New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-01
CANADA'S SERPENT MOUND.
A REMARKABLE RELIC OF PREHISTORIC
INHABITANTS NEAR TORONTO.
ONLY THREE SIMILAR EARTH STRUCTURES IN
THE LD-1NNESTlGATIONS OF CANA

feSSloNai
Ing things pertaining 10 the history Of the North
American Continent is the consideration Of those
peculiar excrescences on the face Of the earth
which are credited to that mysterious race Of
people the Mound Rudors Whence the Mound
Builders came and whittier they went IS still a
matter OF speculation. and Of nothing more than
speculation but that the Mound Builders were
veritable and unique people is seen in the
traces Of their handiwork still extant. scattered
from far Labrador TO Central America on this
continent and TO he found I'm other continents
also
OF the mounds in Ohio Illinois. Kentucky
Missouri Arkansas Michigan. Network and
Florida much has been said and written. and
much more will probably be said and written
concerning them. But the fact that Canada
more particularly in the Province of Ontario
contains some Of the most interesting speci-
mems Of mound building is not widely known
even among the Canadians themselves. Cana
dams are not naturally an inQuisitve or obser-
want people. \ quaint and curious object may
he set down before their very eyes and they viii
look al IL in a listless way. merely taking note
that they are gazing at some object without
expressing any desire to investigate its reason
for existence.
Thus it is that for years Canada has had
within her borders a unique mound. and not until
although hut few miles distant from
Toronto the Canadian metropolis. Even after
its discovery" il took months and months
for the Canadians to find out that II
was an object 70 be tendcrly preserved
Now. however. thanks 10 the perseverance
Of David Boyle. curator Of the Provincial
Governments archaeological museum; George
e. Laidlaw. an antiquarian Of Basam Lake.
and A. F. Hunter OF Barrie. it is salts
factorly established that IN this mound. on the
shore Of beautiful little Rice Lake, Canada pos
scsses a work Of art that has but one counter
part on the continent.
DISCOVERY OF THE MOUND
This work Of art-art'stic only TO the eye Of the
trained antiquarian. but nevertheless highly
artistic-is a Ions winding ridge Of earth IN
beautifully wooded grove by the waterside. at
place called NIizang's Point. When chance led
10 this grove the wandering feet Of a man Versed
In antiquarian lore. he eyed the mound I'm a
superficial manner deeming il to bee merely
regularity in tho formation q the earth The
conditions were wholly new in Ontario. no one
suspected II 10 be possible that superb eX-
ample Of mound building was located there The
archsologist who had first noticed Il reported
his discovery I'm a listless way. and il was taken
for granted for some time that the ridge was
merely an interglaoai freak or the result oI
natural deposition or denudation Mr. Boyle
however felt an antiquarian's curiosity on the
subject and with but little hope Of finding any
thing important took trip to Rice Lake. He
was at once struck with the shape OF the ridge
and from certain Investigations he made con
clusivelv decided that ~ had hit upon mound
built by human hands in long gone ages.
The mound has been named the Otonabee
Serpent. from the fac, that it is located in
has
q decidedly serpentine shape The noteworthy
thing in connection with the mound is that the
world possesses but three other known earth
works buIt IN n ike shape one Of the three
&c in Asia the second on Loeb Nell. in Arg> le-
shire scotland and the third in Adams county
Ohio few miles from the city OF HHishor".
The Otonabee mound is nearly two hundred
feet in length from head To tip. running IN an
almost easterly and westerly direction ana nav
ing an average height Of five feet one end "i
the mound Is thick. broad. and Of a roughly
triangular shape. the other end taperng 10 "
noint thus increasing the serpentine likeness
In line with the serpent mound. t"entY-'hrte
feet from its centre. is a second mound oval III
shape South of these two mounds are several
smaller ones all egg shaped and north again
Is large ore The head Of the serpent mound
points due east which is variation from its
countorparts II also differs from these in the
number of convolutions The ohio mound has
seven the Scotch mound only two while the
Canadian one has three. In comparison with
the ohio mound tho Otonahce serpent IS
pygmv for the American one is nearly quarter
Of mile long and has an average height OF
eight feet.
4 Carefully PREPARED PLAN
Both the Otonabee and the Ohio mounds show
distinct design and forethought on the part Of
their makers. The conVoutions are laid ont
with accuracy and care The scrpenune like
ness is more pronounced in the case Of the Ohio
mound for its head extremity divides i'm the
form Of open jaws. iAclosing large egg shaped
mound
Herein is a now point OF similarity. as we'll as
dissimilarity. between the two mounds While
tho one has tho ege in It's mouth the other has
rot only one bkt several egg mounds close by
We're il not for the egg mounds the serpent
mound would mean little 10 the antiquarian
Tho presence of both confirms him I'm his belief
that these mounds were built hy hands that f"ii
into dust long before the rcd man took pos
session Of the North American Continent
Primeval man Paid great respect to the ees
and 10 the serpent seeing i'm them a connection
with the great mystery of life. the former sym
holzing its origin the latter ON account Of th"
skin shedding symboiizing perpetuty Yet u is
hard TO conceive mat prlncNa man Sh"Hin nave
left examples ~ this coupling of symbols ON
continents SO wide apart rs Asia. America and
Europe.
only two things are known for certain COM
,crning the Oionabee serpent and egg mounds.
namely. that they are e human workmanship
and built by people who dwel in ontario prior
10 the arrival Of the Hurons and lroquois. ID"
earliest inhabitants in historic times. Nj. Boyle
who has done more than any one else in the
way Of excavating the mounds says Of them:
Il must say that we have absolutely no
knowledge Of what stock the builders OF these