Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27

which it is difficult to comprehend, so vast is
it. America is the New World in every
thing. It il later than Europe in geology,
| in archaeology, in history. Our written his
tory carries us only little way back and
gives comparatively little that is of value in
that respect. The field seems at first
poor and uninviting A closer investigation
shows, however, that such is no, the ea7e.
At first gla,.e2 o.e would say that Yer
mont had no archaeology. 1t has no ruins,
no monuments, no mounds. In tracing its
prehistoric history the aid of the plough and
spade is needed, and progress is necessarily
slow and laborinus. / ieW bits If pottery
V. a..e. add shells, and this is pretty
much all. But from these something of
great value may be gained Their scarcity
increases their importance and value. Ealu-
able collections are possessed at tho capital
by our own museum by MIR. Halbert of Es-
sey, by Mr.. Dean OF Swanton and a few
others. Though not numerous. many of The
specimens are quite Unique. In 1909, when
Champlain came upon the lake now called
by his name, the Indians accompanying
him told him that there were formerly
settlements on the eastern shore, which had
long previously been abandoned. Many of
the specimen faIad here are to be referred
to the iroquois and the Algonquins; but
some are of different order and are found
in only n few localities. Near Wells River
was an Abenaqui village and near Swanton
one of the St. Francis Indians, but 10 speci-
mems can be tOHI,, d. The Site Of either. The
| Territory Of Vermont was probably occupied
solely for hunting and for warfare That
portion bordering on Lake Champlain and
running back for some twenty miles was ap-
parently the most frequently visited, and
the greater part of the specimens are to be
found tnere-though even there in no large
quantities. A portion of tribe wandering
from one hunting place to another would 20
to meadow or hillside where good wat
Ell could be procured, and build their
wigwams thcrc-somc cOnical, some rectan-
gular, but all rude and simple \ day or
two was sufficient TO transform the spot into
a village. \ field was then rudelY prepared
and the squaws (who performed all of the
| w0rl.) planted the crops corn, squash,
gourds, tobacco and some herbs The agri-
cultural implements were not often of stone,
but mostly of wood. Such camp WAS occIl-
pied until the harycs, lime Then the gram
was packed OF stored underground and the
Indians went TO the scashore or elsewhere
and iishcd, returning to the forest for shelter
during Tie Winter, which they passed poorly
lodged and not unfrequcnily poorly fed
There are two rock-inscriptons in Yer
mont-the only ones of the kind in the
| United States. One is at Bellows Falls,
where twenty human faces, ranging from
five to twenty inches in length, are
carved on perpendicular rock. Eyes, nose
and mouth are indicated by deprcssions-
though little account seems to have been
taken OF the nose, for it is frequently omitted
I oil nfr.fhar INF ti,n a,,ft
ing Of these sculptures We have no means of
Judging but il is hardly possible that so
much labor was expended for nothing The
second rocl, picture is at Brattlcboro, where,
on the bank of West river, images Of eleven
animals are cut into the rock. Pottery and
fragments of pottery are quite frequent in
Vermont, particularly in the west side of
the State Jars are quite scarce, though
there are two in our Museum. The scarcity
| is due 10 the lack Of tenacity of the prehis-
toric pottery. 1t was made of clay, quartz.
feldspar, mica and sometimes other
materials. Outside and inside was
fine, smooth clay, on which WAS the
commentator. Some OF the pottery is fine
and some coarse and some is ornamented on
the inside as well as the outside. This jar
here the lecturer exhibited one oval at the
bottom and rectangular at the top and finely
ornamcnted was found in Colchester over
fifty years ago, under the stump Of tree,
and contained 4 few arrow heads. The sec
ond Jar presented 10 the Museum by Hon.
John n. Pomeroy is larger. For the most
part, however, we are obliged TO study frag-
ments The squaws had quite as much a
passion for decorative art Us our modern
danes and their work was frequently Gle
CANT in form and tasteful in ornament. OF
course we are not 10 compare it With similar
works produced nowadays it must be judged
by itself IL the prehistoric wigwam q
large earthcrn pot was suspended over
the house threw bears meal: veni-
anything that happened TO he at hand. and
from this each guest took what portion he
preferred The culor Of the vessel varied
from light bui1 to black, depending on ex-
posure to the fire and the character of the
materials. There was 10 painted ornamental
ton and the figures were nearly all small
about IL fourth of an inch in length. Lines
were largely used in ornamentation, with
fi-urcs merely as accessories and the
straight line was almost invariably used,
curved or bent lines being very uncommon.
Quite likely much Of the pottery found in
Vermont was made on the other side of the
lake. Near Cumberland Bay great quantities
of fragments have been collected, and prob
ably the locality is the site Of an ancient
pottery. have seen probably five hundred
designs on these fragments. They were
buried some ten feet in slnd, on which was a
growth of pines. Champaign and his Indians
did not discover any inhabitants along the
lake shore until they reached Crown Point /;
and this pottery doubtless antedates the tribes
iiourishinG at that time.
In North America there was no bronzr age.
The Indians used only stone, and the Euro
pcanS introduced iron. The corresponding
are here would have been the copper age.
Much of this metal must have been taken
from the Lake Superior mines, but little OF
it has been found anywhere Fortunately
the prehistoric tribes believed that man
would need in the next world what he used
| in this, and they buried with him his imple-
ments, ornaments and utensils. Hence
| many interesting discoveries The ungroov'
ell stone axe WAS probably the first
weapon iishloucd Icy man the
world over With it he fellcd trees
and made canoes and titled the soil. Its
manufacture was the first in the long series
of steps that led from sIvIgcry 10 civilian
ton. This axe with no groove AMI no han
die was very long in use how long, no one
knows; and probably the introduction OF
| handles was REGARDED rs a dangerous lnnOva-
| tion by the conservative members 81 the
tribe Axes with grooves are less common
than the rulcr ones -Ccts, as they are called.
They nic III all sizes, and in some States
have been found Of Il weight of seventeen
pounds. Small hand aNrs are also found,
with sharp edge, and the upper part well
rounded. Stone pipes are occasionally found
IA half dozen in all, perhaps. Some of
them are well formed and finely polished. In
Swanton some singular tubes were found,
some SIN or eight inches IN length and larger
at one end than the other these were prob
ably used as pipes some clubs have been
found, some of them with the head carved
in representation OF some animal. The
greater number Of the arrow and spear
points and knives are made of tint not
Clipped of but probably mall localities and
in al times formed by taking OIL by pres
sure Thu silicious rocks OF Vermont are
less beautiful than those of other States,
and consequently Our specimens are less So
The most common form OF arrow head is a
simple triangle and spear ard lance points
differ from il only in sic. some interest
ing specimens have been iuundn Wcyhridgc,
the material and the objects differing from
what has been discovered elsewhere in Yer
mont. They were found buried two or
three inches deep in yellow subsoil and are
of great antiquity, being probably the Oldest
specimens ever discovered in this region.
They resemble cNacily the most ancient found
in the whole world. In Swanton forest
was cut down and under the soil beneath
were found some graves the occupants
OF which hal been resting there perhaps
for many centuries. The place was used for
burying ground before The forest began To
grow. The 81 Francis Indians. who had Il
village in the nri:ghhorhood, had no rtcnllcc-
tion cf such n plirrrr Of such inhabitants. The
sand is a light yellow, but At the bottom of
the graves it is Il deep red due To red iron
oxide which was ground To powder and