Grant County, Wisconsin - Chapter 5: Prehistoric Mounds in Grant County, 1900

Chapter 5: Prehistoric Mounds in Grant County

Grant County, although not having an ancient history in the ordinary sense of the word, has some interesting and mysterious archaeological monuments in the celebrated mounds. That these were the works of a race of people who inhabited the country before the advent of the Indians and were superior to them in civilization, is gen¬ erally agreed. Further than that nothing is settled and little is known, and space will not be occupied with speculations on the subject.

The mounds are of three classes : those apparently for fortifica¬ tions, the circular and oblong tumuli, and the effigy or animal mounds. The last class includes representations of several kinds of quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles. In 1842 Mr. Stephen Taylor furnished Silliman's Journal a description of three mounds, situated in the western part of the village of Muscoda. One of them was the effigy of a wildcat and measured from the nose to the end of the tail 264 feet. Another was a turtle 76 feet long. It was in very low relief, being only from ten to thirty inches high, but the grass-sod had preserved the outline perfectly. The head pointed eastward. The third one was a similar turtle.

Three Mounds Examined

In January, 1870, the workmen digging for the foundation of a saw-mill near Potosi, near the bank of the river, dug into one of these circular mounds and came upon two human skeletons in a good state of preservation. One of these skeletons was said to be seven and a half feet and the other eight feet long. Under the skeletons were found many arrow-heads, and other strange objects. These relics were not preserved.

" The mound was fifty feet long, five feet high and fifteen feet wide. Its length was east and west. We began at the west end. Two feet below the surface we found many pieces of burned sandstone, which is a characteristic of all the mounds I have explored in this part of the country in which were found human remains. At the depth of three feet we discovered small pieces of broken pottery. Next we found many flat stones, neatly arranged, with the 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 found that time and decay had allowed one of the larger stones to settle, and that a woodchuck or some other animal had succeeded in making the tomb of these prehistoric people his home, and in digging his burrow had destroyed some of the bones and broken the pottery. We found 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 the teeth indicated great age. The crowns of the teeth were worn down to the gums without any cavities or indications of decay. The head was badly broken and some parts of it entirely gone. How¬ ever, I succeeded in restoring it to its original form by the use of plaster and careful manipulation. The head is almost precisely like that of a negro, except the nose and mouth is more projecting, like that of an orang-outang. The lower maxillary is lacking. It must have been thrown out by the animal referred to in burrowing. By the side of this female was an earthen pot or vase made of clay and pul¬ verized stone. 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 five quarts and is in the shape of an egg, with the small end down and the top slightly narrowed to form a sort of neck, the upper edge flaring out a little. One of the other skeletons unearthed was that of a male, the bones of which were in a bad state of preservation, moisture having reached them through the burrow of the animal referred to. This man was, I should judge, six feet high. The female was not more than five. We found also the femoral and tibial bones of a child not more than a year old. These were in a fair state of preservation. Aside from the remains already mentioned, noth¬ ing of interest was found, if we except the temporal boneof 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 any great length of time. However, the fact is estab¬ lished beyond question, and I have several pre-natal bones in mv pos¬ session, which I found embedded in a fine quality of clay, which is equiv¬ alent to hermetically sealing such bones in a metallic case. We inves¬ tigated three other mounds in this vicinity, but they were made of black soil, and the remains which had once been there had long ago returned to mother dust. No pottery, implements of any kind, or other relics were found in these last examined mounds. "

"This mound, which I opened in the fall of 1858, was located on the very topmost point of the conical, and for the most part, untirabered, blufflying about one mile east of the central part of the present city of Boscobel, and mostly within the northeast comer of Section 35 of the Town of Boscobel. The mound was about four feet in diameter, circular, and elevated about twenty inches above the stony surface of the crest. Upon excavation, it was found to have been built from the ground up, quite unlike any other aboriginal mound of Wisconsin, of which the Society has record. On removing the outer layer of earth, quite thin, but uniform, a carefully paved layer of rock was found cov¬ ering the entire surface; this was succeeded by a thin layer of earth, then by another layer of rock, which alternatives continued to the number of four in all. Then was disclosed a triangular rock enclosure, resting'upon the natural surface, about eighteen inches long by twelve inches wide, and six or eight inches deep. This had been capped with a flat rock, which, by decay and lapse of time, had become broken and partly fallen in.

