Wright County, Minnesota - Chapter 2: Prehistoric Inhabitants, 1915

Nature's Paradise - The Coming of Man - The Eskimo - The Mound Builders - Purpose of the Mounds - Life and Habits of the Mound Builders - Location of the Mounds - Excavations and Discoveries - Relics.

Scientists declare that in the Glacial period this region was several times covered with a great ice sheet at recurrent intervals. When for the last time the glacier receded it left behind what in a few years became a wonderfully diversified and beautiful region. Verdure took the place of glaring ice, and a forest, known as the "Big Woods," nearly covered Wright county, leaving here and there, however, stretches of prairie. Thus lay Wright county, beautiful and virgin ; expanses of gently rolling prairies, in summer covered with grass and spangled with flowers ; park-like oak openings, verdant swells of land studded with a sparse growth of oaks ; dense forests of maple, oak, elm, linden and birch, poplar thickets and tamarack swamps, jungles of underbrush of hazel and dwarf beech, dwarf hickory, ironwood, alder, kinnikinic, as well as young trees of larger species, forming in some places almost as impenetrable a mass as the famous jungles of the Amazon, and finally, even in Wright, here and there a little guard of conifers, mainly white pine, outposts of magnificent forests of evergreens to the northeast. And this varied landscape was flecked and ribboned and jeweled by many a stream of water and by matchless blue and silver lakes. These waters, woods and prairies fairly q\iivered with animal life. The most notable early animal was the mammoth. From remains found, he seems to have been fairly plentiful in Minnesota. Later the leader in animal life was the American bison, generally known as the buffalo. In Wright county the most plentiful among the larger animals were the bears and the antlered animals, such as the deer and the elk.

A country so bountiful and inviting to man, whether primitive or civilized, would remain uniidiabited only while undiscovered. At some period of the earth's history, mankind in some form took up its abode in what is now Wright county. How many ages distant that period was no one can tell. It is evident that nmn followed very closely the receding of the last glacier, if indeed lit' liad not existed here previous to tliat tiiiic. A iliseussioii of the possibilities of the existence of man in Minnesota during Cilacial, Intei'-Glaeial and Pre-Glaeial ages is beyond the scope of this work. It has been made a special subject of study by several Minnesota savants, and many notable articles have been written concerning evidences that have been discovered.

Jlany scholars are of the opinion that in all probability the first inhabitants of the northern [)art of the United States were, or were closely related to, the Eskimo. While the data is very meagre, they all point that way. The Eskimos seem to have remained on the Atlantic seaboard as late as the arrival of the Scantiinavian discoverers of the eleventh century, for their description of the aborigines whom they call "skriilingar"' (a term of contempt about equivalent to "runts'") is much more consonant with the assumi)tion that these were Eskimos than Indians.

So possibly it is permissible to picture the first human inhabitants of Wright county as a small yellowish-brown skin-clad race, slipping around nimbly and quietly in the woods and dells, subsisting mainly on tish, but also partly on the chase. Their homes were doubtless of the simplest descriptions, and their culture not above absolute savagery.

The Eskimos seem to have followed more or less closely the edge of the last receding glacier. Whether they were forced out by a stronger race or whether they found the bleak shores of the Arctic seas more suited to their physical make-up than the fertile regions further south is only a matter of conjecture.

Scholars are of the opinion that the next inhabitants of Minnesota were tribes of the Siouan stock, in other words the ancestors of the present Sioux (Dakota) Indians. These peoples of the Siouan stock appear to have built the mounds of southeastern Minnesota. Possibly they lived in Wright county. These Siouan people were possibly driven out by the peoples of the Algonquin stock, whereupon they eventually took up their homes in the neighborhood of the upper valley of the Ohio rivei' and possibly elsewhere. How many centuries they lived there it is impossible even to estimate. In the meantime the Algonquin peoples probably occupied the Minnesota region, and possibly Wright county. They did not make mounds. Some five hundred years ago the Siouan Mound Builders were driven out from their homes in the upper Ohio region where they had erected the mounds that are now the wonder of the world, and a part of tliem found their way to the homes of their ancestors in the upper Jlississippi region. The mounds built here by these peoples were inferior to the ones built by their ancestors. In coming up the valley it is possible that these Mound Builders drove from the Minnesota regions the intruding Algonquins.

