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The Earliest Mound
Figure 3 I believe our grand
mound to be the earliest in the region of
the Takawgamis. It is the largest in the
region. It will be seen by reference to
figure 3 that I arrive at its age in the
following way. Where it now stands, so
striking an object, it is about one-third of
a mile above the point where the Bowstring
River enters the Rainy River. If however
from the top of the mound you look southward
through the trees a view may be got of the
silver stream of the Bowstring, coming as if
directly toward the mound. Originally no
doubt this tributary flowed close by the
mound, for the mound would undoubtedly be
built on the extreme point. But as from year
to year the Bowstring River deposited the
detritus carried down by it, it formed a
bank or bar, and was gradually diverted from
its course, until now, the peninsula some
hundreds of yards across its base, has
become upwards of a third of a mile long. I
infer that this peninsula, which I should
say contains some seventy acres has been
formed since the mound-which from its
position seems for observation as well as
for sepulture-was begun. Some 200 yards down
the point from the grand mound occurs
another small mound. This is some eight or
ten feet high, and fifty or sixty feet
across. Along the point and close past this
small mound runs an old water course, now a
treeless hay meadow. At high water in
spring, as I ascertained, the river still
sends its surplus water by this old channel.
My position is that the 200 yards of earth
between the site of the grand mound and that
of the small mound was deposited after the
grand mound was begun, and before the
commencement of the small mound. Undoubtedly
this small mound as well as a similar one
not far up the river from the grand mound,
were begun on account of the laborious work
of carrying bones and earth to such a
height, and on account of the numerous
interments which have left the surface of
the grand mound a bone pile. This is shown
by the small mound being on a site more
recent than that of the large mound. Suppose
a hundred years to have sufficed to raise
the small mound to its height when the
devastating ruin of the Sioux slaughtered
the last mound builder and checked the
mound. From our previous position this would
represent a point some 500 years ago. But
during this 500 years according to our
hypothesis all of the point of land below
the small mound, that is to say, about 300
yards in length, has been formed. The
question then is, how long at the same rate
must it have taken the 200 yards between the
two mounds to form. This brings us then to a
point say 300 years before the time of
beginning of the small mound. We thus arrive
at about 800 years ago as the time when the
grand mound was begun. It will thus be seen
that we have reached back to the eleventh
century, the time previously deduced from
historic date for the arrival of the
Toltecans on the Rainy River.
Conclusion
Our investigation has now come to an end. I
have led you to examine the few fragments of
a civilization which it would be absurd to
declare to have been of the very highest
type, but yet of a character much above that
of the wandering tribes, which, with their
well-known thirst for blood, destroyed the
very arts and useful habits which might have
bettered their condition. The whirlwind of
barbarian fury is ever one which fills
peaceful nations with terror. We may
remember how near in the "Agony of Canada,"
the French power was to being swept out of
existence by the fierce fury of the
Iroquois-up to that time always victorious.
We may remember how civilization in
Minnesota was thrown back by the Sioux
massacre of 1861. It is only now by
persistent and unwearied efforts that we can
hope to conquer the Indians by the arts of
peace, and by inducing him to take the hoe
in place of the tomahawk, to meet nature's
obstacles. Who can fail to heave a sigh for
our northern mound builders, and to lament
the destruction of so vast and civilized a
race as the peaceful Toltecans of Mexico, of
the Mississippi, and of the Ohio, to which
our Takawgamis belonged? After all, their
life must in the main, ever remain a
mystery. The Lost
Race
"One of our visits to the mound was at
night."
Oh, silent mound! thy secret tell!
God's acre gazing toward the sky,
'Midst sombre shade 'neath angel's eye
Thou sleepest till the domesday knell.
Sweet leaflets, on the towering elms.
Oh whisper from your crested height!
Or have lost forests borne from sight
The secret to their buried realms?
Stay, babbling river, hurrying past,
Cans't thou, who saw'st the toilers build,
Not picture on thy bosom stilled,
Life-speaking shadows long since cast?
Or, echo, mocking us with sound,
Repeat the busy voice, we pray,
Of moiling thousands, now dull clay,
And waken up the gloom profound.
Pale, shimmering ghosts that flit around,
While spade and mattock death-fields glean,
Open with words from the unseen
The mysteries now in cerements bound.
No answer yet! We gaze in vain.
With lamp and lore let science come.
Now, clear eyed maiden!!-You, too, dumb!
Your light gone out!!-'tis night again.
And is this all? an earthen pot!
A broken spear! a copper pin!
Earth's grandest prizes counted in,
A burial mound!-the common lot!
Yes! this were all; but o'er the mound,
The stars, that fill the midnight sky,
Are eyes from Heaven that watch on high
Till domesday's thrilling life-note sound.
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The Mound Builders,
1884-85
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