The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-08-29

make way for streets and buildings. Blue
Mound, H., a small town on the st. Louis
branch of the 7. W. and w. railroad, has
a magnificent specimen OF the handiWDrk
of this prehistoric people. The base of
this mound covers several acres Of ground
pyramidical in shape, about 100 feet In
height, and stands on fiat prairie with
no other rising ground In sight. The grass
which grows on this mound has a blue
tinge in contradistinction to the green grass
of the prairie surrounding 1t, hence it's
name. In these mounds are found many
specimens OF the tools used by these people
all of copper, however, the only metal
they seemed to employ in the manufacture
of hatchets, hammers, axes. chisels. spear
heads, etc, all of which give evidence that
they possessed the art OF hardening cop
per, now lost art. And in this connection
it might be interesting to state than when
the wonderful copper mines OF Lake Su-
perior were first discovered by the pres
ent race, they plainly showed evidences
of having been worked in a crude way in
former ages. The Indians found here by
Columbus knew nothing of these mines,
therefore could not plead guilty to having
worked them.
The walled Lake" In the State OF Iowa,
is another relic of this race of people who
have so completely disappeared and left
no trace by which they may be followed.
Now, don't get in hurry about my Mis-
sissippi river scheme. I'm coming to that
after a while. for | believe that, although
many who will read this article will recog
nize 1t as something they have read be-
fore, there will be many more to whom
1t will prove interesting, and who will be
Mound Builders.") This lake is situated
In level prairie country, and you can
walk in any direction from 1t for u whole
day without finding a stone large enough
TO throw at a bird, and yet this lake is
vailed In by great blocks OF stone--a wall
so broad and massive. OF stone so large and
difficult to transport and handle, that, if
a contract for the same work was let today
the problem would be a poser. This bike
is circular in form, and although ] have
read the dimensions of both lake and wall,
l can not now recall them.
At a certain season Of the year these pre-
| histolic people came to the coast country
this very coast country We are now so
industriously advertising to the world--fo:'
| the purpose OF enjoying the shell fish and
| other luxuries for which our coast and that
of Florida is today noted. The shell
mounds OF Florida aud the shell banks
| OF Texas are the leavings of these mys-
| FERROUS people. The broken copper ham
! mers and chisels, which they employed to
4 open their oysters and other shell fish,
| are found In almost all OF these large shell
|
! the shell hanks on our own coast. Large
! quantities of these shell have been brought
/ TO Houston from the shell banks on Gal
| weston bay and used for road and street
purposes, and the feet OF many citizens
! now living have pressed shells, the con-
+, tents OF which were devoured ages ago
F! by these people.
But the most stupendous works left by
these people and $50 far as che scientific
| men who, under the auspices of the Smith
sonian institute, have traced them out.
can telD the most useless, is the spread
4 eagle and the serpent" Imagine. IL
you can, an earthen outspread OF such d.
mensons that no one OF our Western
States would accommodate Il without its
4 wings and tail feathers invading the ad-
Joining States. The serpent traced by
(, these same men is on the same grand
scale. The vastness Of these works, the
tremendous amount of labor OF millions o.
men covering long periods OF years TO com
plete them. and their utter iselessness
after they were completed, so far as anl
one now living can see, has led to the be
! lief that these works were inaugurated b,
the government under which these people
/ lived for the sole purpose Of employing
the unemployed. IL was the only way
n probably. they could be prevented from
becoming turbulent. II so, II was a meas
IRE OF safety on the part OF the govern
nent of that age which may again becom
necessary II that much talked-of wave o
prosperity" don't get hump on itself. Bu
these people. as well as ourselves, had tn
MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
They probably didn't call i the Missis
sippi in those days. but. in all probability
J II ,ame without calling, just as y does J
: thexe DAYS. II Is very evident, however
,hsv mad their troubles with this stream
M,.i then as now II came down like IN
wall an The fold and swiped out a miiiio
mr. so Of them before they could bar thsl
eve. thar they stood this fooiisnness -
! . while there is little doubt, but when IN
! WISCONSIN, Iowa. Illinois. missouri an
, Ohio rivers, with all their iit,le olo' 3,
. md .istere. aided amd abeited. by the ne.
!, svh,,n and Arkansas with all their sister
: cousins and their aunts' all came 10 ss
!, ~ IA man. ''tbe Father OF Waters
.ne ~ ,nginu their LIQUID r6(geSnmo9t