90 Hopewell Mound Group 



that during forty-five years of cultivation of the soil these carved bone 

 tubes, rings, and other objects had become destroyed. It is most 

 unfortunate that no complete specimen could be secured. They show 

 precision of line work and a high degree of artistic ability. 



Exploration of Mound No. 17. — The mounds were not opened in 

 consecutive order, but according to the convenience of our survey and 

 operations. While the old soldier continued his hand trowel work for 

 many days, the men opened other mounds. Often, after the first five 

 or six feet had been removed from the top of one mound, a part of the 

 crew was transferred to another mound, and the most competent 

 workmen finished the exploration. After opening a few mounds of 

 the Hopewell group, it was discovered that no burials (save an occa- 

 sional intrusive) would be found above the base line. There was 

 therefore no danger of disturbing burials, if the upper part of the mound 

 was removed by means of teams and scrapers. After the teams had 

 reduced a mound to within four or five feet of the base line, the lower 

 trench was dug out by hand. We used from four to six scrapers, and 

 seven to ten laborers and shovelers. The smaller mounds were dug 

 by hand, and no scrapers were used. 



Mound 17 was a hundred yards from camp. It is not numbered by 

 Squier and Davis. It was about 4 feet 3 inches high, 89.4 feet northwest 

 and southeast, 79.10 feet northeast and southwest. Careful plans 

 were made as the work progressed. These are thirteen in number. 



A few stones were noted on the south end of the mound, but these 

 could not be considered a layer. The original surface or base of the 

 mound was reached, when the wall of our excavation was three feet 

 and one inch in height. When we proceeded about nine feet, a burnt 

 area appeared on the west side, and charcoal and mica layers to the 

 east. A portion of the field-notes of this mound is herewith reproduced 

 but it is not necessary to insert in this report all the field-notes on the 

 other mounds, much of which would be repetition of Ohio mound 

 exploration in general, that is familiar to most students of archaeology. 

 These notes are preserved in Field Museum of Natural History, and I 

 presume, will be accessible to students who care to go into the details 

 of our explorations. Certain of the drawings, sketches or photographs 

 are not reproduced in this publication. 



Wednesday, September 2, 1891. Work was resumed this morning 

 at 6.30 a. m. Careful drawings were made of the north-section wall of 

 the excavation, and the depth of the top soil noted as 2 feet 1 inch on 

 the west side and 2 feet 2 inches on the east side. Beneath this was a 

 layer of burnt limestone 3 inches in depth and extending clear across 



