Grant County, Wisconsin - Chapter 1, 1881

Chapter 1

This county is situated in the extreme southwest corner of the State, its boundaries being thus described : Beginning at the southwest corner of this State (Wisconsin), running thence east on the boundary line of the State to the Fourth Principal Meridian ; thence north on said Meridian to the middle of the main channel of said Wisconsin River, to the mouth thereof ; thence southerly on the boundary line of the State, in the middle of the main channel of the Mississippi River, to the place of beginning." The county is, therefore, bounded on the south by the State of Illinois, on the east by the counties of La Fayette and Iowa, on the north by the county of Crawford and a portion of Richland County, and on the west by the State of Iowa.

Grant County is, next to Dane, the largest of the older-settled counties of the Sta.te, and, in population, stands seventh on the list of counties. Its length in the longest part is somewhat over forty-eight miles, while its width in the widest part is about thirty-six miles. This extreme length and width, however, is reached only in certain portions, as, upon its southern boundary line, the county is between eleven and twelve miles in width, while the western portion is but a trifle over seventeen miles in length, diminishing upon the extreme northwest portion, in the town of Wyalusing, to between six and seven miles. In fact, the configuration of Grant County conforms somewhat to the figure of an isosceles triangle, of which its eastern boundary line would form the base.

The Natural Drainage

Grant County is divided, by an elongated elevation known as Military Ridge, into two drainage systems, those streams to the north flowing into the Wisconsin, while the southern streams empty into the Mississippi. This ridge, which divides the county, so to speak, into two unequal portions, starts from the Blue Mounds in Iowa County, and extends westward in an almost direct east and west line nearly to Prairie du Chien, a distance of about sixty miles. Along this water-shed was built the military road running from Fond du Lac to Prairie du Chien, and from which it takes the warlike appellation which it retains to this day. The distance from the water-shed to the Wisconsin on the north is but from twelve to fifteen miles, and, as a, consequence, the streams on this side are small and have a rapid descent. Another peculiarity of these streams is noticeable, namely, that the bluffs which skirt their shores are higher and more precipitous than those streams of a similar size on the southern side of the water-shed, owing, it would seem, to their rapid fall. Thus, the Blue River, near Wingville, on its very inn f *''^'^*' ^*^ '*^ valleys hemmed in by lofty walls of almost perpendicular rock, more than (JO feet m height. With the exception of this last-named river, all the streams in this section nave their sources in the county. In none of these is the volume of water so great as formerly.

This diminution has, in rare instances, been so great as to necessitate the abandonment of mill sites, where, in early times, plenty of water was to be had. This is undoubtedly chargeable in part, if not wholly, to the gradual settlement of the country, by which means the ground has been transformed, in course of time, to a hard and compact mass, where formerly it was loose and spongy, forming numerous subterranean reservoirs for the constant replenishing of the ibrawling streamlets.

The Wisconnin. - This stream, into which empties all those streams that drain the north- portion of the county, and which itself is the most important of those that drain the -elevated lands of the State, has a length, from its source to its mouth, of about 450 miles. It forms, with its valley, the main topographical feature of Central Wisconsin. Rising in Lac Vieux Desert, on the summit of the Archaean water-shed, at an elevation of 951 feet above Lake Michigan, it pursues a general course for 300 miles, over the crystalline rocks, and then, passing on to the sandstones which form its bed for the remainder of its course, continues to the some eighty miles more. Turning then westward, it reaches the Mississippi within forty miles of the south line of the State, at an elevation of only thirty feet abov^ Lake Michigan, so that its fall from Lac Vieux Desert is 921 feet, an average of a fraction over two feet to the mile. Like all other streams which run to the south, southeast and fouthwest, from the crystalline rocks, it has its quite distinct upper or crystalline rock portion, and its lower or sandstone portion. This river, however, may be regarded as having three distinct sections, the lirst including all that part from the source to the last appearance of crystalline rocks in the bed of the stream, in the southern part of Wood County ; the second, that part from this point to the Dells, on the south line of Adams and Juneau Counties, and the third, that portion from the Dells to the mouth of the stream. The first of these divisions is broken constantly by rapids and falls, caused by the descent south of the Archaean area, and by the obstructions produced by the combined ledges of rock which cross the stream. The second and third sections are alike in being almost entirely without rapids or falls, and in the nature of the red rock, but are separated by the contracted gorge known as the Dells, which, acting in some sort as a dam, prevents any considerable rise in the river below, the water above not unfrequently rising as much as fifty feet in flood seasons, whilst below the extreme fluctuation does not exceed ten feet. The total length of the Archaean upper sandstone and lower sandstone sections of the river are respectively 250, 62 and ISO miles, the distance through the Dells being about seven and onelialf miles.

The width of the river, where it enters Marathon County, is from 300 to 500 feet. In its -course through Portage County, the Wisconsin flows through a densely-timbered country, and has, except where it makes rapids or passes through rock gorges on either side, a narrow bottomland, which varies in width, is usually raised but a few feet above the water level, and is wider on one side than on the other. Above this bottom, terraces can be often made out, with surfaces, in some cases, one or two miles in width. Above, again, the country surface rises steadily to the dividing ridges on either side, never showing the blufi" edges, so characteristic of the lower reaches of the river. Heavy rapids and falls are made at Wausau (Big Bull Falls), at Mosinee (Little Bull Falls), at Stevens' Point and at Conant's Rapids ; all' but the last named of these are increased in height by artificial dams. Two miles below the foot of Conant's Rapids, just after receiving the Plover River on the east, the Wisconsin turns a right angle to the west, and upon the sparsely-timbered sand plains, through which it flows for 100 miles. At the bend, the river is quiet, with high banks of sand and a few low outcrops of gneiss at the waters edge. From the bend, the course is westward about nine miles ; then, after curving southward again, the long series of rapids soon begins, which, with intervening stretches of still water, extend, about fifteen miles along the river to the last rapid at Point Bass, in southern Wood County.

