Early Native American Mound Builders in Marion County, Indiana

Early Native American  Mound Builders in Marion County, Indiana

Historic map of Marion County, Indiana showing the location of burial mounds within the city of Indianapolis.

Marion County, Indiana

History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana, 1884

     In Washington Township, on the east side of the river, tradition places the site of another village older - how much it is impossible to say or guess, further than the vague direction of conjecture by the fact that the place is overrun by a wood of sixty years growth. Near the river is an old cemetery of the tribe, and near it are some unique remains of Indian residence, both uncovered occasionally by floods. These remains are “pits or ovens excavated in a very compact clay,” as Professor Brown describes them, about two feet and a half in diameter and the same in depth, and burned on the inner surfaces like brick. In them have been found coals and ashes, and around them fragments of pottery. Their condition and contents would indicate that they were a sort of earthenware kettle, constructed by the ready process of digging out the inside clay and burning the surface of the outside, instead of taking the clay for each in a separate mass, and moulding it and burning it and putting back in its new shape in the hole it came from in its old one. The Indians of this fertile region all cultivated corn and beans and pumpkins, and made sugar of “sugar water” in the early spring, by freezing it during the night and throwing away the ice, which contained no sugar, afterwards boiling it down and graining it. Flint arrowheads, stone hatchets, chisels, and other implements of the “Stone Age” are found occasionally in the soil and gravel, especially in the southern part of the county, near Glenn’s Valley, and these are said by Professor Brown’s Report to be made in many cases of talcose slate, a rock found no nearer this region than the Cumberland Mountains or the vicinity of Lake Superior. The curious forms of some of them make it impossible to determine their use. The Official Survey reports no mounds or earthworks of the mound-builders or other prehistoric race in the county except these relics of the “Stone Age.” There may be none now, but forty-five years ago there were two considerable mounds in the city near the present line of Morris Street, and the other a little farther east. The excavation of the canal opened one of them, and some complete skeletons and scattered bones and fragments of earthenware were found and taken possession of by Dr. John Richmond, then pastor of the only Baptist Church , as well as a practicing physician. The other was gradually plowed down, probably after being opened at the same time the first was, but no record or definite memory settles the question.

Indianapolis News, July 13, 1927, pg. 16-5

“Finds Stone Age Tool - Relic Held by Memorial Worker was Twenty Feet Underground”

      Elmer Irwin who has been working on the foundation for the War Memorial, at Indianapolis, has an unusual relic which he says he found twenty feet beneath the surface. It is in the form of a stone ax or knife, and one end has been shaped so that it fits the hand.

The Indiana Magazine of History,

 Vol. IV, March 1910, No. 1

      The southeast part of the county was till more densely populated. From their metropolis and ancient circle at Strawtown on the White River, they followed up Duck Creek and formed a continuous line of settlements on its bank and through that portion of the county. There, a stone circle, several sacrificial mounds and burial mounds with highly polished implements, bear evidence of their ancient existence. Again, we find remains of that strange people in the southwest part of the county on the banks of Cicero Creek.

Adena Burial Mound Encircled with a Ditch is Photographed in Huntington County, Indiana

Adena Burial Mound Encircled with a Ditch is Photographed in Huntington County, Indiana

Historic Huntington County Map Showing the Locations of Burial Mounds in the County

Geological Survey of Indiana, 1875

Antiquities

        Though the present site of Huntington and the “Forks of the Wabash,” as the junction of Little River with that stream was familiarly called by the early settlers of the county, was the favorite abode of savages, yet, strange to say, no traces of the works of the prehistoric mound builder are found in the county, except along Salamonia River, in the southwest corner, opposite Warren, where, on a high eminence in the bend of the latter river, there are two mounds. The first one visit is at Daniel Adsits. It is about twenty-five feet in circumference and six feet high. A slight excavation had been made into the top, but so far as could be learned no relics were found. There is a shallow trench completely encircling it. From the top the view overlooks the Salamonia and its fine fertile bottoms. 

An Adeba Burial mound located in Warren Indiana in the Red Man cemetery.  The encircling ditch can still be seen around the mound. 

 The other mound is about a quarter of a mile to the northwest, and in a cultivated orchard belong to John D. Jones, and near his barn. This mound has been nearly destroyed by the plow, and I was unable to learn that it possessed any peculiar features, or contained any relics. Mr. Jones informed me that he had, from time to time, picked up on his farm, stone saxes, pipes, flint arrow and spear points, but could give no special account of the existence of other mounds. Though I followed Salamoni River for many miles above Warren, and made repeated inquiries about mounds, I could not learn of any others in the county.

Locals have also said that at one time mounds were located at the forts of the Wabash, however we were unable to find any evidence of this.

Early Native American Mound Builders: St Joseph County, Indiana

Early Native American Mound Builders: St Joseph County, Indiana

Early American Indian trail that could date as early as 7000 BC located in the city of South Bend, Indiana. One of Indiana's oldest historic sites.

