St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-12-01
THE STUDY OF MOUNDS.
Great Work Done by the Chief OF
tho Geological Survey.
In nsestie.tIon Hss Exploded Many fascl.
full Theories Concerning the Mound.
Dulders-Most Of the Relics Now
Found Are Fakes.
Especial Washington Letter.l


The office Of the geological survey
Is seldom visited by the general pub
lie, and yet there are many matters of
interest and value there which people
ought to see and know.
The superintendent of the geologi-
cal survey issues monthly bulletins
and annual reports which are read al
most exclusively by scientists. just Is
the agricultural reports are read al-
most exclusively by farmers. The
offices of the survey are and have
been for years in rented quarters, mid
way between the interior and treasury
departments. The secretary of the
interior has jurisdiction over this inn
portant work. but seldom sees the Off
ces or the officials. Maj. Powell has
almost absolute control of his Office;
more SO, probably, than any other ou-
reau officer in the city.
s...One Of the most interesting studies
ever pursued by the survey" said Maj.
Powell to your correspondent. ''has
been the systematic investigation OF the
mounds of North America. This work
WINS commenced thirteen years ago.
and has been completed. We now have
. map which shows the works OF the
mound builders all over the eastern
half of the United States. They must
have been Industrious people, for the
entire area is thickly sprinkled with
red dots-there are thousands of them
each of which stands for group OF
mounds. 1t used to be supposed that
they were relics of an ancient race
which peopled this continent before the
Ipdians." .- @........
The history of this work, as narrated
bt the master mind, is very interest
ing. Maj. Powell directed his investi-
fators to first locate and examine the
mounds which were popularity sup
posed to contain relics of a prehistoric
population. This Was a tremendous
task, for there are hundreds of thou.
sands of mounds, some of them in
groups OF from three hundred to one
Thousand. Many Of these are ''efigy
mounds" SO called because they are
built to represent the shapes Of various
snimals.
When these mounds were dug into
by the investigating geologists they
were found to contain many curious
relics; but about ten per cent. Of them
were articles manufactured by white
men. There were all manner of ab.
original weapons and utensilf. and
there were also beads, brass and iron
kettles. steel knives, bayonets and
some pieces Of iron arlnor such as sol
diers wore in the days of the Fair God
OF, whom Gen. Wallace has So beauti.
fully written.
It is therefore evident. to the mind Of
Mai. Powell, that the mounds Of North
America were not builded solely by q
vanished race. But the Indians have
been building mounds from times pre-
historic until the present; and the
white men who led the vanguard OF
the pioneers OF civilization left their
footprints upon the mounds of the saw
ages. while they followed westward
the star of empire. The books left TO
Us by the early explorers tell Of Indi-
ans living on the tops Of huge mounds.
It is known to our schoolbOys that
Columbus found the savages building
mounds; and that the Spaniards who
went north from Mexico three hun
dred years ago, found mounds
and mound builders everywhere
in their pathway Of conquest.
Mounds are being built to-day in Cali
fornia and in Utah by the Piutc lEdi-
ans. The object of mound building is
presumed to have been a religious, or
rather superstitious, observance Of
some kind. This presumption is en-
tcrtained because of the fact that the
custom was at one time SO prevalent as
to be well-nigh universal upon this
continent; and because it was not con-
fned to any one tribe or nation.
The superintendent after many
years Of investigation Of the subject