The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-05-26
SOUTH WESTERN PRE-HISTORTC
WOND

puDllcan, WrlClng from ArKaue4pHid
Arkansas, under date of March 23d, gives
the following interesting account Of ar
theological discoveries in that region }:
[ think [ have struck a big bonanza
here, and, if [ am not mistaken, this is
the field for the ar~cheologist who revels
in the relics of the prehistoric man.
When the old military road was opened
from Memphis in 1881 to the Mexican
(now Texas) line, the route lay along
what appeared to have been a well-built
and graded road about fifty feet in
width, and apparently 81 old that trees
of the largest and oldest growth had
grown to maturity, decayed and their
places filled with others. In fact, all the
indications were that the road had been
built from eight hundred to II thou
sand years. The Indians then living
here had a tradition of another race
which had inhabited this country which
they called the Lena-Lenape, or wise men,
and claimed that their domain extended
from the great American bottom east of
St. Louis, far off to the southwest. They
also boosted that when the fercer tribes
of red men came from the north they
drove these peaceful cultiyaters of the
soil toward Mexico, and that remnants
of the tribes driven away still lived
away toward the great hills in the sunset
land. The pioneers who had charge of
opening the military road had learned
to look upon the dusky sons of the forest
as liars and frauds, and attached but
little Importance to the traditions, but
when they reached the Ouachita, near
where this town is built, the Indians
pointed out to them the mounds, and
especially the n ON the Caddo, which
is over one hundred feet high, then they
began to believe the story, and the Off
GERS mentioned the mounds and the
tradition in their report. But Arkansas
wa a far-off country then, especially the
western and southern part, and the ex-
istence of the mounds wa soon forgotten,
if generally known, which was probably
not the casEaa.
When white settlements came the
pioneer followed the Ouachita up to this
point, near the Caddo, and, finding the
soil rich and everything as attractive as
nature could make it, did what the Lena
Lenape did, started o town and began
c%ultivating a soil which gave the most
extravaganza returns for the labor ex-
pended upon it, and for years SO in
terested were they in raising corn and
cotton that they gave no thought to the
rich treasures which might be buried in
the mounds. About twenty years ago
it occurred to Col. Ell. w. Mcmillan,
then a young attorney of this place, that
it might be well to dig into n of these
artificial hills, and, if possible, discover
some relics of q past and forgotten age.
Taking a couple Of negroes and a supply
of picks and shoyels, he began operation
on the large mound or the Caddo. This
hill was covered with a growth of large
taasv, and had it not been for the fact
that it rose out Of a level plain, might
have been mistaken for a natural mound.
The laborys, after digging a few feet,
struck a rich lead which PANIED out a
number of earthen jugs, bowls and
dishes and q few pipes, all Of them curl
ously carved, and evidently containing
inscriptions in hieroglyphics as difficult
to decipher as those found by Professor
Smith among the ancient Abyssinian
ruins. The crockery was made of clay,
and had been hardened by fire, and when
found was in a good state of preservation.
While making these examinations, an
old Spanish Sword was found buried
nearly a foot beneath the soil and under
It the remains Of a human skeleton.
About the skeleton was found some
pieces Of iron, evidently portions Of the
style of armor worn in the time of De
Soto, and similar to those found at the
old salt springs below this place, while
the sword was the counterpart Of the
one found near Hot Springs about four
years ago.
The net result Of Col. McMillan's re-
searches was a barrel of jugs, bowls,
pipes aud some stone relics which he had
removed to his office, where they were
thrust aside and forgotten for quite d
nnlber Of years. But when the ancient
kettles and iron camp utensils were
found at the salt wells q few years ago,
giving indisputable evidence that DE
sotos=had camped there, the colonel be-
thought him Of the ancient sword and
went to his barrel to get it, but il
was gone, and has never since been dis.
covered.
Some i've years ago Col. Mcmillan
gave the relics be had left to one Of the
editors Of the Memphis Appeal, and that