East of the river line, between Grand Rapids and Point Bass, the country rises gradually, reaching altitudes of 100 feet above the river, at points ten or fifteen miles distant. On the west, the surface is an almost level plain, descending gradually as the river is receded from. At

Point Bass, gneissic rocks disappear beneath the sandstones, which, for some miles, have formed the upper portion of the river banks, and now become, in turn, the bed rock, and the first division of the river's course ends. The main tributaries which it has received, down to this^ point, are on the left bank - the Big Eau Claire, the Little Eau Claire and the Big Plover. On the right bank, the Placota or Big Rib, the She-she-ga-ma-isk or Big Eau Pleine, and the Little Eau Pleine. All of these streams are of considerable size, and drain large areas. They all make much southing in their courses, so that their lengths are greater than the actual distances from the sources to the Wisconsin at the nearest point, and all of them have a very considerable descent, making many rapids and falls over the tilted edges of schistose and gneissic rocks, even down to within short distances of their junction with the main river. The streams on the west side head on the high country along the line of the Fourth Principal Meridian, about forty miles west of the Wisconsin, and at elevations of from 200 to 300 feet above their mouths. Those on the east head on the divide, between the Wisconsin and Wolf, about twenty miles east, at elevations not very much less. Reaching back, as these streams do, into a country largely timbered with pine, and having so large a descent, they are of great value for logging and milling pur-

The second section of the Wisconsin River begins at Point Bass, with a width of from seven hundred to nine hundred feet. The next sixty miles of its course, to the head of the Dells, is a southerly stretch with a wide bow to the westward, through sand plains here and there timbered with dwarf oaks, and interspersed with marshes. These plains stretch away t» the east and west for twenty miles, from the river bottom gradually rising in both directions. Scattered over them at intervals of one to ten miles, are erosion peaks of sandstone, from fifty to three hundred feet in height, rising precipitously from the level ground. Some of these ar& near and on the bank of the river, which is also in some places bordered by low, mural exposures of the same sandstone. The river itself is constantly obstructed by shifting sand bars, resulting from the ancient disintegration of the sandstone, which, in the vicinity, everywhere forms the basement rock ; but its course is not interrupted by rock-rapids. As it nears the northern line of Columbia County, the high ground that limits the sand plain on the west, curving southeastward, finally reaches the edge of the stream, which, by its southeastwardly course for the last twenty miles, has itself approached the high ground on the east. The tworidges thus closing ia upon the river, have caused it to cut for itself the deep, narrow gorge known as the Dells.

In the second section of its course, the Wisconsin receives several important tributaries. Of those on the east, the principal ones are Duck Creek and Ten Mile Creek, in the southern part of Wood County ; and the little and big Roche-a-Cris Creeks, both in Adams County. The two former head in a large marsh twenty-five miles east of, and over one hundred feet above, the main stream. The two latter head on the high dividing ridge, on the west line of Waushara. County, at elevations between one hundred and fifty and two hundred feet above their mouths. These streams do not pass through a timbered country, but have very valuable water-powers. Of those tributaries on the west, two are large and important, the Yellow and Lemonweir Rivers. Yellow River heads in the adjoining corners of Wood, Jackson and Clark Counties, and runs a general southerly course, nearly parallel to the Wisconsin for over seventy miles, the two gradually approaching and joining each other about the center of Juneau and Adams Counties. The upper portions of this river entend into the pine regions, and much logging is done in times of high-water. The water-powers are of great value. The Lemonweir is also a large stream. Heading in a timbered region, in the southeast corner of Jackson County, it flows southward for some distance through Monroe, and entering Juneau on the middle of its west side, crosses it in a southeastwardly direction, reaching the Wisconsin in the lower portion of the county.

The Wisconsin enters the gorge already spoken of as the Dells not far above the southern boundary line of Juneau and Adams Counties. This famous passage of about seven and onenaif miles, has been often described. At its foot, between the counties of Sauk and Columbia, the Wisconsin enters upon the last section of its course, and also upon the most remarkable bend in its whole length. Through the Dells its general course is southward, but it now turns almost due east, in which direction it continues, with one or two subordinate turns southward for about seventeen miles, through low sand banks as far as Portage. Here it bends abruptly south again, and, reaching its most eastern point not far below, soon swerves around into the final southwestward stretch to the Mississippi. The cause of this long detour to the east is sufficiently evident. As the river leaves the Dells, it finds lying directly athwart its course two bold quartzite ranges, extending east and west through Sauk County for upward of twenty miles, and, crossing into Columbia, finally unite about eight miles east of the county line in a sharp and bold eastwardly projecting point, rising four hundred feet above the river bottom. Above Portage, where the Wisconsin forms the southern boundary line of the town of Lewiston, the ground immediately north is lower than the water in the river ; the heads of Neenah Creek, a tributary of the Fox, rising a short distance from its banks. In times of high water the Wisconsin overflows into these streams, and thus contributes to a totally different river. At Portage, the Fox, after flowing south of west for twenty miles, approaches the Wisconsin, coming from the opposite direction. Where the two streams are nearest they are less than two miles apart, and are separated by a low, sandy plain, the water in the Fox being five feet below that in the Wisconsin at ordinary stages. The greater part of this low ground is overflowed by the latter stream in times of high water, and to this is chiefly due the spring rise in Fox River.

