St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-07-18
Written for the Caledonian.I
ANCIENT ARTIFICIAL WORKS OF
TIE NORTHWEST.

THE NORTH WEST.
1t is generally we'll known that
there are immense tracts of prairie
land lying west of the great lakes;
there being more land of that char
acter than any other in some western
states. While Michigan was mostly
covered with the primeval forests,
still it had a fair share of the black
rich. productive prairie land, the
most of which was in the eight
southwest counties of the state
have always supposed that our prai-
RE lands were originally covered
with forest trees, which had been re-
moved by the hand of man, and the
land converted into fruitful fields for
the abiding-place and support of hui
man beings. This vast prairie region
was of sufficient extent and produc-
tiveness to have sustained 2O,O0O,-
900 of human beings. Away back,
(perhaps in early, prehistoric tines
certain race of human beings, hav-
ing a tolerable degree of intelligence
dwelt in all parts of this beautiful
fertile country for long time. The
vast numbers of ancient artificial
works, consisting of mounds, and
other earth-works, of every conceiv-
able form and size. are ample proof
that the greatest part of my theory
is correct.
The ancient mounds of from 4 to
90 feet high were most generally
found on the prairie land, but not
unfrequcntly in wooded lands near
the prairie. The thousands of differ
ent ancient tumulous works have
been so often described, that | need
not make any attempt in that direc-
ton. But | beg leave to invite at
tcntion to certain kind of curious
ancient works, which are confined to
Il small section of country. The pub
lie generally are entirely ignorant in
regard to those works, because no
account was ever given to the public,
except when | had a description of the
same published in a magazine several
years ago.
When | came to this place in 1881,
we found the ancient garden beds in
four of the townships of Kalamazoo
county. In one of those towns, where
the city of Kalamazoo now stands,
there were about 20 acres of these
beds They were not only on the
prairies, but also on the edge of the
woods Those garden beds were
about six feet wide, and of various
lengths, from IL to 20 feet, having a
space for q walk about II inches
wide and five inches deep between
the beds, which were as level and
smooth as a house-hOor. At the
south side of that great collection of
beds, and on the ground, afterwards
occupied by the Plymouth church,
there was a group of eight or 10
beds, so arranged that they extended
III every direction from the central
one to the outside, like the spOkeS of
Il wheel of more than 80 feet in di
ameter Within that wheel was an
oak tree nearly feet in diameter
that was probably hundreds of years
Younger than those beds. We sup
posed that the original trees, stumps
and roots had been removed, and
the land brought into perfect cul-
tured state long before the construc-
ton of those beds. Those beds, as
also all other lands here, were thick
" covered with a growth of fine
short grass, having hard WHY roots,
therefore with this climate and level
ground. the almost perfect original
state of the beds might be preserved
for thousands of years. The designs
and Workmanship of those beds
evinCcd cOnSummate mechanical
skill, and patient industry. At what
age of the world those beds were
made, and why not found in any
part of the world except in the afore-
said four towns, are questions not
easily answered. Perhaps this beau
tifuI Elysian plain where those beds
were found, was the park, or pleas
ure ground of some antediluvian
prince or nObleman whose servants
supplied his table from the luxurious
dainties of those productive garden
beds.
When the first white man settled
at Kalamazoo in 1881, he not only
found the ancient garden beds here,
but there were then two ancient
mounds here. One has been removed,
and the other still remains in the
publicpark. At the same time, there
were 10 other ancient mounds in
other parts of this county. There
were also number of those mounds
at other places in the south half of
the lower peninsula of Michigan,
where were also other different kinds
of ancient earth-wOrks, but no gar
den beds, except those in this vicinity
There were some more than 90 900
of those ancient mounds, and prOba-
bly, about as many of other kinds of
ancient earth-wOrkS in America; but
among all that vast array of won
drous ancient works, no ancient
garden beds were found except as
above described. | have yet to learn
that any such ancient garden beds
were ever found in any part of the
old world In view of those facts, 1t
seems to me that the garden beds
were not made by the same people
that made the mounds, and the null
titudes of other kinds of work. If
one particular race of men construct
ed all the different kinds of earth
works, then | would suppose the
garden beds and the mounds would
always be found together all over
the west, instead of finding the beds
here, and nowhere else. No ancient
artificial tumulous formations are to
be found north of the 44th degree of
north latitude. In Salisbury, \. H.,