The Baraboo news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1884-1911, 1907-10-16
TRACES Of Old
INDIAN VILLAGE
NEAR OkEE IN THE SANDY RE-
GlON WHERE "BLOWOUTS"
HAVE OCCURRED
PIECES OF POTTERY WERE FOUND
Arrow heads and Thousands of Flint
Chips-Marks old Camp
Fires.

That there was in the old Indian
days vast number of families around
the present site of Okee there can be
little doubt. Just north of the village
the sandy section was lately inspected
and numerous flint chips collected fer
the Sauk county Historical society,
Following is description of that lc-
cality by N. G. Abbott of Okee, who
first noticed the indications. This ar-
peared in a recent number of the paper
which he occasionally edits and pub
fishes called the Klondike.
GA short distance to the northward
of the village of :Okee lies region
of drifting sands now nearly covered
by sparse growth of stunted oak
saplings and other vegetables, yet
whenever the thin covering of vege-
tation is broken by the uprooting of
a dead sapling, or other cause, and
the wildIwest wind cOmesI whistling
up the valley of the "Old Wiscons,"
large excavations are soon made in
the friable soil, extending in depth to
the water level of the nearby streams,
the lighter portions being carried
away to the eastward, the heavier por-
TOMS sinking to the bottom or floor of
the, "Blowout".
"In every instance where one of
these "BloWouts" occur, we find am
pie evidence that, although no MEM
ber of the human race is living there
today, yet, during one period of our
worlds history, these ever shifting
sands were the abiding place of lar
ger population than any of the sur
rounding villages can boast of.
"The floor of each "Blowout" is
thickly strewn with clusters Of small
powders, and fragments of powders
all bearing evidence of the effect of
fire and water, showing they were
the primitive means employed by
these ancient people in cooking their
food, viz, by heating in the fire, and
then while hot placing them in the
wooden trough or other receptacle con-
tanning the food to be boiled.
"Each cluster of powders indicates
the location of a dwelling place of ole
or more persons, and as we find the
clusters to be in close proximity to
each other over long distances, it is
quite evident that the population was
enormous.
"Here at one place may be.seen that
spot once occupied by "'The ancient
arrow MAKER" shown by the thous-
ands of fragments of Osidian and
other stones used in their manufac-
ture. We may also occasionally find
beautiful specimen of arrow or
spear point, as an example of his ex~
pert workmanship. In another place
we will find the remains of primitive
efforts toI produce articles of pottery,
and strange to say, the product of
these efforts, ,Iso humble, so crude, all
bear the marks of artistic ornament
alton.
"In yet;an other place we discover
remains of ancient and modern life
closely intermingled. Fragments Of
ancient pottery with fragments OF
modern English china; fragments OF
modern cooking conveniences with
fragments of powders used by the
ancients of the same purpose, all re-
vealed by these ever shifting sands".
E. G. Gray of the same town found
several arrow heads and an old broken
stone ak while plowing new field not
a great distance from the village site
mentioned above. These ne willingly
contributed as evidences to prove more
conclusive the other Indications.