The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-08

Historical Society Establishes
Boundaries of Sauk
Center Ruins


through its party of field explorers, has
just completed a detailed survey of an
ancient fort. located at the outer linn
its of the city of Sank Center.
in Stearns county, situated upon
sections and 4. township 12s.
range 81, on the southerly side
OF what was formerly a small lake i'm
mediately below the outlet OF Big Sauk
lake. About 1858 the mill dam at Saulx
Center was constructed. which threw
the small lake into the reservoir, which
is now formed by the two lakes.
The survey of the prehistoric fort
was proceeded with last Saturday and
completed this week.
A base line was established at the
bank of the lake thence extending
mote to encompass the southern limit
of the earthworks.
The first embarkment surveyed indi-
Gates the necessities of the ancient
people who constructed it for defensive
purposes as being an outlying warlike
structure covering the approach from
the westward.
The eastward earthwork extends
from near the south shore of the lake
southwark over 500 feet, to a point
about due east from the southern end
of the western earthwork. Intermedi-
ate between the two are two very large
earthen outlooks. Adjacent to the out
looks are several other intermediate
embankments. trending in their courses
in opposite directions.
Earthworks Vary in Size
The earthworks vary in their sizes
from being at present Is and Is feet
in height. ranging downward to an ele-
walton of not more than 2 feet. The
two outlooks had approaches to per-
nit the ancient warriors to ascend with
ease to the parapets, which were pro-
vided for the use of the chiefs in con-
troll of the warriors.
There are also within the inclosure
some burial mounds. indicating that
probably deaths occurred at some time
| during the period when those earth
works were used for defensive pur-
| poses.
Several hundred tons of earth con-
stitute the material with which the
works were constructed, the larger out
look being composed of over 300 tons
| of earth.
Explorations were continued farther
up the lake to a point which was for
merly a narrow strip of low ground
connecting the two lakes by Sauk riv-
er. AT that place was an ancient camp
| ing ground and village site. occupied by
a considerable band OF Indians. Burial
observation. There are also scattered
about the premises sufficient number
OF stone implements, flint chips and
| pieces of village debris to indicate that
the Indians who occupied that village
| about 800 years ago were ancient Da-
kota Indians, probably Of the Ihankton
| band.
To account for the reason why such
large inclosure should have, been
constructed, covering nearly sixty acres,
| 1t may be stated with certainty that
the cause may be reasonably fixed as
/ one of the results of the Ho-ha war,
| which was a contingent of the quarrel
| originating in that band, causing the
| ASsiniboine tribe to precipitate a re-
bellion by escaping to the northward
| and joining the Crees in their war
| against the Dakotas.
Date of Rebellion
The historic references which fix the
| date of the Ho-ha war, the rebellion OF
the Assiniboines. the location of HANK
| tons, and the results of the feud are
| certain and unmistakable. The earliest
| travellers toward the northwest who left
their manuscripts describing the events
which warrant these conclusions have
been printed. The first reference to
| those early occurrences was by Jean
| Nicollet, the earliest visitor to the Fox
river region in Wisconsin. The next
reference to those difficulties which
! may be considered as indisputable is
| the statement made by Pierre Esprit
Raddison, the first white man to place
upon the area of Minnesota the foot
| prints of a European visitor In Rad
| dlson's book are described various acts
OF the bands with which he came in
contact in 1860 at and westward from
Mile Lac. Father Louis Iennepin, in
| 1880, also describes the Assiniboine In
dians as occupying the region west
| ward from the present site of the city
| OF Duluth. There are many other his
! toric references which fix dates. times
places and results confirmatory of the
finding of the members of the historical
society who visited Sauk Center the
| past week.
Frontier at War
| The ancient fort situated at Sauk
| Center, which has been surveyed and
definitely located. is another proof OF
the conditions which anciently existed
at the time the Ho-ha war was at its
| helght The necessities of that occa- =
sion have been traced until it has been
| determined beyond any reasonable
| doubt that the entire frontier between
| tnoSe nations of men extending from
| Thief river southeastward to Otter Tail
| river, Osakis and Sauk lakes, Mile
| Lac and the head waters of Rice river
created a fortified frontier between the
| Dakotas and the Assinibine. There
have been discovered and chartered
many of those earthen Enclosures, OF
which the Sauk Center earthworks are
| characteristic representation.
Further exploration of these similar
earthworks connected with that war
| VIII be followed up closely and aAcu-
rately by the historical society as a
part of the anthropologic history OF
Minnesota now under consideration.
1t has been suggested that a granite
smart be erected by the people of Sauk
Center at the public park to commem-
orate the various known facts concern
| ing the ancient and more recent set
| Elements, beginning with the Dakotas
then the Ojibways in 1850, the Winnie
bagos in 1916 and the present popula-
ton in its earliest occupancy