The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-11-11
NEIGHRoRHooD Antiquities.
Explorations Up the Valley Of wheeling
Creek-PFshiHtoFic CuFIOSIties SuE.
EestiOna a. 70 . Historical Society.

-'SF@SseAASAs = eAS NAANy VI Wheeling
CFeek-PFohiHtoFIc CuFlOsIties SuE-
gestiOna a. to Historical Society.
Editors IntSllIgSncUr;
Up Big Wheeling Creek, in the Sand
Hill district Of Marshall county, there are
some interesting remains of prehistoric
race. On the farm Of David Dague there is
the site Of former village where the man.
ufacture OF pottery ware seems to have
been q leading industry. Some Of their
vessels show considerable skill and taste
in their manufacture, as do other relics
found there, Near there is u group OF
mound-shaped stone piles. The largest one
OF the original group has been removed
and number OF human skeletons found
under iT, There are more OF these stone
pile monuments in the ncighborhood.
From the great number OF bones found on
the top OF the ground it is quite evident the
inhabitants OF the village were slain in
battle, They were probably surprised and
persisted in an indiscriminate slaughter
and their dead bodies left unburied where
they fell. The.yilage site was covered and
plainly marked by young growth Of tim
Der when the father OF the present owner
settled there in 1903.
The entire absence OF the mound there
Is very strong proof that these people were
not oil the Mound Builder race. It also
appears that their occupancy OF the Coun-
try has been much more recent than that
OF the Mound Builders. The timber on
and around the mounds OF this region is
apparently as old as in the surrounding
forests, On the top OF the large mound ut
Moundsville there was white oak that ap-
parently died OF old age many years ago.
1t was cut down and It's growth carefully
counted, from which It appeared that Il
was about five hundred years old. ItwOuld
seem from this that the Mound Builders
mnst have disappeared from this part OF
the country at least as early Us the close OF
the thirteenth century. The timber on the
site Of the Sand Hill village in 1903, was
c 'rtainly less than three hundred years old.
There must have been hOurishing village
there ut the time Columbus discovered
America.
There are numbers OF these stone pile
monuments on Fish creek and also OH
Ten Mile creek, In Washington county,
Pa, where there are somewhat extensive
remains found in connection with them.
The interior location OF all these settle
meRts Is also an evidence that they existed
quite near the beginning Of the historic
period In point OF time. There were no
villages to amount to anything on the Ohio
river when first explored by the white
man. The entire Ohio valley and much
more territory was claimed by a powerful
Indian confedracy, known as the Six Ma
tons and by various other names. They
lived In Western New York and North. |
western Pennsylvania. All other Indian
tribes in the territory claimed by them
were compelled to occupy inferior posi-
tions and were tributary 10 them. With |
great fleets OF canoes they swept the Ohio |
river from end to end every year, carrying
death and destruction to everything they |
found along It's banks. They have been
called the Romans Of America. The English |
claim to the country west oithe Alcghenies
was based on an alleged purchase from the
Indian Cont6dracy, while the French based
their claim on the right OF discovery. In
all probability these terrible "Ro-
mans" wiped out the Sand Hill village, re-
garding It's inhabitants as intrudeFs on
their territory,
The mound builders never occupied in
terror positions. Their forts and mounds
are strung along the Ohio river, and are
never found up tho smaller streams very
far. There is q mound on Big Wheeling
Creek at Elm GROVE, five miles from the
river, but none above It.
Tho above facts furnish ronclnsivn nrnnf
that two prehistoric races at least have oC-
cupied Wheeling Creek Valley and sur
rounding country. The mound builders
were here at quite remote period, while |
the Sand Hill villagers were here beyond
a doubt long after their disappearance.
Both races were much more advanced in
the arts and civilization than the Indians,
who only occupied Wheeling Creek Val.
ley as hunting ground. There Is no evil
dence that they ever lived there perma-
nently.
II occurs to me, and ! will take the lib
erty to make the suggestion, that 1t would
Historic Society" with department for
Archaeology. Washington county has a
historical society. The Panhandle has a
not less interesting history, and II is more
valuable in its bearings on national history.
It Is region that Is comparatively rich In
prehistoric remains. To collect and pre-
serve the facts and relics pertaining TO
these Is debt We owe 10 posterity. BY so
doing we may compel the past 10 give UP
some OF our lost history. WIGS.
= Ohio county, November 10, 1881.