After doubling the eastern end of the quartzite ranges, as already said, the Wisconsin turns again to the West, being forced to this by infringing on the north side of a high belt of limestone country, which, after trending southward across the eastern part of Columbia County, veers gradually to a westwardly direction, lying to the south of the river along the rest of its course. Soon after striking this limestone region, the river valley assumes an altogether new character, which it retains to its mouth, having now a nearly level, for the most part treeless bottom, from three to six miles in width, ten to thirty feet in height, usually more on one side than the other, and bounded on both sides by bold and often precipitous bluff's one hundred to three hundred and fifty feet in height, of sandstone capped with limestone. Immediately along the water's edge is usually a narrow timbered strip, rising two to four feet feet above the river, which is overflowed at high water. The line of bluff's along the north side of the valley is the northern edge of this high limestone belt just mentioned, which reaches its greatest elevation ten to fifteen miles south of this edge. In front of the main bluff face, especially in its eastern extension, are frequently to be seen bold and high isolated outlines of the limestone country. On the north bank the bluff's are at first the edges of similar large, outlying masses, but farther down they become more continuous, the river crossing over the northwestward trending-out cross-line of the Lower Magnesian Limestone.

In this last section of its course, the Wisconsin is much obstructed by bars of shifting sand, derived originally from the erosion of the great sandstone formation which underlies the whole region, and to whose existence the unusual amount of obstruction of this kind in the river is due. The altitude of the water surface of the Wisconsin at Lac Vieux Desert above Lake Michigan is 911 feet; at Warsau, above dam, 623 feet; at Knowlton (high), 538 feet, (low) 523 feet; at Stevens' Point, 485 feet ; at Conant's Rapids, 468 feet ; at Grand Rapids, railroad bridge, 420 feet ; at Kilbourn City, railroad bridge, 233 feet ; at Portage, 211 feet ; at Merrimack, 182 feet; at Sauk City, 165 feet; at Spring Green bridge, 134 feet; at Muscoda, 115 feet ; at the mouth of the stream, 34 feet. The average velocity of the river below Portage is remarkably uniform, and is just about two miles an hour. The daily discharg-es of the river at Portage, in times of extremely low water is about two hundred and fifty-nine million cubic feet. The average fall of the water surface of the river below Portage is one and one-half feet per mile. This rapid fall, were it not for the great amount of sand in the river bed, would make the stream a series of pools and rock rapids.

Platte River. - The Platte finds its source in the northern part of Clifton Township, and flows thence in a general southerly course until it empties into the Mississippi in the extreme southeast corner of Potosi Township. This river is often inclosed during its course by hills gently sloping on one side, and quite precipitous on the other. This feature is more especially noticeable near its mouth. Its volume is much increased during the latter porcion of its course by the waters of the Little Platte, which stream, rising in the southern part of Clifton Township but a few miles from the source of its elder brother, passes down in a southwestwardly course through Lima, Platteville, Harrison and Paris Townships, eflecting a junction with the Platte in Section 17 of the latter township.

The Blue River. - This stream is 1;he principal tributary of the Wisconsin in the county, and finds its source in the western central portion of Iowa County, and flows in a general northwesterly course, until it empties into the Wisconsin in the northeastern portion of Waterstown Township. It is increased in volume in Section 29 of Muscoda Township, by the addition at this point of Fennimore, its principal branch. This river heads in the center of Fennimore Township, and flows a northeasterly course, until its junction as given above.

Green River. - This river heads about a mile from the source of the Fennimore in Fennimore Township, and flows a northwestwardly course until its junction with the Wisconsin in Section 22 of Woodman Township.

Ghant River. - The Grant heads in the lower part of Fennimore Township, and flows in a southwesterly course down through Lancaster Township, and thence in a general southerly course through Beetown, passing from which it makes a curve to the west, and, passing through Waterloo Township, empties into the Mississippi in the southern part of Potosi.

Topographical Features

The greater portion of Grant County consists of high, rolling prairie, interspersed in the neighborhood of the streams with timber. This feature is the prevailing characteristic of the central and eastern part of the county. Along the Wisconsin, near its confluence with the Mississippi, and extending with a few breaks, almost the entire length of that portion of the latter river which forms the western boundary of the county, are high precipitous blufis, adding much to the picturesqueness of the scenery. As we progress southward, this feature extends further inward, forming successions of deep ravines and precipitous ridges, that join to make a country at once varied and wildly beautiful. No better description of this section can be given than is found in an early article on the mines. Speaking of the blufis, which for ages have stood as silent and motionless sentinels guarding the broad river which flows so majestically at their feet, the writer says :

" These bluffs rise from two to two hundred and fifty feet in heighth, sometimes standing out in all the boldness of a broken sea-cliff ; and again, retiring to a considerable distance from the margin of the river, the ascent is more easy, grass covered, and studded with trees and shrubbery. Sometimes the whole bluff is made up of a regular succession of steps and benches ; at others, one broad leaf of table-land spreads out at various distances from the base, forming the only interruption in an otherwise perpendicular elevation. The strongest point of relief, and the one which often forms a piece of highly imposing scenery, are the deep ruptures, or shattered openings, by which the line of bluff is frequently parted or rent asunder.

"As we leave the river in a right line, either east or west, our course is rapidly intercepted oy deep channels plowed through the rook. We leave our direct line to follow one of these gaps to its origin or commencement. Perhaps a brook of diminutive size is rippling its way among huge blocks of detached rock, that have been dislodged, by the action of frost and rains, trom the jutting sides and sharp points above. As we progress, one after another of the sparkling springs are passed, of which the brook we are tracing is formed ; the hills upon either side nave been lessened in heighth and increased in slope, and vegetation has supplied the place of rocky barrenness. The ravine up which we are passing (for it is now nothing more), is made ne receptacle of a fast succession of smaller ones, both constantly decreasing in size and indentation, until they are completely lost in the level of the ridge beyond.

