Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-08-01
Little Raised Humps of
Earth Indicate Home
of Aborigine.
INTERESTING TOPIC
Many of Them in This
State, Shows One-Time
Dense Population.
Special to The World.

Special to The World
NORMAN, Okla, July S1.-With
the addition of considera BILE new ma
terial to its museum of American
ethnology and local history. the Uni
vcrsity of oklahoma has just an
nounced the result of it's first efforts
in the line of archaeological eXplora-
tOn in Oklahoma, namely, among the
so-called natural mounds" which
are so abundant in the eastern part of
the state. Included among the items
thus secured by excavation for the
museum are a number of pieces of
pottery from LeElore and McCurtain
counties several Of which give striking
evidence of the artistic ideals and abli-
ties Of one of the prehistoric races
which once lived in oklahoma.
Throughout region which en-
braces the entire state of Arkansas
and parts Of all adjoining states On-
Guiding 20 counties in OklahOma) low,
circular mounds of earth are so num-
erous in places as to excite little in
terest or comment among any but the
most curious. In size these mounds
vary from 20 to 100 feet in diameter
and ordinarily they are from six inches
to four feet in height in the center.
The average size is about fortyfive
feet in diameter and twenty-five
inches in height at the center AL
though as many as five or six of these
mounds may be found to the acre in
some places, they ordinarily occur at
the rate of about three to the acre, or
approximately two thousand to. the
square mile. They bear various local
names I'm different portions of the
region over which they are scattered,
such, for instance, as sand mounds
gas mounds" prairie knOlls,'
'pimpled prairies," etc. Under what
ever name they may be known, how
ever they form a very pronounced
feature in the landscape wherever
they are common.
Where Did They Originate?
The origin of these mounds has been
q matter of puzzle and speculation
ever since the first white pioneer came
TO explore and settle the Cgion
throughout which they are of such
common occurrence. 1t has also been
a source of almost endless dispute
among scientists Archaeologists and
cthnOlogists, while not lacking in n
certain willingness to claim these
mounds as the result of prehistoric
human activities, have been very
vague and indefinite in their state
mcnts concerning details as to the
probable origin of the same. About
the best that they have been able to
suggest Is that they were elevated
building sites, constructed to furnish
a dry, weil-drained location for the
erection of wigwam or a lodge. In
some Instances they have been desig-
mated as "domicilary mounds" which ,
term, while rather comprehensive, |
leaves much open to individual con-
lecture. on the other hand, the
gcologists, with apparent unanimity, |
have secuted every suggestion of the |
responsibility of human agency in the |
making of these mounds. presumably |
because Of their vast numbers and |
wide distribution. They have there !
fore endeavored to account for them !
hy assigning various possible theories |
as to their probable origin, such as |
erosion, glaciation, wind action, wave |
action, spring and gas vents. animal |
burrows and ant hills and have con-
tented themselves by terming them |
natural mounds"
During the past two years the |
origin of these sO-called natural |
mounds" has been made the subject OF |
special investigation by two members |
of the faculty of the University of |
oklahoma, namely, Joseph b. Tho |
burn, Of the department history and !
Dr Irving Pcrrine Of the department |
of geology As the result Of this in |
Nestigation it has been conclusively |
proven that each Of these countless |
thousands of tumuli IS in fact the |
ruins of timber framed, dome |
shaped, turf covered human habita- |
ton, which was built and occupied by |
the people of race which long since |
Passed away without leaving even so |
much as a tradition of their exist |
ence and activities. That these |
"carth-house people" were entirely |
distinct from the mound builders and !
the cave dwellers (who also, though |
at different periods, occupied extern
siVC areas in the same region) seems |
probable.
Thoburn's Opinion.
1t is evident that the people of this |
race lived In fixed villages and that |
they depended largely upon agricUl- ,
ture as a means of subsistence. In
speaking of this, Mr.. Thoburn (who |
recently returned from the eastern
part Of the state, where he has been
engaged in excavation and other field |
wOrk) cited not only crude spades,
hoes and other implements OF tillage
which were fashioned from such ma
terials as flint, ebert. trap rock and
slate. but also the evidences that cer-
tain areas Of valley land and fertile
prairie land were in cultivation hun
drcds of wears ago. When asked as A.,
to the probable antiquity of these re-
mains Of prehistoric life, Mr. Thoburn
said.
while it would. of course. be i'm
possible to state definitely the exact
period when the people of this pre-
z no~saA In fuh Z