The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-09-26

related very remotely If at ali 10 !
any, Indians known by the early 4
settlers in Nebraska" =
Eehawka, Neb., special: Evidences
Of a prehistoric race whose existence
has heretofore been unknown, have
been found in the great ancient flint
quarries near here by a party of ma
tionally-known scientists, which has
just visited them.
Just who this race Is cannot an
Bwered. Scientists will not vouchsafe
a positive opinion. But that they be-
tlonged to the stone age, and lived at
any time within a period of more than
300 years ago and less han $500, Is
practically certain.
1t Is also quite evident this prehis-
toric people belonged to neither the
red men nor the people that are known
as the mound builders.
They were a ace of laborers, patient
plodders, whose knowledge and handi-
work had not been developed beyond
the primitive ideas OF the stone age.
BY their industry we know they were
not Of the nomadic, indolent Indian
race; by their ignorance and crude
the refined, almost civilized people who
left behind the works Of the mound
builders. r
Them who were they, whence did
they come and by whom were they
obliterated?
Aside from the mound builders and
the latter day Indians, no American
nborigines are definitely known to sci
ence, and in the Nehawka quarries is
evidenced a strange race.
There is no doubt the quarries found
here are Of considerable age. The en-
tire series Of mines q been buried
under from five. to fifteen feet of earth.
The accumulation Of the alluvium
must have taken centuries. It Is known
positively the condition has not
changed appreciably in at least 100
years. Then how many centuries did it
take for this ten feet Of soil to make
It's way over the whole " the mines.
In fact, not until this party visited
the quarries here was 1t known wheth-
er they We're the work Of man or Of
the ~upheavals of the glacial age. One
butte prominent geologist believed the
work to have been lone by glaciers.
Il the quarries. were worked at SO dis
tant a day as to raise question in the
J minds Of scientists as to whether they
were h result OF action of glaciers, or
were h work Of a prehistoric people,
there can be no doubt the authors of
the mines We're in no immediate way
related to the Indians of today and
most probably existed at a remote age.
most probably existed at d remote
period.
Eminent Scientists DeIve.
To settle the mooted question Of
whether these quarries We're the work
Of an artificial or a natural agency, an
unusually large party OF scientists were
induced By State Archaeological e. E.
Blacknan OF this state to visit the
| RI ! a f-1 no -AEF 81 ~ ", rxr, - -. r..
Professor N. Il. Winchen Of Minneap-
oils, president of the Geographical So
E.ety Of America; Professor Warren
Uphanl, one Of the most eminentsdrift
E~geologists Of America and secretary
Of the Minnesota State Historical So
4 ciety; Professor Barbour, state geolo-
gist Of Nebraska; Professor j. v.
explorer. OF st. Paul, Mimi; Professor
iCaldwell, secretary Of the Nebraska
n Historical society and professor OF
American history in the Nebraska state
university; jay Amos Barrett, Hbrar-
ian OF the Nebraska State Historical
society; E.B. Blackman, state archae-
ologist: and Isaac M. Pollard, owner 81
the fruit farm, where the
Iuuarries are situated. # 4
Professor Winchell, at the head3o1
1.-The party, is admittedly the best geol-
pgical authority inaAmerica. This is
2IWhat he says as geologist OF the
Nebraska quarries: 3
I'VE examined the places near Ne
hawka, Neb., where some artificial,
wording had been done For the axca.
vation Of flint for Implements I wen,
forsthe ~purposesof determining wheth.
\ arSthe excavations were natural or ar.
Hfciai. It is my opinion that the,
were made by man.
systematically Studying Nebraska,
Mr.. Blackman, who by Virtue OF hi,
position as state archaeologist, Is re.
sponsible forHthe FIR tsysteIaatic stud,
Ipf Nebraska's~ archaeology, says Of til;
n visit Nehawka:
s.The Nehawka flint quarries are sit
uated about eight miles from the Missour
river bluffs and twelve miles south OF til
mouth Of the Platte river, In Nebraska. ]
party OF scientists recently visited til
poiAt and made q careful examination q
~ 1.-The locality. sfssS Efs5 sE 5$#EA4
THE conditions found there are such
\ TO Nlead majority OF the. party to be
iieya tiat&sthese quarries are the work d
man. 7 made an extensive exploration 8
the quarries last year and called the at
tention Of the above mentioned gentiemG
10 Ii conditions existing.
#ssMr. Pollard has madefa study III thes
III Quarrtes for forty years; when he frs
ID entered the land in 1876, lit noticed til
curious excavations and has never cease
w make INJURY OF each passerby relatiy
to them, When, ayear & MI. Black
man arranged togvisit the spot, MIR. Pol
lard caused q cross-section % be cut In Tia
M brow OF the hill N laid bare the face 3
the quarry. This excavation lis eighty fee
long six feet wide Observation-Disclosures fee
deep. At shows tina q
theSEvery brow ofsthe hill swhieh overlook
q the Weeping Water, a small stream wit
4 ta rocky bed. nat the artisan remove
two layers OF solid limestone and one 8
Idscayed rock, before they came togsth
strata which they sought and which cor
tanned the nodules OF hint irony ,sslch In
plenaentsBwere made. II the debris
mans rocks showing where the Hint nc
dulos were taken ous..S@ Tons OF flint span
are scattered on the surface and iii III
Debris of uarrysaA umbera Of drii
boulders of quartgtte are found nearsgan
on the@larges pieces o. limestone In til
" quarry pit one may see fractures as
they had been struck with q lleavysle dg
Ashes and charcoal are ound4s