The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-05-07
PREHISTORIC SKELETONS.
Bodies Unearthed at Ft. Madison
Buried in Slab Rock Collins.


At least eighteen more skeletons
have been unearthed in the gravel
pit back of old Niota by employees of
the Mississippi River Power Com
pany. These make parts of at least
twenty-four skeletons which have
been found in the pit, and as stated
in former article in the Democrat,
these may prove to be the remains
of very early race of people.
A. 0. Thomas, professor of paleOn-
tology at the Iowa State University,
of the geological survey department,
who was notified by the Democrat,
after reporter had been sent to see
IT the rumors were authentic, arrived
Thursday and with the reporters
from the Democrat, spent several
hours of the day examining the bones
and digging out two new skeletons.
The hill in which these remains
have been found is pure gravel and
is being used by the power company
in construction of a road from the
Illinois side of the bridge to Old Nj
Ota.
None of the bones have been found
at any great depth, the deepest be-
ing about four feet from the surface.
In several places more than one body
has been buried in the same grave,
in one particular three skeletons
have been found, one of them being
that of child of about seven years
of age.
In the last five weeks the work
men have excavated about thirty feet
into the bank and all the graves have
been unearthed in orderly rows about
five feet apart. Nearly all the re-
mains have been found in slab rock
collins, the slabs of which have been
set up on end and then covered, some
of the slabs weighing several hun
dred pounds. Up until Wednesday
there was considerable doubt as to
the race Of people found in the bank,
but the finding of several pieces OF
crude Indian pottery in one of the
graves seems to make it certainty
that the place was an Indian burying
ground. Several fresh water clam
shells were also found beside the
skulls, along with a few rolls of red
and yellow war paint, intended to be
used in the happy hunting grounds.
Prof. Thomas, in explaining to the
reporters, said, "that in his opinion
the remains were those of a very
early race of Indians. This is shown
not only by the great age of the
bones but also the crude workman
ship of the pottery, which was but
slightly baked and made from very
poor material, as the clay had not
been thoroughly cleaned Of small
stones and pebbles"
He states that he believes the
burying ground to be that of an In
dian village on account of bones be-
ing found which belonged to young
people and also to those OF the very
aged, as many of the teeth which
were found had not been cut through
the Jaw bone and others were worn
almost to the roots. Mr.. Thomas
was very much puzzled by the alb
sence of any implements Of war or
ornaments, as it was the custom OF
the Indians to bury with their dead
all of his earthly possessions. The
customs of the Indians of sacrificing
the squaws of all chiefs and leading
men of the tribe after their death
account for the finding Of more than
one skeleton in a grave. Mr.. Thomas |
intends to make an exhaustive study
of the specimens which he took back
with him to Iowa City and will make
a complete report as to the archeo-
logical value of the bones which will
be placed in the university museum.
-Ft Madison Democrat