The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-01-29

" his fame TO posterity," or as made by |
" some Michael Angelo of the forest to
a." show his skill in sculpture" The origin
of the "mound builders" however, is and
must remain matter of conjecture and
belief, although, iu our judgment, every
argument is against their identity with the
race we know as American Indians
a word as to the extent, or distribution,
of these remains. Remains of an sancient
civilization, as we may term it, are found
in three great sections or America, which
differ to some extent in degree and charac-
ter. These are on The west side of South
America between Chill and first or second
degree of north latitude in Central Amer
lea and Mexico and in the valley Of the
Mississippi and Ohio. In the latter section
that is, in the United States-the promi-
nent remains are artificial mounds, con-
structed with great intelligence and labor,
pyramids. In shape, they are, generally,
square or rectangular but, vt times, hexi
gonal or octagonsl, and the higher mounds
with winding starways on the outside
leading to their SUBMITS. They differ con-
siderably in size, and many of them have
close resemrl .nce to the teocdliis ot Mexi-
co The indications atc that the ''mound
builders entered the United States from
the south, commencing their settlements
near the gulf, for here the remains are very
numerous and eyince greater architectural
skill than further north. From here the
remains have been traced through IA great
extent of country. They are found in
West Virginia. Kentucky. Ohio, Tenness e,
Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Ar
kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama,
| Georgia, Florida, Texas, and on the Kan
| sas, Platte and other remote western
rivers. Lewis and Clarke reported seeing
them on the Missouri river, a thousand
miles above its junction with the Mlssis-
sppi and we have examined them nea-
Lake Minnetonna, in Minnesota, and have
bones, etc, from one Of these mounds, the
trees growing thereon indicating growth
of over ,ur huud ed Wears.
AS we have said. The origin of the
'mound builder,' is and must remain q
matter of conjecture and belief, although
we incline to the belief that they were
American aborigines, not immigrants from
another continent, but coming originally
from Mexico aud Central America. Our
reasons for this opinion are, among others,
briefly, that their settlements only reach
ton on these mounds, etc, are similar ii
design and arrangement to those found il
| Mexico and Central America; and that the
mounds, themselves, contain evidences Of
builders and the people of these countries
for instance, obsedan and porphyry dug
from the mounds can be explained In NJ
other way. Whether, however, thes'
'mound builders were the Aztecs, o
Cortes day, or their predecessors in power
the Toltecs, who, according to extant Cen
tral American books, came from "IIuehue
Tlapalan, distant country in the north
" east" long before the Christian era, j
another question, which we do not pro
pose to consider. Whoever these ''moun'
builders" were, or whatever their origin
the centennial exhibition will serve to cal
attention anew to the remains of thes
works, and, perhaps, Il more careful com
parson of these with the remains OF Gen
tral AmtfIca, IurAiCO anu OniIi, anu mus
known to be works of the American In
dians, may tend to solve the question o
"who originally peopled America?