The Siouan Mound Builders, returning some five hundred years ago from the Ohio region wore doubtless the builders of the mounds in Wright county, though there are possibly some mounds in this county built by the Siouau people during their previous occupancy of the region.

The Mound Builders. Not so many years ago, there was a wide-spread belief that the Mound Builders were a mysterious people of high culture resembling the Aztecs, and diifering from the Indian in race, habits and customs. Now scholars are unanimous in their belief that the Mound Builders were merely the ancestors of the Indians, doubtless, as already related, of the Sioux Indians, and not differing from them in any important characteristic except in their tendency to erect earthworks. These Mound Builders are the earliest race of whose actual residence in Wright county we have absolute evidence. Wliile Wright cannot boast of mounds of such gigantic proportions as some other parts of the United States, nor of such grotesque formations as the serpent mound of Ohio, yet the mounds of the county are plentiful in number, kind and distribution, and present a rich field for archaeological inquiry, as well as supplying evidence that Wriglit county was well populated by tliis ancient people.

The larger groups are invariably situated near the watercourses and lakes, and usually on tlie lofty terraces that give a commanding view of magnificent pi'ospects. Such a distribution of the mounds finds its explanation in the fact that the lake and river banks afford excellent sites for habitations, and the lakes and rivers afford routes of travel in times of peace and war. Above all the streams and lakes furnish two substances absolutely necessary for the maintenance of life, namely water and food. The Mound Builder was not slow in picking out picturesque places as a location for his village sites. The distribution of the mounds bears ample proof of this. Anyone who visits the groups cannot fail to be convinced that the Mound Builders were certainly guided in the selection of the location for the mounds by an unerring sense of beautiful scenery and a high appreciation and instinctive love of nature as well as by other factors. A few of the smaller mounds in Wright county are found on the edges of the original prairies, but these probably served a somewhat different purpose than those nearer the water.

Purpose of the Mounds. The mounds of Wright county are botli oblong and round, varying from a swell of land to several feet in height. Other varieties liave also been found. The arrangement of mounds in the various groups does not seem to depend on any definite rule of order, but seems to result from a lirocess of mound building, extending over a considerable period of time, each site for a mound being selected by the builders according to the space, material, or topography of the locality.

Undoubtedly t'iU'h mound was placed for some definite purpose on tlie spot where it is found today, but wliat the purpose of any particular mound was may be difficult to say. The spade often partially tells us what we want to know, but sometimes it leaves us as much as ever in the dark. When the interior of a mound reveals human bones, then the inference is that the mound served as a tomb, but intrusive burials, that is burials made long after the mounds were built, complicate the problem. But when a mound can be opened without revealing any trace of human remains or of artificial articles, it seems safe to conclude that not all the mounds were built for burial purposes. The erection of such a large nmnber of mounds as exist along the Mississippi and its tributaries in Jlinnesota must have required an enormous expenditure of time and labor. The tools with which all the work was done were probably wooden spades rudely shaped, stone hoes and similar implements which indicate a low degree of industrial culture. Where the whole village population turned out for a holiday or funeral, a large mound could be built in a much sliorter time than if tlie work was performed by only a few individuals. The surface of the land adjoining the mounds in Wright county, and in fact all the mounds of this vicinity, frequently shows plain evidences of where the material was obtained for the construction of tlie mound. All in all, the regularity, symmetry and even mathematical exactness with which the mounds are built show considerable skill and taste. The reader can picture to liimself the funeral scenes, tlie wailings of the sorrowing survivors, and the flames of the funeral pyres which were sometimes built. Or one can picture the mourning relatives waiting beneath the tree in wliich the body has been suspended on a scaffold while the elements are stripping the bones of flesh preparatory to their interment.

Life and Habits of the Mound Builders. Modern scientists unite in the belief tliat the Jlound Builders were Indians, the ancestors of the Indians that tlie early settlers found here. The old theory of a race of Mound Builders superior in intellect and intelligence to the Indian has been exploded by archaeological research, though a few of the older text books advance the now obsolete theory.

