The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-05-05

L he req man mas ike the hrdD
folded his tent and departed. Many
years have gone between since the
first Americans roamcd these val
leys and hills. They passed with
their old legends and strange gods,
leaving unwritten their book his
tories. but behind them they left
countless things that tell OF their
ways and customs. Most of the peo-
pie who live here know after a fash
ion that this was an Indian country.
but that these men were craftsmen
Of beautiful pottery, that these tribes
were hunters of the buffalo and bear
is Il fact that lends interest to this
departed race. When party con-
sisting of State Geologist Professor
\. Ii. Winchell, Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas
Hughes and representative of this
paper visited the site of the old
Indian village at Cambria yesterday
the earth yielded many relics that
shed light upon the class Of red
men who had made this dwelling
place.
The spot visited is on the farm
of William c. Jones and is about a
mile and half directly east from
the Cambria station.
The last part of the trip was ac-
through an old corn field, the loose
soil in this field was thickly strewn
with flint chips and small pieces of
pottery. The real finds were not,
however. made until the work with
the shovels commenced, and as the
spades loosened the earth, crude
relies of a long departed people
were brought TO view. The greater
number of pieces found were bones
of animals. The shoulder blades of
buffalo were found in one digging,
while another pit yielded the hoOfs
of an elk and a piece of ivory. Pro
fcssOr Winchell would not venture
TO say where the ivory came from,
but thought it might be from an
elephant. Jaw bones of many ami
lection the squirrels, coonS, bears.
beavers were represented, and a
horse who lived and labored ages
before man dreamed of motor cars,
had contributed a lower jaw to the
collection. Some pocket gopher
mounds were searched and the col
lection Of teeth was completed by
the finding of a human molar which
some gopher had brought from un
foreground. Innumerable frameworks
of birds and fish were found and a
fish scale of immense size was
among the important discoveries.
While not the most numerous, the
pottery finds were the most valuable
discoveries. Several unusually large
sections of pots were discovered.
Some of these pieces we're from the
rims of the jars and these were
artistically decorated with various
patterns and while great many
of these pieces were collected, /,
was discovered that these ancient
men did not repeat the pattern. AS
NSSO'"'oio 'hSii supply vi luedS
seemed inexhaustible. Some of these
designs were made with the tips Of
fingers, but later in the day a crude
bone tool was unearthed and this
had probably been used to do the
line decorating. The greater part Of
the pottery found was pieces from
jars of about a three. and four gal
Ion capacity and the shape of these
seemed to be much the same. Tba+
is, narrow at the neck. then broad
cning in graceful curves and ther
drawing in to q smaller base. Tbes,
were equipped with handles in or
der that they could be suspended
Several pieces of arrow shaft gri
were discovered, in this grit wer,
hollow, rounded grooves where tn,
red men had rubbed the arrow:
back and forth to make them smootl
and round.
While the digging was in progress
Professor Winchcll took an opportu