" Resuming our right line, the ravines gradually become less and less in depth, the ridgesspread out wider and wider, and we begin to fancy that the general level of the country is gained, when suddenly the ground again becomes broken, the hills, torn and distorted, appear heaped upon each other, the gush and gurgle of a rivulet is heard below, rocks are threateningly poised upon the peaks, others having been displaced and hurled into the narrow valley more than a hundred feet below. We are past this barrier, and after crossing some harsh points, hewn, to a variety of patterns, as many ravines (perhaps in as many different directions), carelessly and awkwardly excavated, roughness rapidly gives place to a uniformity, the depressions become broad and shallow, and the whole surface wears the appearance of high agricultural susceptibility. We have now reached the predominant characteristic of the mining district - a roUing^ country. With just sufficient descent to carry off the surface waters handsomely, every square foot arable, yes, highly productive, we are at the same time surprised, as we pass along, at the unending variety and picturesque softness it comprises. Indeed some parts appear more like well-executed etching in a picture than any result of the ordinary workings of nature. We have traveled for miles, perhaps, over this description of surface, when we find ourselves upon the main 'divide,' or summit, between two considerable water-courses. We will once more leave our right line for the purpose of obtaining a more accurate knowledge of these 'divides,' which are easily definable from the almost exact level they preserve. We will not turn to the southwest, for it would only b^ to take a survey of increasing irregularity, growing more wild and confused as we advanced, until soon we would find ourselves upon one of those topping, cragged points of the Mississippi bluffs which overlooks for miles the peaceful meanderings of the river below.

"But we will turn toward the northeast; and as we go along, a larger and still larger stretch of country, rich in soil and scenery, opens before us. Upon either side, and at short distances only, we cast our eye down some long line of gentle depression, with other and smaller ones all the while opening into it, the rises between which appear actually to interlock. The encroachments these main depressions make upon our road, renders it quite serpentine, often forming heavy, and sometimes even right angles to the general direction of the ridge. As we advance still farther, the scope of undulating country becomes more and more extended, until the ' divide,' which we have followed, is imperceptibly lost in another and generally more important one, running perhaps in a counter direction to it."

The Mound-Btjildbrs

Fitly might this ancient race, relics of whom are seen on every hand, be characterized as the wonder-puzzle of scientists. That they were once here, occupying the land which now teems with wealthy, bustling cities and their ever-restless myriads of toilers, is certain. Here is beheld their imprint : yet to-day investigators are as far as ever from deciding the question as to when and how these pre-historic, traditional people came or how they went. Like the will-o'-the-wisp, ever before and ever eluding, the subject still continues one over which the cloud of mystery hangs, unpenetrated by any of those rays of the sun of intelligence by which so much that has been " seen darkly " is now as clear as the noonday.

That these monuments are the work of a race anterior to the one inhabiting this country at the time of its discovery, and reaching back probably in its existence to the earlier periods of the world's history, is the single established fact to which the antiquarian can make good his claims. Beyond this all is a blank.

Of the mounds themselves, silent monuments of this wonderful race which " being dead yet speaketh " through their works, we are, fortunately, not without such specimens scattered with a prodigal hand over the United States as precludes all chances of a crop of doubting Thomases.

The mounds themselves are of three classes, and include the earthwork or fortification, the circular and oblong tumuli, and the "animal " mound. This latter class is by far the most interesting and includes in the category representations of the human form, birds, bears, foxes.

elephants, deer, lizards - in fact, almost everything pertaining to the animal or feathered kingdom. This class of mounds abounds throughout Wisconsin, although numerous instance? of the circular tumuli are to be found in the southwestern portion of the State, and especially in Grant County. The National History Review (London) thus refers to this peculiar evidence of the pre-historic races : " Not the least remarkable of the American antiquities are the animal mounds, which are principally, though not exclusively, found in Wisconsin. In this district, thousands of examples occur of gigantic basso-relievos of men, beasts, birds and reptiles wrought with a persevering labor on the surface of the soil, while inclosures and works of defense are almost entirely wanting, the ancient city of Aztalan being, as supposed, the only example of the latter class." But very few of the animal mounds have been found elsewhere than in Wisconsin.

It is but at a comparatively recent date that thorough and exhaustive explorations of these reminders of a lost race has been instituted. The mounds in this State vary considerably in height, being from three to fifteen feet above the general level, and the latter height is confined entirely to the conical mounds, those representing animals being much lower, and in all instances recumbent. The figures are, in a majority of cases, placed with their backs to the rising ground, and their feet pointing down-hill. In 1842, Silliman's Journal contained an interesting account of the explorations made by Mr. Stephen Taylor among these mounds, and mentioned among others the figure of a quadruped thought to be a wildcat, being one of a group of three closely resembling each other at that time, lying in the western part of the village of Muscoda, in this county, which measured in length from the front part of the head to the end of the tail 264 feet. One of the other figures, supposed to represent the turtle, measured from the tip of its nose to its posterior extremity 76 feet. At this point it is 18 feet in width, and over the projections representing claws it is 37 feet. The greatest elevation,, near the junction of the neck, was 30 inches, and at the narrow end 16 inches, while the head, neck and claws were only 9 inches. The whole figure had retained its original shape in great perfection, owing to the coat of sward which covered it. The bearings of this figure were east and west, the head being pointed toward the eastward.