The evidences that the race of Mound Builders was a race of genuine Indians are many. Indians are known to have built mounds. The articles found in the mounds are the same as the articles found on the Indian village sites nearby. Invariably a large group of mounds has nearby evidences of such a village. The articles found in the mounds and on the village sites are such as the Indians used.

home. We may never be able to look beyond the veil or penetrate the mists that enshroud the history of the past, yet we are not left in utter darkness. The relics tell us many interesting stories.

Tomahawks, battle clubs, spear heads, and arrows signify war and the chase. The entire absence of great architectural remains show that the Mound Builders lived in frail homes. The dearth of agricultural implements speaks of the absence of any but the most primitive farming. Ash-pits and fireplaces mark the bare ground as the aboriginal stove. Net-sinkers imply the use of nets; ice axes the chopping of holes in the ice to procure wa^er ; stone axes a clumsy device for splitting wood ; stone knives were for scalping, cutting meat and leather and twigs; countless tiakes mark the ancient arrow maker's workshop; cracked bones show the savages' love for marrow; shell beads, charms and ornaments in the shape of fish and other designs reveal a primitive desire for ornamentation ; chisels and gouges recall the making of canoes; sun-dried pottery made of clay mixed with coarse sand, clam shells or powdered granite and marked with rows of dots made with a stick, thumbnail or other objects, or else marked with lines, V-shaped figures or chevrons, all are an index of rather a crude state of pottery making. The hand supplied the lathe and the wheel.

All of these things tell us something of the habits and condition of the Mound Builders and are further evidence that the Mound Builders differed in no important manner from the Indians found here by the early explorei's.

The people were rude, semi-agricultural, war-like, ignorant of all metals except copper, hunters with stone arrow and spear, naked in warm weather and clothed with the skins of the buffalo and bear in winter. Tlieir skill in art was confined to tlie making of such domestic utensils and such weapons of war and of the chase as were demanded for the personal comforts and physical necessities. They have left no literature, and these heaps of earth and a few rude pictures scraped in soft stones, together with a few crude relics, are our only source of information regarding this once jiowerful people.

Location of Mounds. The artificial mounds of Wright county have never been adequately surveyed or excavated, though many interesting studies have been made of them. A volume entitled "The Aborigines of Minnesota," published by the Minnesota State Historical Society in 1911, contains a valuable resume of these explorations and studies as follows:

Mounds on Crow river, near Dayton, S. E. y,, sec. 1, T. 120-23. The land is cultivated about 30 feet above the river. This mound is 65 feet in diameter and 6 feet high. Surveyed April 28, 1887.

Crow river iiioinuis, N. I-:. 14, S. W. 14, and N. W. i/4, S. E. '4, see. 29, T. 119-24. Here are l(i mounds, about 18 feet above the river, of whieh only four are eireular. The rest are simph' elongated mounds about 20 feet in width and li/o feet in height. They present the anomaly that, wiiile about parallel with each, they have tlieir greater surface dimension running perpendieuhir to the lin(> of the bluff on wliieh tkey are situated, instead of parallel with it. The largest eireular mound is 60 feet in diameter and 6 feet higli.

Crow river mounds, one mik' below Uelano. Ilei'e are four mounds, of wiiich one is elongated, parallel with the bluff. The largest eireular mound is 45 feet in diameter and 2V1; feet high. Another mound of this group is in the public road.

A single mound, on cultivated land, is opposite Delano, about 12 feet above the river. Some 12 or 15 other mounds have been destroyed. That which remains is KiO feet from the bank of Crow river.

Mouth of Pioneer creek, S. E. 14, S. W. 1/4, see. 26, and N. E. V4, N. W. 14, see. 35, T. 118-25. Here are 26 mounds, mostly circular The largest is also flat-topped, the base being 54 feet in diameter and the jilatform 20 feet. Its height is 7 feet. This mound also has two extensions, one of which is 24 feet wide and fi/o feet high, and the other is 30 feet wide and 4 feet high. From the extremity of the second extension is another extension in tlie same direction, 21 feet wide and lfl> feet high, 66 feet long. These two enlargements of the main mound extend northerly, at an angle with each other of about 45 degrees. The longer are 10 degrees to the west of north. One other circular mound also has an extension 20 feet wide, 1 foot high.