St. Joseph-Kankakee Portage     

    Let us take a bird’s eye view from the point where the prairie nearest approaches the St. Joseph River as it appeared in the early days, when the face of nature still remained essentially the same as when Hennepin and LaSalle looked upon it. To the west and south the dry prairie, the semi-wet prairie and the vast expanse of marsh appeared as one great plain, on the western verge of which we can see the teepees, the smoke from numerous campfires, and on closer inspection the rude fortifications of an Indiana village of Miami’s, Wascoutins and Outagamis. To the west this rudely fortified village extended a stretch of high, rolling and dry timberland. To and beyond those beautiful and very conspicuous landmarks, Beaver, Bass and Lower Chain Lakes. It may be assumed that no careful writer accustomed to reciting a trip in detail would have failed to mention these lakes, covering over two miles of that trip, and whose waters covered in expanse over 600 acres, had these lakes been on his route. The remains of the fortified Indiana village referred to above were a prominent land work with the pioneers who settled in German Township. 

 They were located on the northwest quarter of Section 32, township 38, north range two east, about 200 yards east of the timberline, and about 200 yards north of the present Michigan road and just to the northeast of the old Jesse Jennings residence. These earthworks consisted of a mound some 80 or 90 feet in height. North of their mound was a circular embankment about 100 feet in diameter. To the west from their enclosure was an elevated path or walk leading to a small pool that had no inlet or outlet, being supplied with water by the springs and the rain. Within the circular enclosure, Mr. Jacob Ritter built a cabin in 1830.

Indiana History Bulletin, Vol. III, Oct. 1925 - Sept. 1926,

“An Archaeological Find”

The South Bend Tribune of October 4 contains announcement of the discovery of important prehistoric remains in St. Joseph County. This announcement is confirmed by a letter from John D. Hibberd, Secretary of the Northern Indiana Historical Society. The circumstances are as follows:

     Carl Litchfield of Teegarden, and Jesse Lichtfield, who lives just north of Teegarden, recently excavated a mound on the farm of Grove Vosburg, some three miles north of Walkerton. The mound is reputed to be of great antiquity and this seems to be confirmed by the memory the owner of the farm has of an oak tree a yard in diameter formerly growing on top, which fell down about twenty years ago. The mound was at one time about twenty-five feet high but in recent years its height has been decreased. At a depth of about twelve feet, the Litchfield’s found eight skeletons in an arrangement somewhat like the spokes of a wheel with their heads toward the center.

   In the skull of one of the skeletons, said to be of large size, a fine flint arrow was embedded. With this same skeleton several plates of copper were found. The excavation also brought to light a number of other articles, bands, beads, etc., and two pipe bowls, one smooth, and the other elaborately carved.

It is to be hoped that the most significant items of this discovery may be deposited in an appropriate historical museum where they will be accessible and at the same time carefully preserved.

NOTE: It has been stated in other histories, that the skeleton exceeded nine

feet in height.

A History of St. Joseph County Indiana, 1907, by T.E. Howard

      While no remains of great magnitude, left by the Mound Builder, are found in St. Joseph County, yet indications of the presence of those mysterious people are discovered in many places in and near the valleys of the St. Joseph and the Kankakee.

    Near New Carlisle, on the borders of Terre Coupe Prairie, and at various other points such remains are discovered. The most remarkable of these are three large mounds and two small ones, found in Warren Township, on the northwest bank of the furthest south of the group of Chain of Lakes, just south of the Lakeshore railroad tracks. These mounds have supplied some of the finest of the cooper axes in the collections of the Northern Indiana Historical Society and other collections; while in the vicinity of the mounds are the usual cloth-marked fragments of pottery and broken stone implements indicating the presence of that old race whose remains are so conspicuous throughout the valley of the Kankakee and the Illinois.

Early Native American Indian Mound Builders Ruins in Lagrange County, Indiana

Early Native American Indian Mound Builders Ruins in Lagrange County, Indiana

Indian Burial mound map of Lagrange County, Indiana. The human figures represent large skeletons hat were found within the mounds. A graveyard in Lagrange County, Indiana of giant humans over 8 feet in height here  https://nephilimgiantsinnorthamerica.blogspot.com/2017/03/8-foot-human-giant-removed-from.html

Lagrange County map shows the locations of the burial mounds and earthworks in the county.  Each of these sites were investigated, with only one mound that was found.  This mound was not listed in any of the county histories, but was from a list given to me by Mr. McKibben who was head of the Historical Society for many years.  He thought that one of the mounds on the list was still extant, and had not wished to give it to university archaeologist who had been there earlier while doing an archaeological survey of the county.  He was afraid, and justly so, that university archaeologists would destroy anything they found.  The one mound that was found was coniclal in shape and encircled by a ditch.  The top had been removed by a local without permission, The mound was photographed but heavy rains made the picture quality poor and it was left out of, "The Nephilim Chronicles: A Travel Guide to the Ancient Ruins in the Ohio Valley."

