The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-11-09
MILTONIAN MOUNDS.
ELIMINATION Of the Remains in the
Mounds Hear Hilton, Rock County.

MoulUS rear MllLOn, MOCK county.
GAINESVILLE Gazette: Last week, par
ty from Milton village, including Chas
u. Mann, of Milwaukee, President
Whitford, of the collage, ". P. Clark.
and several others, visited the west bank
of Lake Koshhonong for the purpose OF
opening one of the large and ancient
mounds and with what results we viii
give the report of one of the parties to
The Wisconsin:
Work was begun on this mound. which
is the largest in this section, last July,
but little excaVating had, however been
done previous to this visit. A trench 30
feet long and 5 feet wide, was dug from
the outer edge of the mound to the cen
ter, at which point the excavation rea-
ched q depth of 10 feet. Upon going
down IN the center OF the mound, ana
when about foot from the bottom, a
lawyer of ashes and decayed wood was
uncovered, and few inches below that
we came to a deposit having the appear
ance of mortar, being light colored and
quite hard. Immediately below this
compound were found the remains of
the ancient people who were laid away
there hundreds of years ago. The first
skeleton uncovered lay with the head to
the west in q reclining position. at his
knees were found, near each hand, two
handsome ornaments with holes drilled
through them to the wrist. There were
the jaw and teeth of some wild animal,
about inches in length. Carefully ex-
cavating the soil the skull was found,
but SO badly decayed as to make it i'm
possible to remove it. At the south end
of the skull were found four perfect ar
row heads. They were all different
sizes, pure white and as true in shape
as if they had been manufactured by ma
chinery. Lying at the shoulders were
found 20 beads made from beautiful lit
tie shells, perforated, and evidently a
necklace worn by the gentleman whose
bones we were digging out, and who was
without doubt, great chief OF his tribe
for no other ornaments were found
around the bones of the remaining skel-
etons. Five other skeletons were ex-
humed. They were lying about the
chief to the west, northwest and east.
Three were evidently adults and two,
children, for in the jawbone of the small
Ter of the two was found a wisdom tooth
which had not, at the time of the burial,
forced its way abovethe level of the jaw.
The relices exhumed will be carefully
preserved in the cabinet of Milton Col
lege. A bushel of bones were left on
the mound, not being valuable on &C
count of their decayed condition. Sew
eral jawbones, including the teeth, were
found in a good state of preservation.
On the top of this mound an Indian
skeleton was dug out about Is inches be-
low the surface, while the remaining
skeletons were brought to iig1G s! feet
below the point, showing conclusiyely
that the remains are those of race who
preceded the Indians. Arrangements
will be perfected for making further de-
velopments in that region on a more ex-
tensive scale in the spring. The mound
was go feet in diameter, and 10 feet
above the natural surface at the center.
On the top was turf, to the depth.of Is
inches, and black loan natural to that
locality. The next 5 or feet were
gravel and soil of different kind, evil
IDENTIFY put there by artificial means, and
Immediately beneath that and above the
bones, a black loan like that on top, the
bones resting on clay like that found
just below the black loan of the coun-
try thereabouts, which shows conclu-
sively that the black loan on top was
the natural deposit since the mound was
built.