Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-12-24

relics:
The location of Nh. Dennis new house, at
which place the pottery was found, 10 about
/ one mile below Sioux Falls OF the eastern
bank of the river, on ground that was for
merly an island in the river, formed BY =
line Of boutdsss Of glacial deposislyin some
what d~iagonally across fihs stream, turning
the water . little 10 the Westward and form
ing m island thirty rod Or more insleegth'
"a mere point at the upper end audgwiden.
ing out TO seyeral rodsat ths alowarx The
greater quantity Of water being at the west
ern aide, and the erasion greater there, the
eastern side was left 4 terrace about Thirty
rods wide, but several feetlower at that point
than at the river bank. The rise to thes
ond tesrapssise eeep, pavedswith bouldasi as
before deScfibed, probably forty pr fly feet
high. Just Oh the edge at'thetop. are four
low mounds in . line, enc of which wa par
TALLY opened by Prof. Crane of Michigan.
who reported finding . human skeleton, but
wholly decayed. Further to the southeast
on this terrace is the railroad. Westward
from the house Is the river with it's present
f0bd plain, eighty rods or more vide, and
from ten to twenty-five feetlower. The peo-
pie who made thispottery no doubt occupied
the ground a long time a svillage or acamp,
the fragments of pottery and flint chips be-
ing found from nearthe surface to depth Of
three feet. Iuse flint as a generic term, not
true flint. I found at n point q small
boulder eighteen inches under the surface,
and. directly under that, six inches lower, =
fragment Of pottery. l found some evil
dence indicating that the ground may have
been occupied while yet. an island, but can.
not assert that without further evidence.
Owing to the shape Of the ground, higher
at the river bank, il would be denuded by
the rain and wind rather than increased BY
accumulations, after it ceased to be over
flowed. think it probable the fragments
have been buried in making excavations for
various purposes, and the more perishable
debris decayed. The ground is unstratifed
three feet or more in depth, so it is impossi.
BILE to tell whether it has has been disturbed
or not. Flint chip, are in much greater
abundance than fragments Of pottery,
though the latter wa found in every exca-
walton made. Not q whole vessel or arrow.
head, or implement of any kind has been
found, 30 far rs is known, apparently chips
and fragments only being left. But seeing
some specimens Nj. Dennis had, and hear.
ing his description of others he had found
l learned the general form Of the vessels
which were somewhat Ikea candy jar. M
Dennis had some pieces showing q diamete,
asthe top of Eve or six inches, perpendicu
lar neck part, about one and one-half inche1
wide, and below that it curved outward Il
make the body probably nine or ten inche,
in diameter. The depth I did not learn.
have one specimen, q section of the top o
one of those vessels, showing q diameter o
twelve inches; the body Of that would b,
sixteen or eighteen inches in diameter. Blu
the mos, remarkable characteristic is the ex
IRENE thinness of the walls as empare
with the size of the vessels, the walls ofthi
one being o%ne-quarter of an inch, and th,
upper rim nearly three. eighths. The speci
mems I have range from one.eiehth to three
eighths.
I reached no satisfactory conclusion re.
garding the mode of manufacture. The
theory that they made baskets of ruehes and
plas,ertd the clay inside will not answer
First, because ONE Of the pieces are smooth
both outside and in ; second, there are some
with straight, horizontal lines, but none
crossing, as would be the case il any woven
material we're used. Unexpectedly baked,
and l notice some sand in the middle,of the
thicker parts. It is also uuglazed, CORES,
ponding in that respect with pottery Of the
mound builder period in many places, and
also that Of uncertain origin found at Petit
Anse Island, Louisiana.