Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-01-17

Prof. Denton. who delivered his lectnr
upon, "Ancient America its Mound Build
ers and Copper-Workers." assumes:
lst. That Aneric; is the oldest part O
the globe-the first land that appeare,
above the waters extended from north o
the 81. Lawrence to Labrador. and theme,
norihwestwarl toward the Arctic Sea
this is proved by the discovery of fossil;
in the cretaceous deposits which contain
: evidences that the oak. the beech and Other
trees grew at that period. while no sucl
evidences are visible in corresponding de
posts in Europe. Human skulls We're also
found in California. which proved that man
f1ourished in America long ages before he
appeared on the Eastern Continents.
! 2d. After America WAS discovered at
tcntion was directed to the works Of the
mound builders F.: these mounds existed
only west of the Allrglrnas-no one was
ever found east of these mountains. The
mounds existed by tens Of thousands. and
covered the States along the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi valleys: many were small. but
others covered 400 acres. and were seventy
feet high. Some were trtncatcd. q ,d
showed that they were sacrificial mourds !:
others were for Notifications; and the
smaller ones Indicating the locations of
towns, villages and cities =; they all contain
| copper and stone implements. pottery.
charcoal, and other evidences of the adj
vanced condition of the inhabitants of the
country. These mounds extend from
Lake Superior to Mexico The antiquity
of some mounds is not over 400 wears.
while others are much older.
Sd. The mound builders were MeXicans
who were sent from Mexico to work the
copper mines of Lake Superior: the marks
of their work are visible in all these mines;
this copper, by prodigious labor. was dug
out and carried to Mexico and this is
proved by the fact that the copper imple-
mcnts found in the mounds and the multi
tudinous articles OF copper found in Mexi-
co by the Spaniarls was Superior copper.
which is found mixed with silver, and no
other copper of the kind is known to exist
elsewhere. After Cortes conquered Mexi-
co these mound builders began to disap-
pear; the mines were abandoned and the
Indians took possession of the country.
Prof Denton laid great stress upon the
fact that the Indians possessed no tral-
tions as to who the mound builders were.
or when the mounds were constructed. and
sess no traditions about these mufi.,ltlin-
Gus AZtecs that once swarmed over the
Mississippi valley. and who must have dis
appeared only about 400 years ago. This
is the more remarkable in view of the fact
that the mound builders were permanent
inhabitants and had hundreds of cities.
towns and villages. which must have been
settled and occupied for thousand years
or more.
4th. The relation between the mound
builders and the Mexicans is shown in the
similarity of the shape between the mounds
of the West and of Mexico, and OF cyi-
dences showing that the sacrificial mounds
were used for the same purpose; also in
the fact that volcanic glass implements
were found in the northern mounds. while
Superior copper implements were found in
the Mexican mounds.
5th. The mound builders. or Mexicans
and Peruvians, are descendants of the
Egyptians. who came across from Africa
on the dry land that extended from Africa
to South America during the tertiary pc
riod.
9th. The Indians are descendants of the
Tartars or Asatics. who came over when
land connected North America with North
ern Asia; the EsqninauX are also related
to an ancient race that lived in France.