The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-20

One of the landscape expanses of Min
nesota borders on OsakIs lake, on the
line of the Great Northern railroad,
about 100 miles, or half a days ride, from
st. Paul The name is derived from
O-sau-ki- uk, or Sank, an Indian designa-
ton based on a temporary and rather
limited occupancy Of the region by Sank
Indians, giving name also to Sank river
and lake, Sank valley, Sank Rapids and
Sank Center
Before Minnesota was discovered, three
important old Indian towns were located
at Osakis lake, one at the head Ct the
lake, one south of the outlet, and one
near the southeast angle in Dug as conn
ty. A preliminary investigation # Il a
archaeology of the region in l51 @nlTt,,ted
that the entire shore line OF that ERz u
tiful body of water was a favCrf,e Re
sort very early during the neolithfc pEfi-
cd, when stone implements a11l fl ri
weapons and articles were of ort'ina1y
uses, and when cooking vessels and wa
ter joys were made of clay cam Shells
ana sand
The identity of those early people is no
longer in doubt. They were one OF the
seven original bands which constituted
the council fires" or Dakota indians,
known in legendary parlal ce as par:ici
pators in the Ho-he war, vi ich, IIe-
vious to 1894, forced the sacess on of tho
Assiniboine band. There are Slight indi-
cations that the fierce outbreak and
bloody struggle which precipitated that
early Indian war may have had its in
cepuon at Osakis lake.
There were two 1.c-z1es of travel avail
able for communication with the la.-ge
towns at Mile Lac, one down Sank Nv
er and one down IEarg Erai Il river,
each connectinR with the Mis- is il1A
Osakis was then peculiarly ave alb Q for
an extensive Indian c.clla1ty, as y &C.
cupied a position oil the edge OF the
plains and at the & rested ,-egitn 3trd l.
ing the pineFbss on the upper Mi sis hi.
Buffalo, beEsf, Deer, fn aver end al tel pc
fourished rear CTzfl is LAKE, F1d a pre-
historic game 1s.y conserved the lrCl a.
cation of these eafna3s a. careful az
the present po3llf.tim produce, vGh al or
exterminades game. Otto GlR Jeffers
who lives on the west siGF fd the laIP,
has enumerated TG3artly more than 2ag
ancient earthw-oEks at Cslkis Lake, sev-
eral OF which constitute distinct ernhanK-
ments, which appear to haze been CON
structed for defensive PURPOSES.
1t may be accepted as a fact that in
ancient times several places there were
the sites of scaffold hurials. where the
remains Of the dead were subjected to a
natural process of decomposition for one
or two years, when the brIres would be
prepared for interment beneath oval
shaped mounds, where they now rest
Some intact specimens OF crania, not
more than four or five feet beneath the
crest Of the mounds, may be construed as
very good evidence that the remains do
not antedate the first coming OF the
Sioux bands, which occupied the country
there for an unknown period of time,
undoubtedly exceeding 100 years. In
places there are oak trees on top of
the mounds which bear evidences Of
great age, and more than 30 :Teazs ago
the 0iibway warriors forced the retire
ment OF the Sioux population southwark
to habitats in the valleE Of the MinEG-
sofa river.
At mound group near the outlet Of
osakis lake, where village debris indi-
Gates that there was a considerable set
Element of mound builders, a ''mongrer'
copper medal was found which shows
native copper battered over a machine
rolled copper-faced sheet of lead, quite
distinctly indicating a blending of the
prehistoric custom of pounding copper
into form with the process Of the histcrsc