Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-01-08
The Mound Builders.
THE REMAINS OF A GREAT AMERICAN
PEOPLE.

vastly superior to the Indian, once
spread itself, at very remote and
unknown period, over this broad
continent of ours. Yet such is the
case. Along the frontier of Mexico
may be seen the footprints and pic
ture writings of the mysterious
Mound Builders. These wonderful
prehistoric people startle us with the
remains of their monumental
mounds, their cliff dwellings aud
Egyptian kieratic script, the history
of whose pages, one might say, have
neyer been perused to be transmitted
to posterity. This mysteriously
moving, ever stirring, nomandio
people, left as light and slight a
track among the mountains of Mex
leo, as the Bedouins of Africa left
on the sandy Sahara desert. 1t is
known, however, that the Mound
Builders chose or selected rs points
of departure on this continent for
the south, Vancouver's Island and
the neighboring mainland Back of
that exodus it appears impossible to
trace this great nomandic nation of
people. Whether the wandering
few rested there, and the course of
eternal progress was lifted; whether
as fugitives from the fear of the
terrible Tartar found there the nuole-
us of a new nation, will all remain
part of the archives guarded 10y time.
The origin of these wonderful peo-
pie seems absolutely to remain in
utter oblivion From this vicinity
we trace them, as been naturally led
by the river courses through the
passes of the mountains into the
great central basin of North Amer
lea.
This strange people had entered a
continent hitherto untrod by man.
About that time, perhaps, Troy was
burning on the other side Of the
globe; but the Mound Builders
knew il not Irresistably they drift
ed southwark, striking the head
waters of the Missouri and the Sas-
kachewan and thence conducted in
TO the Mississippi valley.
In two great armies they wander
ed, iii they rested ON the banks of
the Mississippi riyer--one army com
ing by the Red River of the North,
and tbs by the Missouri Here
they found more permanent foot
ing, occupying the various tributar-
les Of the Mississippi with Wild in
stinctiye preference, But being ex-
tremely numerous aud nomando in
their habits, their wanderings did
not cease I'll their feet pressed the
Allcghcnies on the east, and Til
they stood in awe aud wOndurment
! by the dark blue waters of the Gulf
Of Mexico From thence they drift
ed into Georgia, Florida aud crossed
the Rio Grande into Mexico Here,
high up on the face Of the cliffs
along the deep canons of Northern
Mexico, are found the ancient dwell
lugs of these curious and unknown
tbipulNlN, blpNt W bdEic fYlltH,
thousands of feet above the valleys.
! Strange TO say, IN some cases, path
Just the width Of a human toot leads
from the brink of the cliff above TO
the mouth of the caves, IN nearly
every instance a narrow ledge over
grown with shrubbery. In these
caves they lived aud died, and no.
body now knows their history.
The remains Of the Mound Build
ers are classed under four heads,
VIZ: first, mounds; second, embank-
ments; third, mines aud excavations,
and fourth arts and manufactures
The mounds of these people were
used as temples of worship, rs affairs
for sacrafice, as burial place, and as
residences and observatores. Each
is distinguished from the other by It's
form and size The temple mounds
by their truncated tops, the altar
mounds by their coGcentric layers
Of earth, sand or gravel, having be
meath them a hearth Of baked earth,
evidently Of sacred imp p1rtance. In
the burial mounds are found the
great skeletons and dusky bones Of
this unknown people, sealed in from
the gaze Of the scientific Crusoz of
modern research, unless brought 10
light after the long sleep Of many,
many centuries.
The resident mounds were terra
ces elevated above the surface of
the ground. The observatory
mounds were simply signal stations
along which communications were
passed between communities that
were hundreds of miles apart.
The garden beds and animal
mounds Of the Ohio, and its streams
and tributaries, are a part of the
. great system Of the mound cities
erected by these long lost, and for
gotten, ancient giants. In fact the
animal mounds are but immense
statuary or bas reliefs of men, beasts,
| birds, and reptiles, intended to be