The most curious of this group is one which is square, with the corners at the magnetic points. The sides are 35 feet, the height 3 feet, and the top is 24 feet square. This group, therefore, presents four anomalies: 1. Extensions from a circular mound not on opposite sides of the mound, but forming an angle with each other of about 45 degrees. 2. An extension from an extension, the former having less width and height than the latter.

Foster lake mounds, on N. W. 14, N. W. 14, sec. 10, T. 120-23, 25 feet above the lake. Many of these are situated in a cultivated field, along a bluff that face.s westward over the lake and over a marsh, through which passes a creek draining Foster lake. The total number is 33, of which only two are elongated. The largest is 68 feet in diameter and 8V2 feet high. It is not isolated from the line of the series. Surveyed April 28, 1887.

Two and a half miles northwest of Pelican lake exists a solitary tumulus, on N. W. 14. sec. 34, T. 121-25, in cultivated land. It is 35 feet in diameter and 3 feet high. There were seven or eight others within a quarter of a mile, which have nearly disappeared through cultivation. Surveyed August 8, 1891.

Buffalo Lake mounds. The tumuli are on lot 2, see. 31, T. 120-25, on the bluff of the lake, east side, in the woods. The road passes between them. They are 30 feet above the lake and about 30 feet in diameter.

There is a large group, numbering twenty mounds, on the south side of the lake, of which the largest had been excavated, but is 75 feet in diameter and 15 feet high. They are 60 feet above the lake. Here are also three circular embankments 2 feet to 3 feet high. Of these two are united, but the other, which is 36 feet in diameter, is alone. Five of the mounds are elongated, and one is wider at the center than at the extremities, having three sections, the central section being some longer than the end sections. Surveyed November 16, 1886.

These circular embankments, having the same widths as the average circular mounds, and grouped with them, seem to be allied to the circular mounds. These embankments are from 6 feet to 8 feet across and from 2 feet to 3 feet high.

Another group is on the west side, W. Vi;, S. E. Vl (lot 5), sec. 35, T. 120-26, consisting of eight tumuli, of which the largest is 90 feet in diameter and 12 feet higli. This greatly contrasts with the one alongside it, which is 12 feet wide and 1 foot high (the smallest mound yet noted).

According to the Delano "Eagle," of July 10, 1881, William P. Jewett opened a large mound in 1878, and at the depth of fourteen feet found ten or twelve skeletons. This was on sec. 35, and on the bank of Buft'alo lake, on laud then owned by Joseph Armstrong. Associated with this were four other mounds. The human bodies seem to have been buried in a circle, about five feet from the surface.

Three-quarters of a mile south of Buffalo lake, on N. W. Vi, S. E. 14, sec. 1, T. 119-26, is a group of twelve mounds, two of which are elongated. One of the tumuli, in the line of the group.

On the west side of Buffalo lake are five mounds in a group, on S. E. 14, S. E. 1/4 (lot 6), sec. 35, T. 120-26; 60 feet above the water. One is 85 feet in diameter, 16 feet above the water. One is 85 feet in diameter, 16 feet high, and it is alongside of one which is 18 feet in diameter and 1 foot high.

]Mounds of Lakes Ann, Mary and Emma. At the north end of Lake Ann, S. E. 1/4, S. E. 1/4, sec. 10, T. 118-27, about 15 feet above the lake, is a tumulus 20 feet in diameter near the road.

On lot 4 (S. E. 14, S. W. Vt) sec. 11, T. 118-27, north end of Lake Ann, are two tumuli, 30 feet in diameter, on etdtivated land about 12 feet above the lake.

At the south end of Lake Ann, on lot 5 (S. Vi;, S. E. I/4), sec. 14, T. 118-27, is a group of seven mounds, all circular, 25 feet above Lakes Ann and Emma.

On a creek near Lake Ann, on lot 4 (S. E. I/4, S. W. Vi) sec. 11, T. 118-27, are two mounds, the larger 30 feet in diameter and 2 feet high ; the smaller 28 feet in diameter and 2 feet high, about 12 feet above the creek.

There are four large mounds half a mile south of Lake Ann, on N. E. V4, S. W. 1/1, sec. 23, T. 118-27. They are 40 feet, 42 feet, 48 feet and 50 feet in diameter, and 3 feet in height. There are five or more further to the southeast that have been cultivated too much to survey, situated on a slight ridge.

