Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1882-06-24
. AN INTERESTING FIND.
The Ruins "f an Indian Village Unearthed
Near IndlananOliH

The Ruins "f an Indian Village Unearthed
Near indianapolis.
A reporter of the Indianapolis Journal
recently visited "The Old Bruce Farm"
on White river, about twelve
miles north of that city. 1t was pur.
chased from the Indian natives and first
settled by MIR. John Bruce early in the
present century, and has been heritage
in the Bruce family since then, being
now owned by Mr.. j. A. Bruce. who re-
sides on College avenue. The recent
prolonged rains, together with the con-
tinued washing OF the river bave washed
out deep gully, the cut being from five
to eight feet below the former level. and
laid bare the ruins OF an ancient village
the existence OF which was never even
suspected by the residents of the neigh
borhood.
MIR. John Baer, who now lives on the
farm, and has known it for fifty years,
conducted the reporter to large field
in the bottoms which had been partially
washed away by the recent high waters.
The unwashed portion of the field is in
grain, and until one reaches the border
of the trench cut through it there is
nothing. about its appearance that is
especially attractive. White river flow
ing over wide channel through the for
est of tall white sycamores, makes
horseshoe bend, at the center of which
it strikes the Allisonville road at high
bluff and turning thence in the adverse
curve runs over broad ripple, where
its turbulent waters. leaving their prop
er course, have washed away tie soil and
left bare the ruins. They are peculiar
in some respects, and while persons
first impulse is to strike them with pick
or shovel, his second is guided by feel
ing of reverence urging preservation and
protection. The principal part of the
antiquities are some earthen ovens.
There are perhaps dozen of them, some
opened and some yet intact. They are
distinguished in the earth by small
cluster of stones encircled by a ring OF
red-burned clay, about three feet in Cir
cumference. Beneath the rocks on the
top is strata of sandy soil which covers
a course of sooty, burned, and broken
stones. These stones rest upon bed of
ashes and charcoal, which lies in the bot
tom OF the hole or oven, about two feet
below the original surface of the soil.
The circle of red-burned clay is about
four inches thick, and indicates that the
ovens were used often and for long
time. Those that have been opened are
remarkably we'll preserved. The ashes,
SCOT, and charcoal appesr as though the
fire had just expired, and do not show in
the least their age of many centuries
The coal is dry, crisp, and dusty, and
the fibers are still so perfect tina,
the specles Of wood can be distin.
guishcd in some embers which have not
entirely burned. Who used the ovens
and when, nobody knows. The field has
been in cultivation for fifty years, and
the unusually large trees had then made
it famous as the scene of many Indian
traditions. All these great trees grew
upon the soil which little by little had
buried the ovens many feet beneath the
surface of the earth. Earthern pots
stone axes. bodkins, arrow-heads and
spears have been discovered on the stratf
OF the ovens, which are thought to be
long to the stone age, and cause the ruins
to be much more valuable on account oi
being remarkably we'll preserved speci
mems of a race and age long since extinc
IN this part of the country-perhaps ex
listing prior to the Indian.
In some of the ovens there are bits o
bone mixed among the ashes. but the,
had evidently been thrown in after th,
fire had gone out, and are in such small
pieces that it is impossible to distinguish
the species of animal to which they be
longed. 1t is, however, probable, on th
theory that the holes are cooking oveni
that the bones were from beasts of foo
that had been killed and eaten besid
the oven where thev lay, and coul
easily be dropped into the ashes.
The existence and contents of th
ovens have given rise to some peculi,,
theories on the part of some country pee
pie who have seen them. One man wa
found who believes they are pottery-kiln,
and supports his argument by th
!, presence of the bits of crockery, etc
which he says came through miscor
Quoted "burn" of the green ware. Sewers
men were met who did not think til
ovens were filled up, but were always 81
! or eight feet deep and were used a
| places of torture. They emphasize thei
argument by the presence Of the bone
which they say are human beings. The
theory is that these perpendicular fu
+ naces we're heated to d great degree
IonI xyI,;lo r.,k s,l1 of ,,,o,,1lor;no q,