Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-02-01
GEO. Will
Replies To Steinbruek Anent
The "PiIIaging'' OF
Manddn Mounds
Cambridge, Mass, Jan. 20, 1906.

other day in number of your paper
an explanation by Mr.. Steinbrueck to
the "historicans" concerning the Man
dan mounds, and should Like to reply
for the company of Harvard stu
DENTS" and put in our defense.
The Peabody museum here contains
the largest and best classified and
described American Indian collection
in the world. Moreover it has done
more in tracing the relationships and
connections of the tribes and nations
| with their culture and connections of
the tribes and nations with their cul-
ture and development than any other
similar body. For many years it has
awaited patiently some description or
light on the Mandan remains, but at
last gave up all hope. Consequently
last summer an expedition was sent
out to obtain information on the sub.
ject. Such expeditions I might add,
have worked in more than half the
states of the Union, aided and vel.
coined by state societies which real
lied that imaginary state lines and
local pride ought to cooperate with,
rather than obstrllct, the progress and
extension of universal knowledge.
1t seems that the cat was away on
our arrival, and We were unmolested
all summer. The place where we
worked had been carelessly mis-
handled by ignorant hands, nearly
every mound was spoiled by super
fetal and rough digging for curios; I
believe the State Historical society
did some work there during the previ-
GUS summer. However we made the
best of what We found there, carefully
mapped the site, found the exact
formation and method of building the
mounds, the arrangement of the
houses, the shape and method of
building the caches, the width and
depth of the ditch, with numerous
other smaller details. All this we
did carefully, photographed what we
uncovered, and noted the relation OF
articles to each other; we are now
classifying and describing them in
accordance with these notes. In
other words we made the FIRST
scientific examination of the place
which it has undergone.
| In the interest of human knowledge
think we were justified. This site
has, been partly plowed UP once, is
now unprotected from 'rellc buz
zardLs,' and will soon be beyond AIDE
quate archaeological work. Mean.
while the state had no funds to pur.
sue. the matter properly, and no such
comparative collection as we have to
test the relation and value of the
finds
I heartily agree with Mr.. Stein,
brueck in his desire for the preserva
ton of the sites, and hope that the
state may soon furnish funds for the
proper type of work. So far their
efforts have been rather crude; col
Letting there and there" rifiing and
running mounds uselessly, digging up
grave here, making a sketch there
and an idealized map elsewhere, col
lecting ,lcurios at random-all o1
which, as Mr.. Steinbrueck says, "is
neither here nor there" Their work
so far seems to have been carried on
out Of mere curiosity, a collection OF
curios with no conference, futile 1,
seems to me in any real historical
work.
| Moreover, previous to our vandal
expedition, much more harmful work
was done for the outlander-a fact
which must have escaped Mr.. Stein
|brueck's memory. Someone, know
not if it was a. relic buzzard o.
hyena," deliberately removed large
collection from the mounds, carelessly
injuring the latter in the process, and
sent them to Minnesota.
Meanwhile our collection is safe
and well cared for in a fireproof build
ing, along with a number of Mandar
articles collected by Lewis & Clark
two more offenders who refused tx
wait for the North Dakota Historical,
Society to act. There are many more
4 sites in the state--our work hurt thu
place where it was done but little-ant
I hope that soon the state society viii
do some really valuable and rationa.
work. But American archaeology is
at least to some extent, safeguardet
even If the present policy is con
Itinaed. Sincerely yours, 22
| -. George F. viii.
| 70 draw the IRE out of o burn, he'd
cut without leaving scar, or to cur
hollis, sores, letter, eczema and all ski
and scalp diseases, use De Wits Witci
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