The Conservative * 9
THE WRIGHT SITE.
( Continued from Vol. IV No. 82 , of Conserva
tive ) .
The very ancient evidences are nearly all
outside of the enclosing bank and ditch
which "bound the more plainly marked
lodge circles. These are smaller than
the other circles and have every appear
ance of being dug down below the sur
face. I have not excavated one of these
yet.
yet.From
From the vicinity of these ancient cir
cles , come a number of stone mills , con-
sistiug of boulders about the size of a
man's head , worn flat , or slightly cup-
Bhaped on one side. These mills were
evidently used to make "peinican. "
The thin strips of meat , dried in the
field when on their hunt , were reduced
to a powder , mixed with fat , and often
with savory herbs , were stored in the
intestines of the buffalo. Meat prepared
in this way was often kept for a whole
year without salt.
As the Indians knew nothing of bread
as we know it , they cracked the corn seas
, as to allow the kernel to cook until it
was soft. They had no occasion to
make flour or meal of their corn , but ate
it as hominy. This cracking process
was accomplished with another imple
ment found here. A boulder , half the
size of a man's head , had a groove cut
around it to hold a thong. This thong
was tied to the top of a small tree bent
over so as to form a spring strong enough
to lift the rock. The tree was fastened
so it could lift the rock about three inches
above a large wooden mortar , made by
building a fire on the end of a tree trunk
or stump until a cavity was made large
enough to hold some corn.
" -corn" of the Indians
The"squawcorn" was
treated in this way and cooked with
pemicau. Early travelers say it made a
savory dish. In cracking the corn , the
squaws pressed down vigorously on the
rock and the spring-tree lifted it up
when the pressure was remove ; thus
the corn was prepared. The "squaw-
corn" was of various colors ; an eight-
rowed variety , with ears often a foot
long. You may find this corn red , yel
low , white and so blue that it is some
times nearly black.
In one of the more recent lodge circles ,
I found a cache of charred corn at a
depth of two feet below the surface.
The kernels were intact and a few bits
of charred cob wore also found , A slight
tinge on the burned corn shows it to
have been red in color. There was a
peck or more of this corn and near it
was a bed of ashes , showing that most
of the pile had been consumed. If yon
can tell me , ye scientists , how long oal
cined corn will remain without crauib
ling to dust , I may be able to tell some
thing about the age of this ruin.
The lodge circles show the action of
fire , as thin shells of charcoal are' found
at the edge where once must have been
.poles , but no decayed wood , or holes
where the wood has rotted away are
perceptible. I might discuss the matter
of evidence found here at great length ,
but thd average reader tires of too
much detailand I forbear.
Throughout the village are heaps of
debris between the lodge circles which
are similar in appearance to the ' 'mound
houses" which I have mentioned. They
are , however , without a characteristic
form , being oblong , round , triangular ,
and sometimes all three connected to
gether. They are from two to sixteen
inches high. These piles are composed
of moved earth , pot-shards , flints and
broken bones which show they have
been broken to remove the marrow.
The bones are in a good state of preser
vation and show no great age , which
seems to me is remarkable , considering
other evidences of age found on the site.
My theory about these heaps is not well
defined , but they are doubtless the re
fuse piles of the village , where every
thing was thrown to get it out of the
way. It is remarkable how many of
these there are on the Wright site ; how
ever , the land was but recently broken
and the wheat crop grew very rank in
these places , bringing them into marked
prominence.
In describing this site at such length
it will give you an idea of the many
other sites in this vicinity , as they vary
only in size and location. The Coffin
site , east of Genoa , is on low ground
and is the richest in war-points of any
explored. The Larson site , two and
one-half miles farther east , is a small
site , on both high and low ground. Our
very fine "ceremonial flint" came from
there. This flint is seven and one-half
inches long and three and a quarter
inches wide ; it is not over a quarter of
an inch in the thickest place and will
average less than an eighth. This is
one of our very nicest specimens ; it is
loaned to the society by Mrs. Larson
who found it fifteen years ago. On the
highest point .of this village is a mound-
house. It is the only one near , but is
very large and prominent. The main
part of the village lies on low ground.
E. E. BLAOKMAN.
Parties writing to advertisers
will please mention The Conservative.
ANOTHER GATE AJAR.
EDITOR THE CONSERVATIVE :
In your issue of February 27 , Mr. By
ron Beall asks many questions which
are hard to answer satisfactorily to all.
They refer to the "mysterious. " The
instances of which he writes are seemingly - .
ingly , and long have been accepted as ,
evidences of a "supernatural entity , su
preme and omnipotent. " These appa
rent evidences are far from proof. To
explain those visions here is impractica
ble. Anyone who feels he does not
understand the reasons can learn them
by studying an up-to-date , comprehen
sive physiology. But the matter will
long be unsettled. However , I shall re
sort to the Yankee method of retorting
with questions.
An inebriate in delirium tremens
tells of seeing , and tries to kill snakes ,
lizards , vampires , etc. Does he sea
them ? What does he see ? With eyes
closed one may behold a panorama of
Niagara Falls , even when a thousand
miles distant. Or one may picture an
accident which happened far away , of
which an account has been heard. Does
one really see those things ? With eye
lids closed and pressure upon the eye
balls , many colors and designs appear.
Are they really seen ? Again a hypno
tized subject will "see" anything sug
gested to him. One subject on being
shown a river dives headforemost
onto the wooden floor. Another , a man ,
fondles and caresses a bewhiskered
brother under the belief that it is his
sweetheart. Do these hypnotized sub
jects really see these things ?
Undoubtedly all will admit these
things to be of the imagination. But
many will not admit them to be analogous
'
gous to the instances of whioh'Mr. Beall
wrote , because probably the other
visions deal with the "fearful un
known. " Few are content to learn and
disseminate the knowledge which has
been revealed to us , and thereby honor
and glorify the power that is. Most all
choose to ignore the known , preferring
to speculate and delve in what is kept
hidden from us , thereby evidently being
contrary to the wishes of the "Maker. "
This results through fear of the "dread
ful to be. " Man is an animal , and
fear is about the most powerful charac
teristic of animals. It may affect the
various animals differently , but all alike
fear most that which they suspect but
cannot see.
"The greatest sin is the sin against
what I believe. "
CLEVELAND , O. J. D. JONES , JR.
A Generation Ago
Coffee could only be bought
in bulk. The 2Oth Century
way is the
Lion Coffee
way sealed packages , al
ways correct in weight ,
clean , fresh , uniform and
retaining its rich flavor.
. .
V- T--.V -r VT " 1