No better description of the present mounds in Grant County has been given than the following by Mr. Moses Strong, Assistant State Geologist, describing his visit to the different mounds which form almost a continuous procession along the Wisconsin and down the eastern shores of the Mississippi in Grant County. Mr. Strong says :

" During the course of my geological examination of the lead region of Wisconsin, in the summer and fall of 1874, my attention was directed to the numerous and remarkable tumuli which are found in the valleys of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers, and on the ndjacent bluffs.

" 1. The Round Mounds. - They are perfectly round or circular at the base, and are dome-shaped or conical, according to their height, which varies from three to fifteen feet. By far the larger number, probably as many as four-fifths, are less than five feet high, and are spherical segments, with an average diameter at the base of about twenty-five feet. The conical mounds usually exceed this diameter and height, and are always rounded off at the apex ; whether this was by design, or is a modification due to the lapse of time, it is difiicult now to decide. Some of the largest attained a diameter of fifty feet and a height of fifteen feet. Again, many of the round mounds were so low as almost to escape observation, and sloped so gradually mto the ground on which they were thrown up, that the true diameter could not be exactly ascertamed. No traces were seen of ridges or trenches surrounding any of the round mounds, such as are described in other localities, as at Hutsoifville, 111.; nor were there any terraces on their sides, or any appearance of a platform on their summits. All the circular mounds were perfectly plain and simple in their structure.

"2. Oblong Mounds. - These tumuli are invariably straight, and of various lengths, irom fifty to 300 feet. They are seldom more than four feet in height, and will average about two and one-half feet high and fifteen in width. They always slope gradually at the ends to the ground. Sometimes these mounds are found in a long, straight line, and, at others, in parallel rows, but a systematic arrangement is always apparent. Excepting in their length, there is less variation from a uniform standard seen in the oblong mounds than in any other kind.

" 3. Hffigy Mounds, or those having Animal Forms. - These are the most singular and interesting of all, perhaps, for the reason that it is most difficult to find any theory which rationally accounts for their existence. They are found of all dimensions, as regards length, being from fifty to 200 feet long, and are usually a little higher and wider than the long mounds. Their average height is about four feet, and their width twenty-five.

" They usually represent animals lying upon one side, with the head up and legs apart, as if in motion. Representations of the human form were not observed, although such exist north of the Wisconsin River. Three instances of the representation of birds were observed, and one of an animal like a lizard.

" That these mounds were intended to represent animals can be seen at a glance, but what particular genus of animal is seldom so evident. In general, all that is plainly seen are the head, neck, body and legs of an animal. Sometimes there are added to them ears, horns or a tail, the two latter being quite infrequent.

of the Mounds. - The following descriptions of the several localities where mounds were seen, with a few explanatory remarks, will convey an idea of the former works of the Mound-Builders, and the sites selected by them for their tumuli :

"1. Southeast quarter of northeast quarter of Section 36, Town 4, Range 2 east - five straight mounds, each about fifty feet long, situated in a direct line coinciding with the axis of a low ridge, on which they are built. This ridge is the terminus of a long divide between two branches of the Pecatonica River. The mounds are about 200 feet from the eastern branch, and about thirty feet above it. As a dwelling-site it would have been very convenient.

" 2. Southwest quarter of Section 25, and northeast quarter of Section 24, Town 4, Range 2 east. Proceeding in a northwesterly directionifrom the preceding locality, and following the crest of the same dividing ridge, numerous long mounds are seen lying parallel to the axis of the ridge. This land is now under cultivation, and the mounds are nearly obliterated.

" 3. Northwest quarter of Section 22, Town 7, Range 4 west. On the summit of a bluff at the junction of the Green and Wisconsin Rivers, a straight mound was observed. It is 200 feet long, two feet high and six feet wide. From this point a beautiful view of the valley is obtained. No other mounds of any kind were found near it.

"4. "Northwest quarter of Section 26, Town 7, Range 5 west. At the mouth of Dry Hollow, and near the bank of a bayou of the Wisconsin River, are a number of mounds, both long and round, scattered about without any apparent order of arrangement.

" 5. Southwest quarter of Section 26, Town 7, Range 5 west, proceeding down the valley of the Wisconsin to a deserted farm known as the ' Schlundt place,' several long mounds were seen on the road, lying parallel to the foot of the bluff, and a few yards from it. At the Schlundt house, one long and three round mounds w^re seen, one of which is quite conspicuous for its size.

" It has the form of the frustum of a cone ; the diameter of the base is forty feet, the diameter of the upper surface twenty-eight feet, and the height four feet. In the center of this mound, a cottonwood tree, seventeen inches in diameter is growing. The appearance of the mound indicates that it has been cut or worn down several feet, to make its upper surface level ; and that the tree was subsequently planted, perhaps for shade. The mound is constructed of sandy clay, which, however, contains much less sand than the adjacent ground. The material of which the mound is constructed may have been brought from the bluff, which is not far distant. About one hundred feet south of this large mound, is a small circular mound, fifteen teat in diameter, and three feet high. Thirty feet east of the small mound is a straight one, seventyseven feet long. Following the road for about a quarter of a mile west of the ' Schlundt place, a mound was discovered. It is situated immediately on the bank of the Wisconsin River, and about fifty feet from the foot of the bluff. This mound is the only one of its kind seen. It is, perhaps, intended to represent a bird with its wings and tail spread, as shown by the circular expansion at the rear end. If this is its design, it is not nearly so well proportioned as the other bird mounds which were seen, none of which, had their tails spread.