At the north end of Lake Mary, on N. E. Vi, N. W. Vi, sec. 25, T. 118-27, are two small tumuli, 22 feet in diameter and 1 foot high, 20 feet above the lake.

Along the Twelve-Mile creek, on the south and west sides of Lake Ann, sees. 15, 22 and 23, T. 118-27, are three groups of mounds. The first is on lot 4, sec. 23, and consists of 12 mounds, all circular except one, which is elongated, with dimensions 90 feet by 50 feet, and 31/2 feet high. Toward the north this is abruptly connected with a circular mound, which is 55 feet in diameter and 5 feet high, by a narrower embankment 30 feet wide and 21/4 feet high. The smallest mound of this group is 30 feet in diameter, and the largest is 55 feet. Three are 50 feet in diameter. Surveyed September 15, 1881.

A rare combination is witnessed in two of this group, viz.: An elongated mound is suddenly narrowed from 50 feet to 30 feet, and again expanded as suddenly into a circular mound, the length of the embankment being 16 feet, or about one-half of its width.

Another group on N. E. Vij sec. 22, also embraces twelve mounds, and shows one rare feature, viz. : Two of the largest mounds, each 4 feet high, are connected by a short curving embankment 25 feet wide and li/o feet high. These two mounds have both been opened. This group of tumuli has an unusually large average diameter for the circular mounds.

A group on the opposite side of Twelve-Mile creek contains eight mounds, three being elongated, one 150 feet long, 20 feet wide and IV2 ft^et high ; another 85 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 31/2 f'^et high ; and the third 80 feet long, 20 feet wide and 1 foot high. This group also presents an anomaly, viz. : a spur-shaped extension is connected with a circular mound running to a point. At the base it is 20 feet wide and 2 feet high. It is about 30 feet long. Surveyed September 15, 1881.

Howard Lake Mounds. The mounds above this lake are isolated except in one case. A grouj) of five tumuli is on the east side, lot 4 (N. E. 1/4, N. W. 1/4 and N. W. 1/4, N. E. 1/4), sec. 34, T. 119-27, near the lake, but in the woods, about twelve feet above the lake, all circular, mostly about 30 feet in diameter.

According to the Delano "Eagle," June 13, 1878, one of the mounds on the south side of Twelve-Mile creek, about three miles south of Delano, was explored by a party of young men. At the depth of five feet they found two human skeletons, the size of which indicated sons of Amalek. The bones were in the last stages of decay. One "thigh-bone measured 20 inches in length and was proportionately large. The teeth were still sound, and double all around, though not of large size, but worn flat from long use." - Hill Rec.

Clearwater lake mounds, W. !/>, S. W. 14, sec. 12, T. 121-28, overlooking a ravine, on a high ridge, is a group of 47 circular mounds and embankments. The tumuli are generally small and low. Three are noticeably large, having diameters of 75 feet, 70 feet and 60 feet, with heights of 8 feet, 61/0 feet and 51/2 feet, respectively. The elongated mounds or embankments are of the usual type, their width about the same as the diameter of the smallest mounds, i. e., 18 feet to 20 feet straight and of uniform width from end to end. To this, liowi'vcr, there is one exception here, one embankment, ta|)erin<; fi'om a widtli of '20 feet at tlie north end to 10 feet at the sontliern, and from T- feet in heii^lit to 1 foot. This is an exeeedin^rly rare feature. Two of the tumuli are connected by a low embankment much narrower than the mounds connected.

R. M. Van Dervort fiave information concerning the exploration of a mound of this group abotit the year 1885. It rose 3 feet above the level of the s\irrounding ground. The opening was at the top. about 3 feet by 6 feet. The material con.sisted of alternations of ordinary black soil ami hard, light gray, four of the latter, each about four inches thick. The bones were about three feet from the surface and consisted of six skeletons, each skeleton occupying a space about 18 by :!0 inches, leg and arm bones being directly on top of the chest, and the skull on top of all. The bones were generally very brittle, but some were well i)reserved. The lower jaw-bones were large, the teeth, so far as found, all double, the brow considerably receding backward, thigh-bone 22 inches long, upper arm-bone 14 inches long. These bones were taken to Chicago by a doctor some five years after they were discovered. This was evidently a regular Sioux burial of bundled bones.

