have evidence
Of no other people. IF there were no
other evidence of vast population, the
immense cemeteries with their unnun-
bered dead, the vast works scattered
from the lakes to the Gulf, the Allegan-
les to the Rocky mountains, would be
sufficient. Such people could not sub
sist byfishing and hunting, but must have
had knowledge of agriculture. Who
knows but that our western prairies were
once cultivated farms. "But where are
the farm houses and cities ?" Evident
ly this people was driven out by the In
dams. How long would it take these
savages to burn every house, to destroy
every city ? 1t is our opinion that they
generally lived within their defenses.
Though there are remains of cities in
the southern. and southwestern States.
In regard to this people, We come to
the following conclusion that they were
poplous, partially civilized, had
knowledge of agriculture, and many of
the metals, that all these remains point
towards Mexico. e. H. S.