\ iU , - ,
10 'Cbe Conservative *
THE FINAL LOCATION OF CORONADO'S
QUIVERA.
Judge J. T. Kcngy , iu his veiy able
article published not long since in the
Kansas City Star and reprinted iu THE
CONSERVATIVE , gives a very concise
boundary of Ooronado's Quivera. A more
able writer than Judge Keagy is scarcely
to be found iu this very interesting Kan
sas field. Ho has confined his article ,
however , to the documentary evidences
to prove the location and boundaries
of Corouado's Quivera and it seems
to me that the readers of TIIE CON
SERVATIVE should know more of the
local evidences elaborated by Hon. J. V.
Brewer in his memoirs "Quivera" and
"Harahoy. " [ Dodd Mead & Co. , New
York , $8.00 each ] .
We shall not endeavor to review the
article which cites you to the works of
Baudalier , Hedge and Brewer for recent
sources and Casteneda , Jaramillo and
Corouudo as ancient authorities iu
making his deductions , but shall ask
you to accept the boundaries which this
very eminent authority has given , and
will proceed to show in a brief way the
logical steps which led to the discovery
of the ancient site and the establishment
of the bounds laid down in Judge Keagy's
article.
From the field notes deposited in the
State Historical Society of Minnesota ,
Mr. Brewer has kindly allowed me to
draw much of the data herein contained ,
while other proofs will be found elab
orated fully in his above mentioned
works as well as his "Missouri River. "
Mr. L. R. Elliott of Manhattan , Kan
sas , first called Mr. Brower's attention
to the flint implements found near his
home. This led to a careful study of
these flints , beginning in June , 1896.
From this date the work went steadily
onward , and , considering the effect of
this study prosecuted in the Kansas fields
and elaborated by Mr. Brewer , it makes
this date a memorable one as the begin
ning of labors which have , for all time ,
settled the question of the location of
Coronado's explorations in 15-11.
In the autumn of 1896 Mr. Brewer
made a journey to investigate this field
from which the flints came and I can not
do better in my endeavor to give you an
idea of the work done iu this field than
to quote from his own account of this
trip , published in "The Missouri River , "
page 161.
"At Manhattan I was joined by Mr.
Elliott and Mr. W. J. Griffing , and by
team we proceeded up McDowall creek
on Friday , Nov. 20 , 1896 , to a farming
locality in Geary county , Kansas , called
Briggs , seven miles duo south from the
Kansas river , fifteen miles from Man
hattan. During a past geological era a
limestone formation accumulated at that
point , and there is a very considerable
deposit of blue chert , the whole bearing
a fossiliferous element of an encriual
character , and no doubt there are other
and numerous kinds of fossils iu the
rock formations of the neighbor
hood.
* * #
1 'No attention appears to have been ex
tended toward the locality by archaeolo
gists iu the past ; at least , no publication
describing the place has been found , al
though such may exist.
"Mr. Elliott , once before , drove to
Briggs , examined both sides of the creek ,
noticing in several places the existence
of chipped implements and flint spalls.
"Such , briefly stated , was the situa
tion at Briggs when Mr. Elliott , Mr.
Griffing and myself went into a temporary
ary encampment near the creek , at that
point , for the purpose of exploring the
locality.
"The second terrace above the creek ,
on the north side , was found to have
been , at some unknown date , the site of
an extensive Indian village. Two hun
dred and fifty chipped stone implements
of different lauds , sizes , and varieties
were picked up along the terrace , and
placed in convenient piles. Flint blocks
rejects , finished and half finished points
and knives , broken implements , and a
remarkable quantity of spalls , large and
small , were scattered every where along
the terrace. There are two cultivated
fields there. Our cursory examination
extended to but one of them on that side
of the creek. At the pouit on the chart
marked as the location of a workshop ,
wo discovered about a hundred imple
ments , and the spalls could be numbered
by the thousand. Up to a late hour of
the day no article of iron , copper , pottery ,
or lead was found. Finally two small
pot-shards were picked up down nearer
the creek , but away from the central
locality of the village site. Crossing the
creek on a fallen tree , with some difficulty
we were directed by Mr. Elliott to an
other spot where village debris was
found , but in limited quantities. Re
turning to our team , the several piles of
stone implements were gathered up and
more were added. Wherever we searched
the surface was littered with flint spalls
and chipped implements. Visiting the
bluffs of the neighborhood , no mounds
were found , and no graves or places of
burial are distinguishable. [ Later , six
mounds or places of sepulture were dis
covered at this site ] . Mr. Briggs pointed
out the limit to which extended the
scattered stone implements and debris ,
covering nearly one mile in length. The
width of the village site is hardly ascertainable -
tainable , for the terrace has been under
a state of cultivation for so long a period ,
and the stone relics seem to be scattered
so promiscuously from the flood plain to
the base of the bluffs that it is difficult
to determine the outward limits. The
site is large enough to accommodate
about one thousand ordinary sized
lodges. Just how many there were will
be known.
probably never # # *
"Mr. Elliott has asked the question :
'To what race of men can the establish
ment of this village be ascribed ? '
"The the information
answer , upon meager
mation I have at hand , is not only a
difficult but a delicate one. I have
no sot theory to inflict upon anyone.
My opinion , based upon the facts as
they appear at this writing , is probably
not more reliable than is Mr. Elliott's.
That they were not of the mound-
building race of men is practically cer
tain. That they were probably Quiveran
Indians , whomsoever they may have
been , is possible , and I shall entertain
that opinion until better evidence to
the contrary than I now possess is
produced. "
Here wo have the account of the first
exploration ; there is something interest
ing in the first breaking of new ground
in any line of investigation , and , al
though the book goes on to elaborate
the Elliott site and tells of others found
during the same tour of investigation ,
nothing seems so interesting as this first
breaking of ground , this first glimpse of
the riches of archaeology hidden amid
the hills and valleys , only waiting for
the right man with knowledge , energy
and good judgment enough to develop it.
The exploration was carried on until ,
in 1898 , there had been explored a terri
tory one hundred and fifty miles from
east to west and sixty miles from north
to south ; one hundred and thirty village
sites of more or less importance had
been located and partially explored. Mr.
Brewer made three trips to this field :
The first in November , 1896 ; the second
in March , 1897 ; the third in March ,
1898.
1898.We
We can do but little in one article to
show the exhaustive work of exploration
which has been carried on in this field
by Mr. Brewer , so ably assisted by Judge
J. T. Keagy and others , except give a
brief summary of the report elaborated
and printed , as well as the field notes of
the exploring party , however , we .wish
to call your attention to the exploration
of one other site exit of the many
minutely treated in the sources ; this site
seems to differ materially from the
Elliott site.
This site is situated some fifteen miles
due east of the Elliott site , on Mill creek
which flows a little north of east from
Alma , Kansas , and empties into the
Kansas river some thirty miles below
Manhattan.
The following account , which I have
curtailed , is from , the pen of Judge
and is in " "
Keagy published "Quivera ,
page 87. It shows not only the archaeol
ogy of the vicinity , but the eminent
qualifications of the gentleman as an
authority on these subjects. :
"One of the results of the visit of Mr.
J. V. Brewer to the valley of Mill creek
in Wabauusee county , Kansas , in April ,
1897 , was the subsequent discoveries
described herewith
"About the first of June , assisted by
my son , J. A. Keagy , a lad nineteen
years of age , I learned the localities
where successful search could be prose
cuted for securing chipped flint imple
ments , made by a race of men who for
merly occupied that portion of the valley
of Mill creek at and above the city of
Alma , the county seat.
"Explorations from time to time
during the summer and autumn were
conducted up the west branch nine miles ,
