The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-11-19
A GIANT RACE.
THEIR BONES UNRARTHED IN
MINNESOTA,
"A Nine-Foot Man, u Woman NcarIy
as Tall, and an Infant That
Must Have Measured
Five Feet.
around EIv Ninn

people since farms have opened up
there. Scarcely a day passes but some
new discovery is made, and the relics
are particularly interesting to those
who have delved into the records of
the musty past to any extent. There
is evidence to show that at one time
this country was peopled by meu of
tremendous size. and by animals in
comparison with which the elephants
OF the circus of to-day would seem like
pigmies. There is also evidence to
show that tie people who then ruled
the country were not mere hewers of
wool and drawers of water, but pos
sessei skill in various directions.
Thomas McKinster has recently
taken up farm near the mouth of the
Little Fork River, il Itasca County,
Minnesota. At one corner of his farm
stood II knoll, possibly $50 yards across,
covered with heavy growth of pine.
On top of this knoll was huge bird,
or rather the outlines of one, made of
stone not found in any other locality
In the State SO far rs known In dig
ging into this knoll it was found that
the place was once burying ground
of great size were found. and the posi-
tons indicated that the original own
ers had been buried in sitting posture.
1T was an easy matter 10 distinguish
the bones of the male from those OF
the female, for they were larger. more
massive, and had preserved their shape
better. In some cases the bones fell
to pieces ut the slightest touch, while
in others they were soft and spongy,
the earth seemingly having entered
the cavities formerly occupied by the
marrow, and furnished support for
the shells.
In one grave were found the bones
OF what were once probably father,
mother, and child. The huge homes
OF the male were about foot distant
from these of the woman and child,
which were locked in a close embrace,
rs though the mother had drawn the
infant to her bosom just before death
came. The larger bones were those
OF man who,. in life, must have been
nearly, If not fully, nine feet in height,
while those of the woman showed that
she had been no dwarf, measuring as
they did eight feet four inches from
the bottom of the bones of the foot TO
the top of the skull, which was larger,
Halter, and considerably heavier than
the skulls of the people of to-day.
The child must have been very
young, FOR it's bones went to pieces rs
soon as exposed to the air and covered
the bones OF the mother with fine,
white powder. BY measuring the out
lines OF the bones of the child it was
found that the infant had been nearly
five feet in height, which is really not
so bad for Guild of tender years. In
the skull of the woman was big dent,
between and slightly above the eyes,
showing that she had met death in
violent manner. BY the side of the
man lay stone weapon, shaped some
thing like an egg, with n depression
cut around one end, in which "a thong
might have been twisted. 1t was of
the same kind of stone as the bird on
top of the knoll or mound, hard,
blue-colored granite, almost rs close
grained as steel.
Some feet away from where these
bones were found were the bones of n
man, alone, and in standing posi-
ton. The right arm was broken and
hung by his side, while the left was
raised aloft, rs though to hurl some
thing from him. At the foot of this
skeleton, if skeleton it could be called,
for the bones we're little more than
dust, aud held in place only by the
clay with which they were surrounded,
were several pieces of peculiarly col
ored pottery. Some of these pieces
were broken to bits, but the edges
were as sharp MS though the vessels
were of modern construction and
freshly broken. Two of the vessels
were intact and were preserved by the
finder. One was dainty pitcher, al
most as thin as an egg shell, aud
around the outside was traced deli.
cate vine in n raised blue figure, which
could not be scratched with n sharp
blaied knife. The other vessel was n
shallow pan, about seven inches across
the bottom, and a tribe less across the
top, with pictures OF strange looking
birds traced in relief on the bottom.
In few of the graves have been
found copper and bronze implements
of various kinds, showiuga finish which
'AliAVh D' HuA DA1otu ny tllb luOSI
skilled workman Of the present day.
The absence Of jewelry and other arti-
cles OF personal alornment shows that
the people who were buried there diff
fcrcd in some respects, at least, from
the common North American Indians,
WHO were and still are buried with
their Iowelry upon them aud all their
treasures by their side
For some distance up the river from
the farm OF Mr.. McKinster extends
level stretch of country, and evidences
are numerous that this level was once
the scene of battle between opposing
forces Of the giants of that age. Here
have been discovered broken human
bones, skulls with holes in them,
Stone battle axes, copper knives and
other things of n warlike nature, all so
pouderous that the modern athlete
could not we'll handle them for even
few minutes, let alone using them ne
weapons OF offence and defence.
Bones of huge animals, resembling
in many respects those OF the modern
horse, are found in large numbers,
and in rare instances tho skulls have
been found. These skulls are massive
tliuoa tnr0or than tbo slfulle 81 81