Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-06-06
predominating, and parallelograms, clip

SNAAH
ses and polygons being quite common.
Of all the Enclosures in Ohio, the most
noted is that of Fort Ancient, situated on
the east side of the Little Miami river, in
Warren county, about thirty miles from
Cincinnati. The inclosed plateau is go
feet above the river level, and is naturally
astrong defensive point, being protected on
the west by the almost precipitous bluffs
bordering the Little Miami, and on the
north, south and east by deep ravines,
through which flow tributary streams into
the river.
These streams approach close to each
other at the northeast point of the fort, and
across the intervening plain Is an artificial
embankment about twenty feet in height
which is carried all around the brow Of the
hill, though of less height and strength &C
cording to the precipitousness of the hill at
various places. It Is estimated that 62S, 800
cubic yards Of earth have been used in the
construction Of this work. It is mostly of
tough, diluvial clay, such as is found on
the river bottoms, and not upon the plateau,
and it must have been carried up the hill
by the builders, a task that represents q
vast amount of labor, and worthy to be
classed with the building of the Pyramids.
There are over seventy openings in the en-
bankment, some of them evidently left for
gateways, while some have been caused by
washouts, where the walls of earth had
been carried over deep gullies. The pre-
sumption is that some of them were origi-
nally occupied by wooden structures, block
houses, perhaps, that have since fallen and
decayed.
The work consists of two great divisions,
with u center and smaller fort connecting
them, and there are evidences of the
existence in all the divisions of nu-
merous large reservoirs for the collec-
ton and storage of the water from the
several springs within the Enclosure. Upon
the hillside facing the river are three cres-
cent shaped terraces cut out of the bluff,
and commanding the passage of the river
by boats. They are supposed to have been
used as stations from which to annoy pass
ing foes. On the northwesterly side of the
fertilization n q short distance from the
opening in the wall through whick the
public road from ChiIlicothe to Lebanon
enters the fort, which it crosses from east
to west, are two mounds, each about fifteen
feet in height, between which passes the
public road already mentioned. From the
mounds extend in q northeasterly ,direc-
cion, for a distance of a quarter Of ;a. mile,
two parallel walls that terminate by en-
circling a mound and connecting. They
are supposed to have been used as places
of amusement for athletic contests on the
occasion of great festivals similar to the
games an ancient Greece. Similar parallels
are found in connection with the ancient
works in the Scioto valley and elsewhere.
Another important fortification in the
Little Miami valley is situated in the hills
south of Newton, Hamilton county, and
about ten miles from Cincinnati. The fort
is circular, 2o0:yards in diameter, and it's
interior walls are mainly OF stone. The
western sideis defended by Il deep ditch.
AT the southeastern side is an opening SO
yards wide, with q causeway 100 feet wide
and 300 feetH in length, leading by q graded
descent to the alluvial bottoms, which it is
r~easonablet suppose a .that time formed
the bed of the stream, now half a mile dis
tant. This is one of the latest works ex-
amined by Professor Putnam, and the
expectation is that it will form the subject
of one of the series Of articles upon which
he is now engaged.
There are several Notifications in the
valley of the Great Miami similar to that of
Fort Ancient, though one of such extent,
and two or three of these are worthy of
mention here. At the mouth of the Great
Miami are the ruins Of an. ancient fort, first
described by Gen. William. Henry Harrison
before his election to the presidency. He
rontrasted it with the Acropolis at Athens,