In the "Pioneer Press" of June 29, 1888, is an account of the discovery, twelve miles from Clearwater, N. E. Y^, sec. 21, T. 121-27, by Charles W. Pinkerton, of the town of Corinna, of the remains of seven persons said to have been from seven to eight feet high. They were found in a kind of mound, and were buried with their heads down. The skulls indicated an inferior race of men. The teeth in the jaw-bones were mostly sound, "and not like the teeth of the present race of men." In the "Pioneer Press" of July 1, 1888, was published a more satisfactory and correct account of this discovery, abstracted as follows : The mound itself is about 50 feet across and some 12 feet high, of symmetrical shape. According to Prof. H. F. Nachtrieb, who visited the place and examined the bones, the skeletons were not of unusual size. They were deposited in the mound in a sitting posture, facing the lake. The skulls, when compared with Indian skulls in the possession of Dr. Thomas S. Roberts, of Minneapolis, showed some marked differences. The forehead was very low, and the brow prominent. The postero-anterior axis of the skull was very long. Judging from the external auditory meatus, this prehistoric man had a large ear. His jaws were heavy, his cheekbones prominent. The ridges on his arm-bones indicated that he was very muscular. His front teeth, instead of being chiselshaped like those of modern man, had their greater diameter at right angles to the jaw-bone, and all his teeth were quite large, and some with the enamel perfectly preserved. On the whole, the skulls seemed to be quite small, in proportion to the rest o,''

Enclosure and mound, lot 2, N. E. i/i, N. E. %, see. 21, T. 121-27. These are on the bank of the lake but about 200 feet from it. The mound is 62 feet in diameter and 8 feet high. The enclosure is toward the northeast from the mound, on a knob about 35 feet above the lake, the mound being 22 feet above the lake. The enclosure consists of an embankment 13 feet wide and li/o feet high, the ends coming near together, but leaving an opening 6 feet wide. Surveyed August 1, 1887.

On lot 5, N. W. 1/4, N. W. i/i, sec. 21, T. 121-27, at 40 feet above the lake and 450 feet south of it, is a group of six circular mounds and one elongated. The largest of the former is 80 feet in diameter and 41/4 feet high. The elongated mound is of a rare type, tapering from 26 feet to 10 feet in width and IV2 feet to 1 foot in height in a length of 80 feet. Surveyed August 1, 1887. The following letter of E. E. Woodworth is of interest.

"St. Paul, Minn., May 31, 1907. In the year 1888, in company with Rev. Mr. Wigstead and my brother, Charles Woodworth, I opened a mound in Levi Dakin's field, cutting clear through it a ditch about eighteen inches wide and from top to bottom four and one-half feet deep, from north to south and from east to west. A peculiarity of formation was found. About two feet from the top surface was found a continuous layer of black material about four inches in thickness, which appeared to be earth mixed with some substance which rendered it impervious to water, as was evidenced by the perfectly dry earth below the layer. The soil above the layer was very wet, as it had rained the night before. When this substance was broken it presented occasionally small faces of shiny black. The material was very tough and resisted the pick like asphalt. About two feet below this layer was a second layer of the same substance, and a third layer was encountered perhaps not more than fourteen inches below the second layer. The earth had evidently been carried in receptacles which held about one-half bushel, as was evidenced by the different materials, as sand, clay or black soil. We found no bones, neither any cavities in this mound. Near the surface we found a stone ax weighing about five pounds, perfect except for a small spall from the face. In the woods just east of the field, perhaps ten rods from the mound which we opened in the field, were several mounds, the largest of which we dug into from the very top, making a hole five feet square and five feet deep, finding nothing until I was about to leave the hole. It was raining, and as we had nine miles to drive, and as it was nearly night, I caved the walls in, and in so doing opened a cavity on the west which was filled with dust. This I scraped out and we observed that the cavity had the appoaranee of having been filled with blankets or hides rolled closely, or i)Ossibly a body. It was so dark we could not examine as fully as we wished to do. We ditl not find the peculiar impervious layers in this mounil. - E. E. Wood- Avorth."