" 6. Northeast quarter of Section 2, Town 6, Range 5 west, making a short detour from the valley of the Wisconsin, up the valley of a small stream on which the village of Millville is situated, we find a singular mound. It is situated in a meadow owned by Mr. Kidd, the miller, and about three hundred feet south of his house. The mound lies on the level ground, with its limbs fronting to the creek, which is distant but a few yards. The meadow has been under cultivation for a number of years, so that the mound is much reduced in height, although it can still be distinctly traced. The remains of several others were observed, but they are so obliterated ' bv cultivation that their forms can no longer be identified. As it lies upon the ground, the eifigy is not particularly suggestive of any known living animal. The fore limbs are the longest, tind each longer than the body, while the neck has been omitted in the construction of the animal. Altogether it is one of the most singular eflBgies seen, and the only one of its kind.

'- 7. Center of Section 15, Town 7, Range 5 west. This locality was formerly known as Warner's Steam Mill, and is situated on the bank of the Wisconsin River. Here is a strip of bottom land, half a mile wide, lying between the bluffs and the river, on which a large number small circular and conical mounds were found scattered labout without any apparent law of No straight or effigy mounds were seen.

" 8. Quarter posts. Sections 5 and 8, Town 6, Range 5 west. On the new road from Millville to Bridgeport three straight mounds were found, from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet long. The mounds lie at the foot of the bluff and parallel to it, about fifteen feet above high-water mark, with a bayou of the Wisconsin in front of them and but a few yards distant. Nothing particular was noticed in their mode of distribution.

" 9. Southeast quarter Section 14, Town 6, Range 6 west. Quite an extensive group, consisting of an animal form, three oblong mounds and a number of small, round is to be seen at this locality. They are situated about half a mile above the Wisconsin River bridge at Banfill, on a raised level piece of land near the foot of the bluff. The land was formerly under cultivation, but not for a sufficiently long time to injure the appearance of the mounds. The effigy-mound is quite large and appears to be the central figure around which the others were grouped, and was probably the first earthwork constructed. It is quite large and well-proportioned, with the head thrown up and forward, and the legs bent forward and backward. It seems designed to represent some animal in a springing or jumping posture. At the intersection of the body, neck and forelimbs, a hole was sunk, six feet long by three wide, by Messrs. Rice, Mitchell, Thompson, Haven and myself. Nothing was found, that the mound was constructed of a very hard and compact clay, quite homogeneous throughout, and apparently the same as the underlying soil, into which we penetrated about inches.

" Abandoning operations on the effigy-mound, we next excavated one of the circular mounds by means of a trench, about two feet wide, carried in from the circumference to the center on the same level as the adjacent ground. On reaching the center, a human skeleton was found, the bones of which were so brittle and crumbling that no perfect ones could be obtamed. During the exhumation the following facts were observed : The process of burial had been as follows : The body was seated on the level ground, with the face to the west, and the legs stretched out in the same direction, but not separated, the knees not being at all drawn up. The body and head were erect, and the arms placed by the sides. The mound was built up around the corpse in this position. Since then, the process of decay, by removing the soft internal parts of the body, had permitted all the bones of the skull and body to fall I -uown into and on the pelvis, where most of them were found confused and mingled together, in a hard, dark clay, from which the bones were separated with much difficulty, ^rarts of the tibia, femur, pelvis, ribs and skull were recovered, together with parts of the jawbones and numerous teeth. The jaw-bones and teeth were in the best state of preservation of any obtained, the teeth being especially so. Several loose teeth were found belonging to th& upper jaw, and the lower jaw still retained most of its teeth. They indicated an adult individual, and were, without exception, flattened and worn smooth on their grinding surfaces.

" The clay of which the circular mound was constructed was somewhat different from that excavated in the efligy mound. The upper part of the circular mound, for about eighteen inches consisted of a sandy clay, which was easily removed with a shovel alone. All below this consisted of a very compact clay, containing but little sand, so hard that a pick was necessary, and the point would not penetrate more than an inch or two at a stroke. So great was the difference in the compactness of the clay in the two mounds excavated, that it occurred to me that the circular mound might have been stamped or rammed, or otherwise compacted at the time when it was built, perhaps for the purpose of protecting the corpse against the attacks of prowling animals.

"I do not think that the most skeptical person could regard this as an intrusive burial of a date more recent than the formation of the mound. It bears no internal evidence of ever having been disturbed ; and externally the mound precisely resembles all the others in this vicinity, and hundreds of others in different localities which we are accustomed to attribute to the Mound-Builders.

" 10. Southeast quarter of Section 19, west half of Section 20, southwest quarter of Section 17, southeast quarter of Section 18, all in Town 6, Range 6 west. All these several localities appear component parts of one grand chain, series or procession of mounds. This procession may be said to begin near the residence of Hon. Robert Glen, not far from the line between Sections- 19 and 30, of Township 6, Range 6 west. The first seen are the four round ones in the orchard near the house. They seem to be in a manner set apart from the rest, as quite a distance intervenes between them and the first long one, and they are the only ones of the circular kind.

"Proceeding along the crest of the ridge, nothing is seen for about half a mile, until the first of the mounds is found, following which is a row of twenty round mounds, each about twenty-five feet in diameter, five or six feet high and about twenty-five feet apart. They arearranged in straight lines, conforming to the crest of the ridge. The long north-and-south row of eleven mounds, when viewed from the south end, presents a peculiarly striking and impressive appearance. At the northern end of this row of mounds the ridge turns abruptly to the west, and a change in the mounds also takes place. No more round mounds are to be found, but more animal structures, of which may be observed the following peculiar arrangement. As all the effigies at the south end of the circular mounds are headed away from them, so also those at the northern end appear to be departing from them in a westerly direction.

