The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-03-16
THE MOUND BUILDERS.

After the last mammoth was slaio, it
is very probable that many centuries
passed before the mound builders came to
occupy the soil where these animals had
been. The mound builders we're race
of men who never saw the mammoth we
may be very sure; or else they would
have carved or painted its likeness, as
they did those of the birds and beasts they
knew, But, though they made pictures
Of these creatures, they unfortunately did
not make equally distinct pictures Of
themselves; so that we do not know what
they look like; and as they wrote no
books we do not know what language
they spoke. All that we know Of them is
from the wonderful works OF industry and
skill that they left behind, and especially
from certain great mounds of earth they
built. 1t is from these great works that
they derive their name.
One Of the most remarkable Of these
mounds is to be seen in Adams County,
Ohio. 1t represents an immense snake a
thousand feet long and five feet thick,
lying along bluff that rises above a
stream. There you can trace all the
curves and outlines Of the snake, ending
in tail with triple coil. In the open
mouth, something in the shape Of an egg
seems to be held and this egg. shaped
mound is one hundred and sixty feet long.
This shows on what vast scale these
carth.works were constructed, Some.
times they are shaped like animals, some.
times like men. In some places there
arc Notifications, often enclosing one OF
two acres of ground, sometimes even four
hundred acres, Sometimes these earth.
works have from fourteen to sixteen miles
Of embankment. In other places there
are many small mounds, arranged in Q
straight line. at distances nearly equal
and extending for many miles. These
are supposed to have been used for send
ing signals from station to station across
The country, Then, in other places, there
are single mounds, sometimes sixty fee
high, sometimes ninety, with steps cut il
the earth upon one side, leading up to ,h'
top, which is fiat, and sometimes includes
from one to five acres Of ground.
These mounds are scattered all dowr
the valley Of the Mississippi, and aloDl
many Of its tributary streams, There
are thousands of them, large or small
within the single State Of Onion. They
arc not made of earth alone, Cor some o.
them show brick work here and there
though earth is always the chief material
Some Of them have chambers within, ant
the remains of wooden walls and some
times charred wood is found of top. as i
fires had been kindled there. This fac
is very important, as it helps us to under
stand the purpose Of the higher mounds
for in Central America there are simula
mounds, except that those have on thci
tops the remains Of stone temples AM
palaces. So it is supposed that the highe
mounds of the Mississippi Valley ma
have been built for purposes of worship
and that although their submits are no,
bare, Jet the charred wood may be tb
remains Of sacri6cial fires, or Of woode
temples that were burned long ago.
1t is certain that these mound builder
were in some ways we'll advanced in civ
ilization. All their earth. works sho,
more or less Of engineering skill. The
vary greatly in shape; they show tn
square, the circle, the octagon, the e
lipse aud sometimes all these figures al
combined in one series Of works. Bu
the circle is always true circle, and tt
square a true square and moreove
there are many squares that measure el
actly 1000 feet on a side, and this show
that the mound builders had some del
mite standard of measurement.
There have been found in the
mounds many tools and ornaments, mad
Of copper, silver aud valuable stone
There are axes, chisels, knives, bracele
and beads; there are pieces of thread or
OF cloth and gracefully ornamental vas
of pottery. The mound builders kne
/ how to model in clay a variety of object
such as birds, quadrupeds and hunt
faces. They practiced farming. thoul
they had no domestic animals to he
them. They had neither horses nor OK
nor carts; SO that all the vast amount
earth required for these mounds mu
have been carried in baskets or skim
5 and this shows that their population mu
8 have been very numerous, or they nev
!. could have attempted so much. Th
l.; miIed for copper near Lake Superic
$ where their deserted mines may still
seen. In one of these mines there is
a mass Of copper weighing nearly six tor
a partly raised from the bottom, aud su
ported on wooden logs, now nearly d
p oayed. 1t was evidently being remov
: : to the top Of the mine, nearly thirty fe
!. above and the stone aud copper tools
the miners were found lying about, as
!, the men had just gone away.
Now. when did this ancient race
! mound builders live There is not
d line Of sheir writing left. so far as is nc
t known; nor is there any distinct abo
I; them. But there is one sure proof III
:: ;: they lived long very long ago. At t
i. mouth of this very mine just describ
p there are troes nearly four hundred yea
old, growing on earth that was that W
p thrown out in digging the minc.
l. course the mine is older than these tre
On q mound at Marrietta. Ohio. the