On lots 3 and 4. N. W. lU, S. W. 1/4, sec. 18, T. 121-27, at 48 feet above the lake, is a series of eighteen tumuli and one elongated mound. The line of extension of this series is away from the lake blutf, and the larger mounds are out of the line, the largest being 70 feet wide and 51/0 feet high. They begin at 60 feet from the lake bluff and 150 feet from the water. Surveyed July 2, 1887.

Pleasant Lake mound, a solitary tumulus, is at the center of the N. E. 1/4, see. 24, T. 121-28 ; 28 feet in diameter ; 50 feet above the lake.

Clearwater River enclosure. This is on N. E. \(i, S. E. '4, see. 11, T. 121-28, at 35 feet above the river and 250 feet from it. This enclosure is of an oblong shape, with an opening of five feet at the east end. The embankment is 12 feet wide and ly^ feet high. A road passes across it. Its greatest dimension is 102 feet. Surveyed August 3, 1887.

Pulaski Lake mounds. Lot 3 of sec. 8, T. 120-25. Here is a group of fourteen mounds, of which five are elongated north and south, parallel with the direction of the series in which they lie; 30 feet above the lake. The largest circular mound is in the series, 65 feet by 7 feet. There are distinctly two sizes of the elongated mounds, viz.: 18 feet (or 20 feet) by 26 feet (or 30 feet), and 30 feet (or 35 feet) by 40 feet (or 45 feet). Surveyed September 10, 1S81.

"A party from Monticello dug through the largest of these mounds. JIany skeletons, buried in a horizontal position, one above another, were found, but it appears that no implements nor manufactured articles of any kind were discovered." - Upham, Geol. Sur. Rep., Vol. ii, p. 263.

Silver Lake mounds. The group, as it now remains, comprises seven tumuli, although a number of others, probably about 12, have been plowed down. They are about 30 feet above the lake, on the S. E. 14, S. E. 14, sec. 5, T. 121-26. The largest mounds are isolated, 74 feet in diameter, 3I/2 feet high ; and 67 feet in diameter, 6 feet high. Serveyed Sept. 13, 1891.

There is another tumulus, which is tlat-topped, and which probably belong to the foregoing group, on the N. E. 14» S. E. 14, of the same section, about 20 feet above the lake. The top is 18 feet in diameter, and the base is 50 feet, 'i\<2 feet high. It is 130 feet from the brow of the bluff, which overlooks a meadow.

Mounds between Lakes Ramsey and Maple. On the N. W. i/^, sec. 8, T. 120-26, is a single tumulus, and the remains of five others belonging to the group can be discerned. Possibly others have been destroyed. They are about 60 feet above the lake.

Mounds at Twin lakes (Silvia lake) on S. VL', N. W. %, sec. 27, T. 121-28. Here are 19 earthworks, including 4 elongated mounds and one flat-topped, the last being the largest and out of the line of the series. Its base is 60 feet and its top 21 feet in diameter, 5V1> feet high. The longest moiuid is 265 feet in length and 18 feet in width, 1% feet high. This group is 60 feet above the lake, from 20 to 45 feet from the brink of the bluff, and about 950 feet from the water's edge. Surveyed Aug. 4, 1887.

Group at Waverly lakes, lot 3, S. E. 14, N. W. 14, sec. 32, T. 119-26. In this group of 11 mounds 3 are elongated, 20 feet wide, the longest being 150 feet long, and one has a curving spurshaped enlargement. The largest (58 feet by 5 feet), has an extension 214 feet high, 35 feet wide, and 31 feet long. When it was opened it was found to contain many human bones. Surveyed Sept. 17, 1881.

Cokato lake mounds, E. 1/0, N. E. 1/4, sec. 15, T. 119-28, at 200 yards from the shore of the lake and 40 feet above it. The largest here is 96 feet by 9 feet, 100 feet back from the bluff, within the line of extension of the series. One mound is elongated 76 feet by 25 feet, 2 feet high.

According to the catalogue furnished by Mr. Lewis when it was turned over to Mr. Mitchell, the Lewis collection, now in the custody of the State Historical Society, contained, from Wright country, 5 grooved axes, 6 arrow and spear heads, 2 war-points, 1 grooved hammer, 1 celt, 1 stone roller, 1 hoe, 1 scraper and 1 ' ' chipped implement. ' '