" Proceeding westward along the ridge, a mound is seen. The animal represented by it appears to have a short tail and horns, and is probably designed to represent some species of deer. It is one of the few effigy mounds in which we can trace a resemblance to some particular animal. It will be seen that its feet are turned to the south, in an opposite direction to all the others. Two hundred feet west of this is the only long mound in the procession. A long interval now occurs, in which no mounds of any kind are found, until at the extreme end of the ridge are two. From this point a beautiful view of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers is obtained.

" 11. Northeast quarter of Section 17, Town 5, Range 6 west. This group or groups of mounds is situated on the Mississippi River bottom. They are the first specimens of the circular mounds anywhere observed. Their diameters vary from twenty to fifty feet, and they are from five to fifteen feet high. The mounds are situated on a low, sandy ridge, a few feet higher than the adjoining grounds, which are not far above high- water mark. They are built in straight lines, consisting of three or four mounds each, the lines making angles with each other, to conform to the higher portions of the ground. The mounds appear to be constructed of a sandy loam, although, as no excavations were made, it is impossible to say of what material the inside is composed.

" In two or three of the mounds near the southern end of the group, excavations had beea made which were evidently of a recent date, probably within a few months. The excavations were shallow holes, about eighteen inches deep, sunk in the tops of the mounds ; a large quan tity of human bones and teeth had been exhumed from them in each instance. They were stil lying scattered out on the summits of the mounds, and a number of them were collected. Th bones were well preserved and firm in their texture, and the teeth, some of which were as soun( and solid as any in a living person, had the grinding surfaces worn flat and smooth, similarly t those before mentioned.

" The fine state of preservation of the bones, so different from those found in the moun( previously described, together with the circumstance of their being found so near the surface leads me to think that they are not the bones of the original Mound-Builders, but rather tha they are intrusive burials ; that these mounds have been resorted to in comparatively recen times by a different race for burial purposes. Unfortunately no crania (except some small frag ments) were found, which might have been of assistance in determining this question ; and m; limited time did not permit me to make any excavations.

" 12. Southeast quarter of Section 17, Town 5, Range 6 west. Following the course o the Mississippi about a quarter of a mile southeast of the preceding locality, numerous lonj mounds were seen arranged in several rows parallel to each other and to the river. They ar< situated in the cultivated fields and are near obliterated. At the time these localities wer^ visited, the valley was covered by a crop of standing corn, which rendered it difficult to fin( them, and it is probable that many exist which were not noticed. No circular or eflSgy mounc were found in connection with them.

" 13. Southeast quarter of Section 21, Town 5, Range 6 west. Continuing down th( valley, we come to a group in which the three kinds of mounds are well represented. They li upon the alluvial bottom, quite near a bayou of the Mississippi, and none of them are more thai eight feet above high water-mark, while those in the southern part of the group are not mori than three feet. In this group, where all kinds are represented, there seems to be a separatioi of the long and round mounds from each other. There is nothing of peculiar interest in th occurrence of the long and circular mounds, but we have here two quite singular effigies. Th( central one of the group is evidently intended to represent a bird with the wings spread, in thi act of flying, the head is directed to the south. The wings measure ninety-four feet each wai from the center of the body to their extremities, and the length of the tail is sixty -five feet. I is quite a large and well-formed effigy, and is different from the other bird mounds in having ai angle in the wings.

" Situated at the northern end of the group is the most interesting effigy-mound anywher observed, a description of it by Mr. Warner, of Patch Grove, was published in the Smithsonia] Report of 1872, page 416. It is known as the 'Elephant Mound,' and* as it lies upon th ground it resembles an elephant or mastodon much more closely than any other animal, and th resemblance is much more perfect in this instance than in any other effigies.

" Of this mound Mr. Warner says : ' The mound has been known here for twenty-five year as the " Elephant Mound." There are, on each side of the mound, some fifteen to twenty rod distant, sandy, grassy ridges, some fifteen feet higher than the land about the mound. Th mound is, therefore, in a shallow valley, sloping gently to the Mississippi River, and onl; about eight feet above high water. Its total length is 135 feet ; from fore-feet to back, sixty-si: feet ; width across fore-legs, twenty-one feet ; across hind-legs, twenty-four feet ; from end c proboscis or snout to neck or throat, thirty-one feet ; space between fore and hind legs, fifty-on feet; from end of proboscis to fore-legs, thirty-nine feet; across the body, thirty-six feet ; gen eral height of body above the surrounding ground, five feet. The head is large, and the pre portions so symmetrical that the mound well deserves the name of the Big Elephant Mound Inere are many mounds in the form of animals in this section of country, which I have seei withm the past thirty-five years, namely, in the shape of birds, bears, deer, foxes and men, th latter with legs only to their knees.'

This mound, in common with all the rest in the group, has been under cultivation, ani on account of its size, special efforts have been made, with plows and scrapers, to bring it to th level of the adjacent field. Its size alone has protected it. These efforts have resulted ii diminishing its height, increasing its width and general circumference, and rendering its outline somewhat indistinct, so that it was diflScult to make exact measurements.

" 14. Northeast quarter of Section 17, Town 3, Range 5 west. A short distance below Cassville, near the bank of the Mississippi, are three animal mounds. Several long mounds were seen in the vicinity, but no circular ones. One of them is probably intended to represent some kind of a lizard or saurian ; another is a bird, with extended wings, and the third is uncertain, but, in common with the first, is remarkable for having a round head, a peculiarity not observed in any other efiigies. The first mentioned is a large and symmetrical mound, and is the only one of the kind observed. The mounds are very well defined, and are some of the best preserved effigies seen.

