River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-11-07

L.
WHITE MAN HE KILL INDIANS"
uted to this Potomac region lore the
most valuable portions of the collec
tions now on exhibition. In their off.
cially published reports they give
graphic illustrations of conditions
which lead them to the conclusion that
the Powhatan confederated tribes sub
sisted in winter on oysters and fish.
while they hunted in the mountains
during the milder months of each year.
These gentlemen offer proof that
the Indians had reached the pottery
stage of their existence, by showing
numerous relics of earthen ware for
domestic use. They had bowls, urns,
rude plates and some large tubs. But
that they were still barbarians, and
had produced no Tubal-Cain, is mani
tested by the relics of knives, spears,
| arrow heads, mortars, pestles, drills,
scrapers and war implements, all made
of stone. They were learning to make
| implements of bone. when the white
men came with their iron and steel
weapons and implements. They were
beginning to decorate their pottery,
but all of their developments were cast
aside and they ceased to grope towards
civilization of their own volition, when
the superior race appeared, with Bible
in one hand and blunderbuss in the
other.
Those ancestors of ours were free
hooters who blazed their way across
the continent with the blood of the
original owners of every foot of soil.
In the capitol rotunda are four pieces
of statuary representing white men
landing and being received by Indians
offering them corn, PENIS treaty, In
dams giving tobacco and pipes to
white men. and a white man killing an
Indian. When the Sacs and Foxes
were in Washington a number of years
ago and Gen. Balknap was showing
them about the big building, one old
chief pointed to those groups and said:
white man get corn from Indian;
white man get land from Indian; white
man get tobacco from INDIAN" and
then, pointing to the fourth group:
white man he kill Indian" Thus were
condensed the salient features of three
centuries of history Of this continent.
In these collections concerning the
early inhabitants of this region one of
the most important is the historically
indexed 10000 arrow heads and spear
heads, all of stone. These implements
increase in size, so that there seems to
be no distinct line of demarkation be-
tween the arrow and the spear.
The students of relics show similar
tiles between the implements found
here and in other portions of Atlantic
tide-water. BY them they offer proof
that these Powhatan tribes were of
Algonquin stock, and that they had
dealings and commercial relations
with the great body Of ancient peoples
whose domain extended from Nova
Scotia to Florida. Their domestic and
art relics, when compared with those
found in the far northern and south
ern regions, are strikingly similar.
But the deduction is by no means posi-
tive that they held commercial rela-
tions. However, there is where science
and philosophy again strike dividing
line.
Two and one-half miles north of the
white house there is a very large
bowlder quarry and in it are evidences
of having been the workshop of an
cient implement makers. Two miles
northwest of the white house there is
a large and even now valuable soap.
stone quarry which the Indians
worked. One mile and a half south
east of the capitol building is a thor.
oughly excavated and exposed Indian
village which must have contained
population of not less than 5000 peo-
pie. All along the Potomac river, from
Georgetown to Cabin Johns bridge
and near the great falls of the Poto.
mac. are disclosed fishing sites which
are inhabited for months at time by
the Powhatan tribes.
These people left no mounds nor
monuments other than the rude imple
ments of industry and crude art which
have been found, but careful explora.
tons have shown to our professional
students of the geological survey that
the vanished people were intelligent,
Industrious and enterprising. They
knew the locations Of all valuable min.
eral and stone deposits in their area
and worked them to the best of thet.
benighted ability. SMITH D. FRY.