History of LaGrange County

        Since it has been established that Northern Indiana, including LaGrange County, is rich in the remains of that mysterious people known as Mound Builders, it seems necessary to give at this point what is known of those people in this vicinity. The reader will fine in Chapter I, Part II, of this volume, complete classification of the Mound Builders’ works. Without attempting another such classification, the antiquities of LaGrange County, so far as known will be considered. I may be premised, that, from the fact that no military fortifications have been discovered in either of the two counties LaGrange or Noble, the territory was in the center of a large country of Mound Builders, and not on the border, or between two or more hostile tribes. Nothing has been found here, with one possible exception, save sepulchral, sacrificial and memorial mounds. Owing to the state of the weather, the historian has been unable (as was done in Noble County) to make a personal examination of the mounds of LaGrange County. However, many of those which were opened in the past by citizens of the county, who were generally careless in their examinations, have been made to yield up a portion of their secrets. A number of years ago, two mounds were opened on Section 13, Milford Township. A quantity of crumbling human bones were taken from one of them, among them being a skull quite well preserved. Some of the teeth were almost as sound as they ever were, and the under-jaw, a massive one, was especially well preserved. In the other mound was found a layer of ashes and charcoal, extending over two or three square yards of ground. This was undoubtedly a mound where sacrifices were offered to the deity of the Mound builders, and where burial rites with fire were performed. On the line between Sections 20 and 29, Springfield Township, is what might have been a fortification. The writer carefully examined the spot which is the summit of a gradual elevation; but, although Mr. George Thompson indicated the position of the alleged circular embankment, only slight traces of it were visible, and these were apparently much the result of speculation. It may have been, however, as the old settlers assert, Near the center of the level space on the summit was a large mound, at least five feet in height, in 1836. This was opened about that time, and from it were taken enough bones to indicate that more than one person had been buried there. It is said that a few trinkets, such as slate ornaments or mica were found. In the same township, about a mild northwest of this spot, are one large mound and perhaps a smaller one. These, it is said, have not been seriously disturbed. On Section 27, Clay Township; are two mounds, large ones, which have not been subjected to exhaustive examination. The writer has been told that there are three mounds in the eastern part of Lima Township, on the farm of George Shafer. Three-quarters of a mile northwest of Lima, on the Craig farm, are three mounds, which were opened a number of years ago. The usual bones and charcoal were found, as were also various trinkets, which may be seen in the private collections of curiosities of Lima. About forty rods west of James Moony’s house, in Van Buren Township, are three mounds, all of which have been opened. Human bones, slate ornaments and other trinkets were found, as was also an abundance of ashes and charcoal.  There are also mounds in the vicinity of Buck, Shipshewana and Twin Lakes. The peculiar formation about Wall and other lakes is due to the agency of ice. It is thought by some that the Indians or Mound Builders were responsible for the embankment, but no one familiar with formations of the kind will make such a declaration. Such walls are very numerous on the banks of Western lakes, especially those of Illinois and Iowa. Around some of the lakes of the latter State is a continuous chain of boulders and gravel, which, by observation through some thirty years, was undoubtedly thrown up by the united action of ice and waves, and the process of freezing and thawing. This fact is well understood and universally admitted by geologists, in Iowa. It may be added that were other evidences in the county of the presence in past years of Mound Builders aside from their mounds. Reference is made to stone or other implements or ornaments. W.H. Duff and Master George Dayton, both of Lima, and Dr. Betts, of LaGrange, especially the former two, have fine collections of antiquities. Mr. Duff has nearly 300 specimens, and Master Dayton has over 400. These consist mainly of stone axes, mauls, hammers, celts, mortars, pestles, flint narrow and spear heads, copper knives, and cooper arrow or spear heads, fleshing and skinning instruments, ceremonial stones, shuttles, and various other implements evidently used in weaving or sewing, colored slate ornaments, breast-plates of bone, ornamental charms and totems, igneous stones, many curious varieties of arrowheads and darts, etc., etc. There have also been found in the county an extremely rare slate or stone ornaments or implements, bone and metallic ornaments, small fragments of pottery, mica (not native), curiously carved pipes stone or other substance, besides other articles, the uses of which are extremely doubtful. Much more might be said in detail on the same subject.

Geological Survey of Indiana, 1874

     The section of high, undulating, lake-dotted country, of which Lagrange county is a part, does not seem to have been the home, or even the haunt, of any considerable number of the Mound Builders. One small earthwork is all that is known in the county; that is on Brushy Prairie, in the eastern part. It is about fifty feet across, nearly circular and raised two feet above the surface of the prairie; near the center is a small mound, about eight feet in diameter and three feet high. An excavation made, in this central mound, some years ago, exposed decaying human bones, some broken pottery and a few stone implements.

Early Lagrange County Plat map showing the location of the circular work.  Additional circular works were reported in Dekalb and Steuben Counties.  Next to Springfield is Brushy Prairie, where the smaller work was located.  Both of these sites were investigated with no remains of these earthworks found,

Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, 1879

       One mound, fifty feet base diameter, two feet high, near Brushy Prairie post office, human remains, potsherds, and flint implements about.