The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1896-05-14
A Pr.historio Mohawk Village Site

= A Prehistoric Mohawk Village Site,
The student OF archaeology 10 constsn
a ly ou the alert, To him the discovery o
9 new field makes him more enthusissti,
than ever.
Here 10 the Mohawk valley We have ,
uumbrr OF collectors who have simply
secured the whole oountry. round and
abont, in their search ior the remsins aud
utensils Of the primitive red msn. FoI
several years no new 'hnds' OF oonseq quenoe
have rewarded oar lsbors; we oontentsd
ourselves by going occasionally over the
cold grounds.
4 y eIpectedy, during the spring OF
1892, George W. C0spln OF Fonds, n. Y.
sn untirng .rcheologist. made the remark
abe discovery OF 40 unsuspeoted prehis
toric Indian village site Slowly but grad
ualy each collector learned OF its existence
and location, until | believe oil knew its
wheresbouts.
This discovery, at 40 late a period. is
remarkable, rs it is 10 one OF the oldest
sbd thickly 3 tiled portions OF New York
sta 9,
| The site is situated on the right or east
back OF the Osysdutts ore X. Tributary
OF the Mohawk river. and in the south
ern part OF the town Of Johnstown. Fulton
| county.
The position is admirably chosen, and
is naturally strong and defensive. Situat
cd on high point OF land, which on the
west or creek side 10 nesrly perpendicular,
caused by the creek having cut away the
slate rock 80 that it presents 3 mural front
Of upward OF seventy five feet 10 height.
aud ia almost inaccessible. Upon the
northeast and southwest sides are small
streams
Here the slope. though not PERCEPTIONS,
is very abrupt. Across the nsrrowest part
from the rsyine on the northeast to tnst OF
the south west is trench or ditch ITO
yards 10 length aud which is now from ton
to eighteen inches 10 depth.
Toward the east end OF the main ditch
are two shorter ones running parallel, one
twenty two yards long and converging
with the main ditch. the other ten yards
10 length. The ground enclosed 10 sbou
two and three quarters acres, and is GOV
cred with the original forest OF hemlook,
maple aud beach. The surrounding soil
is . yellow loan, ,iutermipgled With glacisl
boulders, but the ground within the inclos
ure is covered TO q depth OF from two TO
twenty inches with deposit OF rich blsck
coil. which is filled with broken pottery.
mussel shells flint chips, charcoal, ashes
aud bones OF wild sblmsls principally
thoss OF The deer, bear, elk aud the
moos
The whole enclosure seems TO be literal
lys dump heap"
The position, close proximity to vster,
the trench. the untquivocsl traces oil long
occupancy found within, would imply
that ii was . fortified village and perms
nsnty occupied.
10 respect to the sntiq atty OF this site
al lndicati ,ns tend to denote great age
the ground being covered with forest trees
OF large sizs and the decsyed remsins OF
q number Of pine stamps from three TO
Ave feet 10 diameter, land we may sup
pose that 1t would be essential 10 the par
poses OF the dwelIers that the forest trees
should be quite II not all rem oved); also
10 digging sround and under The largest
tree. and stumps we find oil the trees to
have grown since the place wss occui led
IS they are all resting 90 the top Of the
debris.
So oil evidence tends TO carry back the
date of construction and occupancy many
~ dred yests Ard hey ond the period Of
discovery 10 the fifteenth century. Ttere
Is sIso not the slightest evidence OF the
ixellers having come into contact with
the white man. ~ nothing Of European
Ofisin bss been fonud This implies thai
the rite was .b.ndobed snterior 10 their
oouiug TO this country
Ths .Ii.t-pcs Of the sbsllow trench Ia
0 Ii,i.irad by snnmbsr Of ssrly eIplorsu,
u. - , by Samuel de Champl.in, 10 the
scs np' II bis eTpedii,p into New France
(ua- Ass Yori 10 IG0sh8l5, Who q,
-eub = ine villages Sc enclosed by s,roos
pals de- or pietets Of rye. heavy tin
hers pi,ty or more ieet Lish. sitb ditch
% tie autsid-. etc. Il
W~ntSortb Gfeeahslsh, 10 bs ''Obsst
s.'i .. Among the Msqlses or hohsss
y1l-se'iu 1917. slso d-scribss the ',o-os'
q. utsrly 'stoeksdsd. " Prom the isei
ib., be rsbeh is 10 OF ,utf isut propor !
iiahs 10 form 81 embsbklaent lot pto''e
,lop. We may 'upposs ihs, its prsssocs is
eIpl,issd ss the place where iormtrl,
stood the pslissdes aud slocEsds +,