Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-10-20

On the high summit of a terrace
hill facing the Missouri valley, at
point where the bluffs turn to the
northwest up the James river, IN
South Dakota distinct traces of old
earth works exist There in the dim
vista of prehistoric ages, a semi civ
ilized people lied in a fortified village
of large dimensions. My first visit
to these old earthworks was in the
spring of 1865. At that time their
outlines were distinctly visible, show
ing excavations along the lofty sum
NIT Of the terrace covering an area OF
more than ten acres. On the highest
summit which at that point is seven
ty-fiye feet above the level Of the
Missouri bottom lands below, stands a
large CIRCULAR mound covering more
than one acre of ground. 1t is located
at stratgetic point fifty yards back
from the face of the steep hillside;
within other excavations that were
traceable before cultivation obliter-
ated them. They extended north and
west around the old mound, enclos-
ing two smaller ones, and connecting
with deep gully which runs down
from the high prairies to the bottom
lands below. The works We're evil
IDENTIFY a defensive position, strongly
entrenched, and possibly enclosed by
stockade.
From the summit of the hill in
front of the old burial ground, distinct
traces of Entertainments extends down
the face OF the bluff to an old extinct
river bed, which was evidently a rum
ming stream when the mound builders
fortified their village, and was prob
/ ably used as a passageway where
water could be secured from the r'ver
during attacks from an emmy.
Extending westward beyond the
gully many cistern shaped pits were
seen at intervals along the. terrace
hill; north of which we're found shall.
low circular depressions and irregu-
lar excavations, resembling the found
atoms ofEdirt lodges that were scat.
tered over the prairies.
There, many indian relics were
found during the early settlements
consisting of stone mortars for
pounding corn, stone mauls, arrow
points, and bits of pottery.
The old burial mound now STANDS
in cornfield, reduced in height
Near its summit some wild animal
has dug down and brought to The
surface pieces of human bones, of q
dark brownfsh color, crumbling with
age.
The primitive inhabitant long age
disappeared his mortal remains ha:
turned to dust, his tales of war are
forgotten and the name of his race
Is lost-but the works of his hands
yet remain, enabling us to transport
of by-gone days. If the geologist car
restore the form of an extinct ANNA
from a single fossil bones why SHOULD
not we with a fragment of ancien1
pottery reconstruct the entire vase
and theen rise to the maker.
Our studies of high antiquity, car
I've
Dor, without considering speech
Thus establishing plain and practi
Us cal distinction of the successive ages
h First, that af the stone, next that o
bronze, and lastly abe iron age Re
calling Werners division of geological
formations into primative, secondary
and tertiary. The interval of tim
from the development OF languag
and tradition to written history j
= not so very wide. In Asia and south
ern Europe written history goes BAG
several eenturys before the christ
u ian era, but north of the Alps it bt
gins with the Roman invasion.
At the time of the discovery b
Columbus there was no written hi.
tory in America, but it's inhabitant
were gradually rising toward rud
u mentary heginnin through pictt
graphic sign painting on the rocks {
the continent.
Civilization refrigerated In Asia an
y rose in Europe; succeeding the dar
ages. May it not have also recede
in America, some time in the di'
tant past2
We have evidence of a higher c
vilization than was found in Mort
America at the time Of the discover
BY Columbus. although no proof {
letters or trace of race have yet bee
discovered. And so far as may b
judged from their arms, ornament
and pottery, this mysterious natiol
known as the Mound builders, closel
resembled the early inhabitants I
the Old World The magnitude
their earth works, in the Mississippi
and Ohio river valleys, extendin
north and west up the winding cha
mel Of the Missouri to the place
thir extinction. shows that at SON
erIy period the valleys of these gre;
rivers of the United States must has
been much more densely populate
than fflay were wj1au first disnoyarf