Mormon History
Fascination With Indian Civilizations - 1818
Palmyra Register – January 21, 1818
Indian Antiquities. -- The
following account, which we take from the Western Gazetteer, adds something to
our former knowledge of those hitherto inexplicable wonders, that are found in
such abundance in our western country. We have not room to examine any of the
speculations, which have entered the heads of our philosophers and antiquarians
on the subject; and if we had, we should hardly expect, where all is conjecture
and uncertainty, to afford much amusement or profit to our readers. There is
something, however, extremely curious in the inquiry itself; although we cannot
hope, that any very important or certain results can be drawn from the few
facts, which have as yet been given to the world. We can safely infer from them
nothing more, than that this immense tract of country, which has every mark of
having been for centuries past a desolate wilderness, has been thickly inhabited
at some former period by a warlike people, who had made much greater advances in
the arts of civilized life, than any of the aboriginal inhabitants of North
America, who have been. known since its discovery by Europeans. The mounds
described below are situated in the town of Harrison, Indiana Territory.
'We examined from 15 to 20. In some, whose heights was from ten to fifteen feet,
we could not find more than four or five skeletons. In one, not the least
appearance of a human bone was to be found. Others were so full of bones, as to
warrant the belief, that they originally contained at least one hundred dead
bodies; children of different ages, and the full grown, appeared to have been
piled together promiscuously. We found several
scull, leg and thigh hones, which plainly indicated that their possessors were
men of gigantic stature. The scull of one skeleton was one fourth of an
inch thick; and the teeth remarkably even, sound and handsome, all firmly
planted. The fore teeth were very deep, and not so wide as those of the
generality of white people. Indeed, there seemed a great degree of regularity in
the form of the teeth, in all the mounds. In the progress of our researches, we
obtained ample testimony, that these masses of the earth were formed by a
savage people. Yet, doubtless possessing a greater degree of civilization
than the present race of Indians. We discovered a piece of glass weighing five
ounces, resembling the bottom of a tumbler, but concave; several stone axes,
with grooves near their heads to receive a withe, which unquestionably served as
a helve; arrows formed from flint, almost exactly similar to those in use among
the present Indians; several pieces of earthern ware; some appeared to be parts
of vessels holding six or eight gallons; others were obviously fragments of
jugs, jars, and cups: some were plain, while others were curiously ornamented
with figures of birds and beasts, drawn while the clay or material of which they
were made was soft, and before the process of glazing was performed. The small
vessels were made of pounded or pulverized muscle shells, mixed with an earthern
or flinty substance, and the large ones of clay and sand. There was no
appearance of iron; one
of the sculls was found pierced by an arrow, which was still sticking
in it, driven about half way through before its force was spent. It was
about six inches long. The subjects of this mound were doubtless killed
in battle, and hastily buried. In digging to the bottom of them we
invariably came to a stratum of ashes, from six inches to two feet
thick, which rests on the original earth. These ashes contain coals,
fragments of brands, and pieces of calcined bones. From the quantity of
ashes and bones, and the appearance of the earth underneath, it is
evident that large fires must have been kept burning for several days
previous to commencing the mound.
Almost every building lot in Harrison village contains a small mound; and some
as many as three. On the neighbouring hills, northeast of the town, is a number
of the remains of stone houses. They were covered with soil, brush, and full
grown trees. We cleared away the earth, roots and rubbish from one of them, and
found it to have been anciently occupied as a dwelling. It was about twelve feet
square; the walls had fallen nearly to the foundation. They appeared to have
been built of rough stone, like our stone walls. Not the least trace of any iron
tools have been employed to smooth the face of them, could be perceived. At one
end of the building, we came to a regular hearth, containing ashes and coals;
before which we found the bones of eight persons of different ages, from a small
child to the heads of the family. The positions of their skeletons clearly
indicated, that their deaths were sudden and simultaneous. They were probably
asleep, with their feet towards the fire, when destroyed by an enemy, an
earthquake, or pestilence."