Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1921-10-20
MAKING SURVEY:
INDIAN REMAINS
Members of Archaeological Society
Locating Evidences of a Past
Race
BY Charles {. Brown, Madison

I
which has in preparation report for
the state on the early Indian occupa-
tion of Columbia county has been en-
gagged in conducting surveys and in
Yestigations in the county for several
| days past These are in continuation
of field-work undertaken in 1919 and
1921 and were conducted by III. IA
Cole of Baraboo and Charles E. Browa
Of Madison, A. w English, registSx
| of deeds of Columbia county acting as
guide and the Messrs. V. S. Pease, M.
| G.. Crandall and e. Pfannstienl OF
Baraboo being memberse of the party
part of the time.
/ Field work was conducted chiefly i'm
the townships of Pacific, Wyocena,
Lowville and Springvale and with very
interesting results, the region about
| WyOcena and along the banks of
Duck creek being particularly rich in
evidences and information of early
aboriginal occupation, numerous In
dian village and camp sites, burial
! places and scattered mounds, the
latter chiefly conical or round mounds
being located.
In Wyocena township the number
of mounds located was twelve i'm
number, only one of these earthworks
being an effigy or animal shaped
mound. This mound is situated on
a vacant lot in the village and should
be saved being the last remaining
mound of number of fine Indian
earthworks formerly situated there.
The locations of a considerable num-
Der of former Indian camps and Will
ages on Duck creek and it's branches
both east and west of Wyocena were
visited and examined.
Council Rock
At d distance Of about one and one.
half miles south of Wyocena there
formerly stood in the center of the
highway an imposing white and black
granite glacial boulder widely known
as the Council Rock" Several In
dian trails centered here and here
in the early pioneer days
of white settlement the redmen of the
surrounding rgions gathered for couR-
Gil This rock was between twelve
and fifteen feet high. At times of
council fire was built on it's TOP. 1t
was destroyed in the 7G's. Being To-
Gated in the center of an important
highway Of travel it was the cause
of frequent runaways, teams of hor-
ses shying at it and becoming unmaR-
ageable, especially at night.
Three mounds and several village
and camp sites were also located ON
the banks of Rocky Run in the north
western part Of Lowville township.
The most interesting of these mounds
is an effigy mound, probably intended
! to represent the turtle, situated on the
top of knoll overlooking the Run
and the Wyocena to Madison road.
This mound the state society hopes
to preserve to the public in a small
park.
| In Pacific township, southeast OF
Portage four village sites, several
burial mounds and the sites of sew
eral partly destroyed mounds were
visited in the Duck creek region.
have in the past yielded to local and
other collectors a rich harvest of
Indian stone implements and orna
ments and a considerable number Of
native copper implements many OF
which are now preserved in the ex-
tensive archaeological collections OF
! the state historical museum at Madi-
son and in the museums at MilwaU-
kee and Beloit college. OF the col
lections remaining in the region the
party viewed those of William Miller
OF the Duck creek valley farm, OF
Ray Hammond of Wyocena, both Of
which are quite extensive and OF
single interesting implements in the
possession Of other residents of the
region.
A beautiful Clipped quartzite knife
(, 3R inches in length is owned by c.
A Sewall OF Wyocena. A small poT-
tion of it's base is broken off and it
must have been originally at least an
inch longer. This fine specimen was
found on the bank of a small island
in the Duck creek marsh.
George Nelson of Portage presented
to the state museum two very interest
ling catlinite pendants. At Portage
the small but very interesting coIlec
tion in the public library was examiR
ed.
! Near Lodi
| Near he Charles Christian home iR
the town of Lodi mounds were locat-
ed and on the farm of r. Van Ness .
village site was studied. Many relics
have been found about the pond near
the Van Ness residence.
| While at Baraboo Mr.. Brown direct
ed the restoration of bear mound
in Devils Lake State Park-near the
Claude cottage. Next year the effigy
will be marked that it may be readily
located by tourists.