" Within this inclosure were found evidences of human cremation, viz: ashes, coals, and heat stains; and in the center there were the remnants of the sacrifice, indicating the cremation of one large male person and a female of much smaller size. The skulls were mostly en¬ tire and parts of the larger bones were intact. No implements or archaeological specimens whatever were disclosed.

"Another peculiarity of this mound was that, by its location on a site commanding a wide and pleasing view of the Wisconsin River val¬ ley, with its charming irregularities of outline and bold escarpments of enclosing walls, it indicated a fine esthetic taste on the part of the burying party, not generally accredited to that unknown race."

The following descriptions are copied from the report of Moses Strong, Assistant State Geologist of Wisconsin, and the work of Prof. Cyrus Thomas, of the U. S. Bureau of Ethnology :

Varieties Of Mounds

The Round Mounds . - They are perfectly round or circular at the base and are dome-shaped or conical, according to their bight, which varies from three to fifteen feet. By far the larger number 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 hight, 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 difficult now to decide. Some of the largest have a diameter fifty feet and a hight of fifteen feet. Again, many of the round mounds were so low as to escape observation, and sloped so gradually into the ground on which they were thrown up, that the true diameter could not be exactly ascertained. All the circular mounds were per¬ fectly plain and simple in their structure.

Oblong Mounds . - These tumuli are invariably straight and of va¬ rious lengths from fifty to three hundred feet. They are seldom more than four feet high, and will average about two and a half feet high and fifteen feet wide. They always slope gradually to the ground at the ends. Sometimes these mounds are found in a long straight line ; others are in parallel rows, but a systematic arrangement is always apparent. Except in their length, there is less variation from a uni¬ form standard seen in the oblong mounds than in any other kind.

Effigy Mounds . - These have the form of some animal. They are the most singular and interesting of all, and it is difficult to find any theory to account rationally for their existence. They are found of all lengths from fifty to two hundred feet, and are usually a little higher and wider than the oblong mounds. Their average hight is about four feet and their width twenty-five feet. They usually repre¬ sent animals lying on their sides, with the heads up and the legs apart, as if in action. Representations of the human form do not exist in Grant County, although they are found north of the Wisconsin River. Three instances of representations 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 species of animal is sometimes not so evident. In general, all that is plainly seen are the head, neck, body,

Localities Of The Mounds

A straight mound on the summit of the bluff at the mouth of Green River, in the town of Woodman, northwest quarter of Section 22. It is two hundred feet long, six feet wide, and two feet high.

At the mouth of Dry Hollow, northwest quarter of Section 25, town of Millville, near the bank of slough of the Wisconsin River, are a number of mounds, both long and round, without any apparent order of arrangement.

On the Schmidt place, southwest quarter of Section 26, in the same town, are several long mounds lying parallel to the bluff and a few yards from it. At the Schmidt house are one long and three round mounds, one of conspicuous size. It has the form of the firustrum of a cone. The diameter of the base is forty feet and of the top twentyeight feet, and the bight is four feet. In the center of the top of this mound is a cottonwood tree seventeen inches in diameter. The ap¬ pearance 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 sub¬ sequently planted, perhaps for shade. The mound is constructed of sandy clay, with, however, much less, sand than the surrounding ground. The material of which the mound was constructed may have been brought from the bluff, which is not far distant. About a hun¬ dred feet south of this large mound is a small circular mound fifteen feet in diameter and three feet high. Thirty feet east of the small mound is a straight one seventy-seven feet long. Following the road for about a quarter of a mile west of the Schmidt place, a mound was discovered, 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

A singular mound is situated on the northeast quarter of Section 2 in the valley of the stream on which Millville village is situated, about three hundred feet south of the house formerly owned by E. I. Kidd. It is on level ground a few yards from the creek, toward which its limbs are extended. The hight of the mound has been much re¬ duced by cultivation. The remains of several others were observed, but their forms were so nearly obliterated by cultivation that they could not be made out with any certainty. Of the one first mentioned, the fore legs are longer than the others and longer than the body ; the neck is lacking and altogether it is a singular looking effigy.