" 15. South half of Section 30, northeast quarter of Section 31, northwest quarter of Section 32, Town 3, Range 4 west. This is a long, high ridge, having its general direction a little south of east. Upon it is the most extensive representation and fullest development of the mound system anywhere observed. Circular, straight and effigy mounds extend along the crest of this ridge for a distance of nearly two miles in uninterrupted succession. The mounds are so extensive and numerous that my time did not admit of making even the most general survey of any but the effigies. One of them is a perfectly symmetrical cross, the opposite parts corresponding exactly in length. It is difficult 'to conceive what its object could have been, or of what it is symbolical. Another, from its long tail, slender body and small head, may have been designed to represent some one of the feline species. A third and fourth exhibit quite a remarkable formation in the extremities of the limbs.

" Civilization has not as yet encroached on this locality, except to a slight extent at the eastern end, which is beginning to be cultivated.

" Most of the earthworks are doubtless in the condition in which they were left at the time of their desertion by their builders. It is probable that, in a few years, all the land will be un der cultivation, and the mounds obliterated. Perhaps a few dollars would be judiciously appropriated in making these grounds burial grounds, perhaps, the property of some scientific society, and thus preserve them from further destruction.

" 1. The circular mounds are frequently found in one locality, and the long mounds in another ; or, if both kinds are found in the same group, they are usually separated.

" 4. All the mounds appear to have been made by scraping up the surface soil, either from the ground immediately adjacent, or from a neighboring hill. In no place was any appearance of excavation seen.

" 5. During the Champlain period, the valley of the Mississippi underwent a depression of at least fifty feet, during which period it was filled with a stratified drift, of which occasional patches still remain along the sides of the blufis. To this there succeeded a period of elevation in which most of the valley drift was removed. The situation of some of the mounds so near the present high-water marks shows that they were not built until after the completion of the last elevatory movement, which probably took place within the recent period.

" The mounds themselves reveal that order and government must have prevailed to some extent among the race which built them, but afford no clew to the time in which they lived.'

In January, 1870, as some workmen were engaged in digging the foundation for a sawmill at Potosi, near the bank of the river, they had descended about seven feet, having dug into one of the circular mounds which abound in that vicinity, when they came upon two human skeletons, the bones of which were almost entire and in a good state of preservation. They were taken out and an accurate measurement made, when one of the skeletons was found.

seven and one half feet, and the other eight feet in length. Under the bodies were found arrow-heads in great abundance, and a collection of strange toys. Unfortunately, these relics of an unknown race were suffered to become scattered and destroyed.

In 1877, Mr. E. B. Crane, of Hazel Green, made an investigation of a mound situated on a bluff overlooking the Sinsinawa River, about four miles southwest of Hazel Green, and thus describes the result of his explorations :

" We had every appurtenance required with which to make the exploration carefully. The mound was fifty feet long, five feet high and fifteen in width. Its length represented an east and west line, and after looking it over carefully, we decided to break earth at the west end. Two feet below the surface we found many pieces of burned sandstone, which is a characteristic of all the mounds that I have explored in this part of the country, in which were found human remains. At a depth of three feet we discovered a few small pieces of broken pottery. Next we found many flat stones, neatly arranged, with edges close together, and evidently intended to aid the heavy coating of clay, which was also placed over the remains to protect the dead from being disturbed by burrowing animals. However, having removed some of the stones, we discovered that time and decay had allowed one of the larger rocks to settle, and that a woodchuck or some other animal had succeeded in making the tomb of these pre-historic people his home, and while making or digging his burrows had destroyed some of the bones and broken the pottery in a fearful manner. We found the remains - or rather, part of the remains - of four persons, one in a kneeling and the others in a reclining position, with their heads to the east. The skeleton in the best state of preservation was that of a female, whose bones as well as whose teeth indicate great age. The crowns of the teeth were worn down to the gums without any indication of decay or cavities in them. The head was badly broken, and some parts of it entirely gone. However, I succeeded in restoring it to its original form by use of plaster o^ Paris, and careful manipulating. The head is almost precisely like that of a negro, except that the nose and mouth is more projected, like that of an orang. The lower maxillary is wanting. It must have been thrown out while the animal referred to above was making its burrows. By the side of this female was placed an earthern pot or vase, made of clay and pulverized granite. This was also badly broken, but I have succeeded in restoring it to its original form, supplying the missing parts artificially. This vase will hold nearly three quarts, and is the shape of an egg, with small end down and the top slightly narrowed to form a sort of neck, the upper edges flaring out a little. One of the other remains unearthed was that of a male, the bones of which were in a bad state of preservation, moisture having reached them through the burrows of the little animals to which previous reference has been made. This man, I should judge, was six feet in height. The female was not more than five. We also found the femoral and tibeal bones of a child not more than a year old. These were in a fair state of preservation. Aside from the remains already mentioned, nothing of interest was found, if we except the temporal bone of a pre-natal skull. This some scientists seem to doubt, maintaining that bones so fragile (if indeed they are more than cartilages) could not be preserved in the earth for a great length of time. However, the fact is established beyond question,' and I have several pre-natal bones in my possession, which I found embedded in a fine quality of clay, which is equivalent to hermetically sealing such bones in a metallic case. We investigated three other mounds in this vicinity, but they were made of black soil, and the remains which had once been there had long since returned to mother dust. No pottery, implements of any kind, or other relics were found in these last examined mounds, so that we concluded our search unrewarded, which is the case eight times out of ten."

Many mounds in different parts of the county have been opened by parties living near by, but being prompted in most cases simply by a mere curiosity, the results of their investigations tended in no way to throw any additional light upon the question of the antiquity of their builders. In the years to come it is to be hoped that the efforts of the many earnest antiquarians who give this subject their special thought, will result in the unearthing of new evidence which shall at once dispose of this mystery.