The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-11-19
THE OPEN ROAD
Nellie NJ. Cock.

in Florida have been proven to be IN
dian mounds. Three of these mounds
are at Camp Walton and some years
ago the Smithsonian Institute of
Washington, D.. c., sent their agent to
investigate these Indian mounds and
to obtain, If possible specimens of pot
terry. Clarence B. Moore. the agent
was enthusiastic over the finds. He
took back with him to enrich the al
ready large collection of Indian relics.
three bowls and two platters of In
dian pottery, all in a fair state of
preservation, but punctured as is
usual with pottery buried with the
dead, and a large number of pieces
of different patterns so nearly COM
plete that they could be reproduced.
He also found some modelled heads
of large size, and from four sites
along the northern and eastern
shores of Choctawhatchee bay, Mr..
Moore obtained large and interest
ing collection, but the choicest and
those of most interest to science were
from the two Indian mounds at Camp
Walton.
1t has been wonder to many why
the pottery in these Indian mounds
is always punctured or incomplete in
some way, but when we take into con-
sideration the fact that the most
prolific source of gain known 20 the
Spaniards were the cemeteries Of the
aborigines, and the seekers arrer Ell
Dorado and the Fountain of Youth
were the princes of grave robbers.
It would be but natural that people
possessing the ready resources Of the
southern Indians, finding the graves
of their fathers ruthlessly desecrated
by the invaders in their mad search
for gold and pearls, should, while
still preserving the spirit of their
mortuary customs, cease to consign
to the ground any articles of real
value. 1t will be conceded that the
inroads of hordes of avaricious and
merciless strangers must have exere
cised powerful influence on the
habits and customs of the narYve
tribes, and such phenomena as these
mentioned might result naturally"
what tribe or tribes were these
first found here ?"
"The group of tribes occupying
Florida during the Spanish con-
quest belongs to what is now known
as the Timuquanan linguistic fam
lily. They have entirely disappeared
and little is definitely known of
their parts of history. But there is
something that is surprising in this
day of clubs of all sorts and that is
why some of the Floridians do not
set about it to obtain picture that
is of great historical value to Flor
ida.
331 years ago John White or Roa-
noke colony painted picture of a
native woman of Florida, she is rep
resented as holding a large earthen
bowl in one hand and three ears of
corn in the other hand. A tall, finely
formed woman with long black hair,
a face showing great firlnness, not
weak line on forehead or mouth, this
is one of the very few authentic IL
Illustrations extant of a native of
Florida A picture 331 years old and
it is owned by the British museum !
Florida should have it!
"You are surely a Florida enthus-
iastw
And why not? There are possi-
bilities here that cannot be found
elsewhere, and an open road to a
home.
There is very little reason why one
should be homeless if they have a
modicum of health, sense and plenty
of grit they can travel the open road
to coy comfort and peace in old age. !"