A large number of small circular and conical mounds were found scattered about without apparent order in the middle of Section 15, Town 7, Range 5, near Warner's steam saw-mill, on the bank of the Wisconsin River.

At the quarter-posts of Sections 5 and 8, Town 6, Range 5, on the new road from Millville to Bridgeport, three straight mounds were found, from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet long. They lie at the foot of bluff and parallel to it, near a slough of the Wisconsin River.

On the southeast quarter of Section 14, Town 6, Range 6, about half a mile from the Wisconsin River bridge, on an elevated piece of level land near the bluff, one animal, three oblong, and a number of small round mounds were found. The land had been in cultivation, but the forms of the mounds were distinct. The effigy mound is quite large and appears to be the central figure around which the others are grouped. It is quite large and well proportioned, with the head thrown upward and forward, and the legs bent forward and back¬ ward. It seems designed to represent some animal in a springing pos¬ ture. At the intersection of the fore legs and neck with the body a hole was sunk six feet long and three feet wide by the explorers. Nothing was found, except that the mound was constructed of a very hard, compact clay, quite homogeneous throughout, and apparently the same as the underlying subsoil A trench was dug to the center of one of the circular mounds, and a human skeleton was found, the bones of which were so crumbling that no perfect ones could be obtained. It was apparent that the body had been buried seated upon the level ground, with the face to the west, the legs pointing in the same direction, not separated, and not bent up. The body and head were erect and the arms placed by the sides. The mound was then built up around the corpse in that position. As the soft parts of the body decayed, room was made for the upper bones to fall into the pelvis, where most of them were found mingled together, compacted in a hard dark clay, from which the bones were separated with much difficulty. Parts of the tibia, femur, ribs and skull, jaw-bones, and teeth were recovered. The jaw-bones and teeth, especially the teeth, were in the best state of preservation of any of the remains. They were the teeth of an adult, much worn on the crowns.

The clay of which the circular mound was constructed was some¬ what different from that in the effigy mound. About eighteen inches of the upper part of the circular mound was a sandy clay, which was easily removed with the shovel. All below this consisted of a very compact clay, containing only a little sand, so hard that it was with difficulty removed with a pick. There was not the slightest indica¬ tion that this was a burial made after the mound was constructed.

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 (Wyalusing). All these localities appear to be links of one grand chain of mounds. This chain may be said to begin near the residence of the late Robert Glenn, not far from the line between Sec¬ tions 19 and 30. The first seen are the four round ones in the orchard near the house. They are apart from the rest, there being quite a dis¬ tance between them and the first long one, and they are the only cir¬ cular ones. Proceeding along the crest of the ridge for about half a mile, a mound 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 are in straight lines, conform¬ ing to the crest of the ridge. The north-and-south row of eleven mounds, when viewed from the south end, presents a peculiarly strik¬ ing appearance. At the northern end of this row oi 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 arrange¬ ment : As all the effigies south of the circular mounds are headed away from them, so also those at the north end are headed away from them in a western direction.

mal represented by it appears to have a short tail and horns, and is probably some species of deer. It is one of the few effigy mounds in which we can trace the resemblance to some particular kind of animal. Its feet are turned toward the south, a direction opposite to all the others. Two hundred feet west of this is the only long mound in the whole procession. At a long distance from this, at the extreme end of the ridge, are two more mounds.

On the Derby farm, Section 30, Town 6, Range 6, there is a mound, and a group of mounds on the southeast quarter of Section 31, of the same town, and two groups on N. W. Kendall's place in Section 32, same town. Also a group of long and effigy mounds on the bluff in Section 23, of the same town.

