Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-11-16
THE MOUND BUILDERS



For many miles along the river, both north
and south of Dubuque, Ia, the high bluffs
on either side are surmounted by numerous
circular elevations of varying heights, the
work Of that mysterious race of beings who
arc known 10 us only through the monuments
left behind them. A few miles below Du-
buque, on the east side OF the river, rises a
rocky promontory, and on the summit Of this
elevation is one Of the most interesting Of all
these various relics Of departed race. The
promontory bears scant growth of trees,
some Of which, however, are Of considerable
size and of great age. The mound in ques-
tion is only few feet perhaps four or FIVE,
above the general level Of the ground about
The mound is covered with large trees and
without close inspection would not be readily
noticed. Different parties have at various
times made excavations in the mound and
have unearthed articles of pottery manufac-
tured by this ancient people. One of the
greatest curiosities was a necklace stone cyl
indrical, and so cut as to form perfect cir
Gle, and the places where the separate parts
Qike beads on string) Joined, were so
smoothly finished as to be hardly noticeable
unless closely inspected. Human bones are
found in all these mounds, which proves
them TO be the burial places of an extinct
race.
The people of this country are gradually
waking up to the fact that we have about us
monuments of antiquity, il not as ancient
yet possessing as much interest for Ameri.
cans as the time-worn ruins Of Baabec or
the mysterious piles of Stone Henge. All
about us are situated the monuments of a
people of whom the very name is lost in the
mstE of antiquity, and eminent scholars
greatly disagree as to the time in which they
lived 1t is impossible to state with any de-
gree Of accuracy when this strange people
became extinct, but it is certain that long be-
fore Columbus appeared at the Csstillian
court the mounds of the Mississippi valley
had become antiquities. By far the fullest col
lection of relics are to be seen in the museum
at Davenport, Ia. where the subject is re-
ceiving careful study.
The various scholars who have given their
time to the investigation of the remains of
these ancient people differ widely as to their
time, and also their origin and the cause of
their extinction. By some it is thought that
these curious mounds were erected by the
first inhabitants of this continent Most
scholars, however, hold that the mound build
ers were not the first dweers on the soil of
America, but made their appearance here
some time between the fifth and tenth centu-
ries Of the present era Their origin is
shrouded in mystery, and the remains of their
art and industry give us but little evidence on
the question. But one OF the many ques.
tions propounded by the inquiring mind seems
to find an answer here, and that is, that only
the chiefs OF this lost people we're honored
by such ceremonial burial. Although au-
thentic history proves that these mounds
along the Mississippi valley were held in su-
perstitious awe by the red men, the writer
has heard old frontiersmen from the Rocky
chief which must have been in something of
like fashion. The horse of the chief was
killed, hollow dug in the earth, the horse
placed in standing position with the dead
rider on his back, all the arms and trinkets,
the chiefs belongings, were placed about his
person, and then the earth thrown back and
up all about them, until, when a completed
mound, it stood five feet above the surround.
ing ground On the mound we're placed two
sticks, to one of which was attached a piece
of meat as food for the journey on the 9th
er a sort of rude prayer of recommendation
to the All Fathers favor. But the idea of
marking the resting place of ones dead
seems to be common instinct with all peo.
Pile, and not confined to the uncultivated races.
From the evident use of some of the
mounds of the Ohio valley for lighting sa.
cred fires, and from other evidences of fire
worship,it has been inferred that the builders
were of Phoenician origin. But very little
importance can be attached to this fact as
nearly all the primitive people were worship
ers of the sun or of some other form OF the
fiery element Nor is it possible to gain
much information as to the origin of this
people from the remaining relics of their arts
and manufactures. There is such simlari-
ty between the weapons and industrial i'm
plements of all barbarous nations that but
very little can he determined from this point.
Man seems everywhere to have begun with
the most primitive weapons of defense, and
improved gradually as his mind slowly de-
veloped its inventive genius, and so We find
everywhere the javelin, the tomahawk, the
stone battle-lx and the deadly bow and ar
row This is the history of the savage's ad-
vancement in the knowledge and use of weap-
ons in all lands. Hence the discovery of
primitive weapons on the banks of the Miss
issippi, resembling closely the weapons found
near the chalk cliffs of England and in the
north of France and in other lands, gives no
evidence that the races inhabiting the two To-
calities had a similar origin or were even
analogous. 1t is very certain that we have
about us some of the most interesting relics
of these former people, but il is impossible
from what light we now possess on this inter-
esting question to determine who the mound
builders were or whence they came. There
is no more interesting subject of investiga-
ton than the origin and history of the early
inhabitants of America, and we trust that fu-
ture investigations may throg some light on
this much talked of question.
MAUDE MEREDITH.
Dubuque, Ia, Nov. 1888.