Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-11-05
'SHURES Ut maine
Were Vast Summer Re-
sortin Prehistoric Times,
Indians from All Over Our Easl
Passed Hot Season Here.
Interesting Finds Made by a Party
OF Amherst Students.

South Harpswell. Me, Nov A
party of Amherst College etnEologists,
under Prof. 2. e. Loomis, has made
some interesting Indian finds" on the
Maine coast. Shell heaps uncovered by
them seem to prove the coast to have
been great prehistoric summer resort
at least 1000 years ago. On one part of
the beach alone enough buried shell
heaps were uncovered to indicate that
perhaps $4,000 redskins We're in the
habit OF coming from the mountains
and forests in the interior of the State
every spring and camping on the sea-
shore. For how many centuries the
coast was thus used there is as yet no
means Of telling, but it is not improb-
able the sandy stretches were popular
summer resorts 2000 years ago, at a
time when Greece and Rome We're at
the height of their power.
In tlis connection it is interesting to
note that scarcely any similar Shell
heaps have been found on the Attain
tic coast south of Maine, which proves
oiic VI lWc lIlill5S-cIlllef the rocky
formation in upper New England has
been especially favorable for the pres
ervation of relics which once existed
but have been swept away on the
Southern sea coasts or the Maine coast
was really summer resort for In
dams from all over the Eastern part
of the continent.
The prehistoric shell and fishbone
heaps found by the Amherst party
generally ran from two to six feet
deep. In some were discovered bones
OF the great aux, extinct in this re-
glon FOR centuries. No agricultural i'm.
PIGMENTS of any kind We're found, nor
any remains Of corn. Instead were ar
row ana spear heads, harpoonS with
from one to nin2 harbs, fishhooks, avis
and SHINING to IS. Scattered through
the heaps W"r- ones of the deer,
moose, Tea, lo> :, wolves, mink.
beaver. rorcuoin', ,;,ten, seal geese,
and cunners. There we undoubtcdly
Zones of many varieties of birds. but
they could not be idt ntiiied because OF
Tn" absence Of the nlumage. Enough
was found, though, to make it clear
that the American Indian. when he
came to spend his summer on the cool
coast OF Maine, lived high and INDUCED
in every luxury it was possible for him
to command.
Prof. I.ooms dug up human bones
on Flagg Island, near South Harps-
well. but there We're no signs of can
nibaism. The human bones were in
one collection, and none had been
split f": marrow, as was the case with
countless bones of the lower animals.
In case of cannibalism, too, the bones
Wou'l have been scattered. More than
Az hammers were discovered, only one
having been used with a handle There
Wera broken remnants of pottery, with
more than usually elaborate designs.
The markings had evidently been done
with a stick notched at one end The
vessels were round bcttomcd. showing
them for use in hanging over the fire.
P!of. L"cmi3 found number of
what lie calls gaming sticks" with
spots, probably used as dice. These
prehistoric Indians were also fond of
must" and piped their lay to the ac-
c"m.animt mt OF the sad sea waves.
One of their musical instruments-a
flute madr out of the hollow wing
bone of a goose, with four or five holes
IN it's ROW in possession of Dwight
Blan"y. on Ironbound Island No In
dian skulls were found. which is re-
Sarded AS a curious circumstance. The
aboriginal summer resOrters had skiffs,
from which they fshed. but they did
not "cnture far from the mainland Is
lands some piece out, like Monhegan,
d. not show the shell heaps
The Amherst party estimated that
there We're 1000 Of the heaps scattered
aloh% the Maine coast, with the proba-
tluly that there We're at least 50 In
dlahs in each camp, total summer
population of 80, 600 The preservation
OF the bones in the heaps for so many
centuries is partly explained by the
tact that they were under masses of
linraCted clam sh"lls which formed a
sort "f tiled roof and kept off the wa
t'r. In sand CT clay the lime in the
homes would soon have backed out but
il shell heap the bones apparently
gained more lime than they lost.
The natives of today made much fun
of inc Amherst ethnoloSists for delv-
ing in the ancient shell heaps, and they
called the college folks .loons" They
gasped when ,hey learned the ,spiscd
heaps had given up 600 India tools.
worth in the relic market from to SO
q piece The Amherst party to < home
q story abCunt single minde native
"Chebeaguer." who tried to take a
COW from one island to another by
standing her fore feet in one boat and
her hind feet in another.