A group or groups of mounds are situated on the northeast quar¬ ter of Section 17, Town 5, Range 5, on the bottom of the Mississippi River. They are from twcuty to fifty feet in diameter and from five to fifteen feet high. They are on a low, sandy ridge a few feet higher than the adjacent land. They are built in straight lines of three or four mounds each, the lines making angles with each other, to con¬ form to the higher parts of the ground. The mounds appear to be built of a sandy loam, but this is not certain, as no excavations have been made in most of them.

In two or three mounds near the southern end of the group, exca¬ vations, apparently of a recent date, were found. These were shallow holes about eighteen inches deep in the tops of the mounds. In each one a large quantity of human bones and teeth had been exhumed. They were still lying about the summits of the mounds and some of them were collected by the explorers. The bones were firm and solid and the teeth sound, having the crowns much worn. This good state of preservation, in contrast to that of the bones of the other mounds, together with the circumstance of their being found so near the sur¬ face, indicates that they were not the bones of the original Moundbuilders, but rather those of intrusive burials of a more recent age, Unfortunately no skulls, except some small fragments, were found, which might have assisted in determining the race of the buried persons.

About a quarter of a mile southeast of the locality just mentioned, and on the southeast quarter of Section 17, Town 5, Range 6, are numerous mounds, arranged in rows parallel to the river and to each other. They are in cultivated fields and are nearly obliterated.

Continuing down the valley to the southeast quarter of Section 21, in the same town, we find a group in which the three kinds of mounds are well represented. They are near a slough not more than eight feet above high water, the southern ones not more than three feet. The long and the round mounds are separate from each other. There are two quite singular effigies. The central one of the group represents a bird with the wings spread, in the act of flying, the head toward the south. The wings measure ninety-four feet each vray, from the middle of the body to their ends, and the tail is sixty-five feet long. It is quite a well-formed effigy, and is different from the other bird mounds in having an angle in the wings.

At the northern end of this group is a very interesting effigy mound, which was described by Jared Warner in the Smithsonian Report for 1872, page 416. It is called the "Elephant Mound," and the resemblance to an elephant or mastodon is much more perfect than in the case of most effigy mounds. Mr. Warner says :

"There are on each side of the mound, some fifteen or twenty rods distant, sandy, grassy ridges some fifteen feet higher than the land about the mound. The mound is therefore in a shallow valley, sloping gently to the Mississippi River, and only abopt eight feet above high water. Its total length is 135 feet ; from fore feet to back, sixty-six feet; width across forelegs, twenty-one feet; across hind legs, twenty-four feet ; from end of proboscis to neck or throat, thirty-one feet; space between fore and hind legs, fifty-one feet; from end of proboscis to forelegs, thirty -nine feet ; across the body, thirty-six feet ; general hight of the body above the surrounding ground, five feet. The head is large and the proportions so symmetrical that the mound well deserves the name of Big Elephant Mound."

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

in the vicinity. One of them seems intended to represent a lizard, another a bird with extended wings, and the third is uncertain, but, like the first, has a round head, a peculiarity not found in any other figure. The mounds are very well defined and are some of the best preserved effigies seen.

South half of Section 30, northwest quarter of Section 31, and northwest quarter of Section 32, Town 3, Range 4 (Waterloo). / This is a long, high ridge having its general direction a little south of east. Upon it is the most extensive representation and fullest develop¬ ment of the mound system anywhere observed. Circular, straight, and effigy mounds, extend along the crest of the ridge for a distance of nearly two miles in uninterrupted succession. The mounds were so extensive and numerous that Mr. Strong's time did not permit him to make even the most general survey of any of the effigies. One of them is a perfectly symmetrical cross, the opposite parts correspond¬ ing 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 one of some feline species. A third and fourth exhibit quite a remarkable formation in the extremities of the limbs. Civilization has not 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, except erosion by weather.

1. The circular mounds are often 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. A11 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.

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 bluffs. 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 a recent period.

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