Kramer Iroquois Indian Earthen Fortification in Allen County, Indiana Near Fort Wayne

Kramer Iroquois Indian Earthen Fortification in Allen County, Indiana Near Fort Wayne
Lost Indiana history

     Ancient Allen County?  Indiana Indians have left the richest prehistoric remains in Northeast Indiana  in Allen County near the city of Fort Wayne. Two earthworks and three burial mounds can still be found in the county, but nothing is recognized as an historic site.  Archaeologists at IPFW have published their report on the Kramer Iroquois earthen fortification, but redacted everything from the report that would indicate the location of the earthwork.  Yet, stated the need for the earthwork to be preserved. Keeping in mind that when an archaeologists say "preserved" it means preserved for more digs and inevitable destruction. Why this is not part of Fort Wayne's tourism is a complete mystery.
     The only way this ancient Iroquois earthwork will be preserved is if people become aware of it and its location.

A series of horseshoe shaped earthworks were constructed by the early Iroquois tribe as early as 500 A.D. along the Maumee River near Toldeo.  Identical forts were also constructed on the St. Joe River, near Ft. Wayne and at the headwaters of the Eel River in Whitley County, Indiana.

Two parallel earthworks can be found at the river"s edge and traced a distance in the woods.  The end or enclosed area was partially destroyed by farming.  A slight moat or ditch is still visible on the outside of the earthen wall that once held a wooden stockade.

Only a small section of the end of the Kramer Iroquois earthwork is still visible.  Its height is much larger than the two parallel walls the extend from the river.  

A local artist from Ft. Wayne, Indiana drew this recreation of the Kramer Iroquois earthwork. The houses are Adena and not correct. The earthwork likely contained a Long House within its walls.
The Native Americans depicted should have looked more "Iroquois," and less like the artist that drew it.

View Larger Map

This is the location of the Iroquois Earthwork that the archaeologists call the "Kramer Earthwork"  But,
DO NOT TRY TO ACCESS THIS SITE.  THE OWNERS HAVE SHERIFFS PATROL THE AREA VIGILANTLY AND YOU WILL GET ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING.

Over 85 Prehistoric Earthworks in Indiana and 222 Total in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Michigan

Richmond, Indiana Burial Mound Tour

 Richmond, Indiana Burial Mound Tour

Richmond City Waterworks. Mound originally was thirty-five feet in diameter and nearly six feet high. Located in the northeast one-quarter of Section 34, Wayne Township.

Surviving burial mound is located south of the "Fort."  Square earthworks were abundant in this part of Indiana. Another square was north of Richmond and another at Winchester Indiana. 

The burial mound near the "Fort" is still visible and unique in that a raises sacred via is evident going down the steep hill to the next terrace.  

After clearing brush away from this burial mound, I was able to get this photograph. The mound is within the city limits of Richmond within the arboretum. 


The ruins of the ancient civilization of the Adena Hopewell are scattered all over the State of Indiana. 85 burial mound and earthwork sites have been located.

  222 Burial Mounds and Earthworks. Directions to 85 Burial Mounds and Earthworks in Indiana

Iroquois Indian Sweat Lodge Discovered in Wabash County Indiana

Iroquois Sweat Lodge Discovered in Wabash County, Indiana

Looking towards the rectangular stone wall that surrounds a subterranean area of about 4 feet deep.  Some of the stones  of the outer wall look as if they have been subjected to heat.  While I have championed the theory that most of the burial mounds and earthworks in Northern Indiana were constructed by the early Iroquois, this site has remained a mystery until now.

A closer view of the stone outer wall.  A series of boulders flank one side of the work.  One of the boulders has a bowl carved in to its top.  Another such stone can be found a short distance from this site that has a natural spring that runs in to it. Springs are usually associated with the worship of the Earth Mother, as is the sweat lodge ceremonies.

A stone with a bowl carved in in the top is a short distance down river from the Iroquois sweat lodge site. A sacred spring's waters run in to the bowl.  Another spring is between the stone bowl and the sweat lodge where an immense amount of water runs.


Exactly what the purpose of the stone subterranean enclosure located in the Mississenewa River in Wabash County has been a mystery.  A recent find in Northern New York and Ontario may shed some light on the origins of this work in Wabash County. According to Wikepedia , The Moatfield Ossuary was accidentally discovered during the expansion of a soccer field located in Northern New York and Ontario in the summer of 1997. Upon identifying both Iroquois  artifacts and human remains, a team of archaeologists was contracted by the province to conduct an archaeological investigation and recover the human remains. The Six Nations Council of Oshweken, provided consent to analyze the human remains, however the time to do so was limited as the remains were to be reburied December 12 the same year.
   It is believed the ossuary tradition developed in response to an increased need for integration of members of different families for the purpose of agricultural production. At the same time, we begin to see evidence of semi-subterranean sweat lodges appear in the archaeological record, and thought to have functioned to integrate men from different families within the community.
  The city of Marion is not to far from the site of the stone enclosure.  There are many mounds in this area where many skeletons were found in one mound and could be thus considered ossuaries.

This photo is of an Ojibwa Indian sweat lodge made of whole stones . The sweat lodge in Wabash County is larger and the stone surround a large pit. I thought the similarities were worth noting and also to see what the Wabash sweat lodge may have looked like when it was constructed a thousand years ago.

Reminiscences of the Pioneers of Grant County, “Lest We Forget”, pg 22

   About 1850 some surveyors who were digging for the Kirkwood gravel road, southeast of Fairmount, uncovered an Indian burying ground. The peculiar thing about this was that they were buried in a sitting posture, the heads being uncovered first. The bones were yellow with age, but the teeth were well preserved.

    Also, when Marion was first laid out, several Indian mounds were found. One was situated just back of the Buchanan’s old marble shop on Third Street, and the first court house was build on a mound. This one was the largest in Grant County being sixteen feet in height and sixty feet in diameter. These mounds contained many human bones, and an expert from Chicago said that the people must have been seven feet tall.

Two burial mounds of the three that still exists in the cemetery in the city limits of Marion.  Many of the mounds in northern Indiana where described as having numerous skeletal remains within.

    The sweat lodge is a ceremonial sauna used by North American First Nations or Native American peoples. There are several styles of sweat lodge, including a domed or oblong hut, teepee, or even a simple hole dug into the ground and covered with planks or tree trunks. In the northern part of North America, the sweat lodge is a low dome-like structure built on dirt (as opposed to grass or forest brush). Traditionally it is built with a frame of willow branches, which are long, thin and very flexible. They range from three to five feet in height, as the participants sit or lay down during the ceremony.

The willow structure is then covered with either blankets or animal skins. Sometimes permanent walls of clay are built over the willow frame. The walls must be thick enough for the lodge to be completely dark inside and to keep in as much heat as possible. A shallow hole is dug in the dirt in the center of the lodge where the stones from the fire pit will be placed. Stones are heated in the exterior fire pit and then placed in the hole in the floor of the structure.

During the ceremony, the participants encircle the stone pit inside the lodge. The leader or of the ceremony receives the glowing hot stones from the fire keeper and places them in the pit. When enough stones have been placed in the lodge, the leader closes the door and pours water on top of the stones to fill the lodge with steam. This is then repeated three or four times to keep the lodge hot and filled with steam. Participants stay in the lodge for varying lengths of time, up to an hour.

from wikipedia.com

Large Adena Burial Mound Discovered in Southwest Indiana

Large Adena Burial Mound Discovered in Southern Indiana

What may be the largest Adena burial mounds in Indiana has been located near Paragon, Indiana. The burial mound was photographed on a recent trip to southwest Indiana.