The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1906-08-23
INDIAN CRAVE YARDS.
Several Were Located Where Eddy
vile Now Stands.

In an interesting article in the Ed
dyville Tribune, 0. H. Seifert says:
There were several burying grounds
for the Indian dead IN the vicinity Of
Eddyville, one of the largest being on
Fifth street between the Catholic and
Advent churches. In this graveyard
the Indians were placed in sitting
posture, their legs extended before
them, split boards being placed at
their backs and sides, and stakes were
stood on end slanting inwards and
times as a special mark of distinction
a small tree was uprooted and the
trunk stuck in the ground at the head
OF the grave inverted, the roots form
ing a kind of canopy over their head
Little or no attempt was made to
place the bodies under ground, and
when the wind was in the right diree-
ton the early settler received unmis-
taxable evidence of good Indians"
even across the Muchakinock bot
toms.
In the south end of town, about
where Tom Johnson now lives, was
another grave yard. In this the
graves were pros ,cted by log pens
around each individual grave.
Other burying grounds were up TIE
river lust below John Barnett's and
east of Harry Williams farm resi-
dence north of town, on the knoll
where the slaughter house now
stands.
The modes of Indian sepulture
of course varied at different times
and places, but as they had only pri-
mitive means of modifying earth
and the Indian was never noted for
his indus tIy--under ground was the
Exception.
The dead Indian was placed in state
with all his finery and trappings on
him, his weapons and other utensils
at his side and everything ready for
an impressive entry into the happy
hunting grounds.
At intervals the survivors Of the
tribe, especially the squaws, would
gather around the graves and lament
their dead, bowling and wailing in
mournful long-urawn-funeral quavers
"a wild, wierd, dismal, chanting cho-
rus-irresistibly depressing and dis
piriting in it's effects. Their object
was to drive away the evil spirits, and
if this did not do it, 1t would be hard
to devise anything more calculated
to do so. m
When the Indians finally moved
away and had gone several days jour
ney, couple of the settlers accident
ally set fire to the tall dry grass with
which the cemetery was overgrowny
and burned over the ground destroy
ing the bodies and woodwork sur
rounding them. OF course, nobody
knew who did it, because at that ear
ly day it was often unhealthy to know
too much.
| From this burning an Indian panic
ensued as men came to the settlement
bringing the rumors that the Indians
were Infatuated at the sacrilege COM
mitted, and were coming back to mas
sacre all the whites. Everything was
uproar and alarm, the settlers hur-
riedly prepared places of safety and
held themselves in readiness for at
tack, but after the lapse of several
days without any signs Of Indians, the
excitement died down.
For years after that the Indians
would drift back at Irregular intervals
to lament their dead and propitiate
the spirits.
| 1t was told that one big buck came
| back and was moping around for sew
eral days. Someone asked him what
he was doing and he replied that he
wanted to mourn the dead but could
not do it. When asked why, he told
them he had no whiskey. Somewhere
he finally obtained a flask of tangle-
foot and inspired by the fire water he
soon felt bad enough to tell the evil
spirits what he thought Of them and
do a satisfactory job Of 1t.
From time to time our either have
found many mementoes of the former
owners Of the country around these
burying places. Notably about 1875,
when in grading down Fifth street be-
tween A. w. Riggs and Isaac Shields
places, number of skulls were un-
earthed, together with quantities OF
heads. ornaments and other trinkets.