136 A N C I E N T M N U M E N T S . 



These are said to consist of the ruins of towns, sometimes of great size, regularly 

 laid out, in streets and squares. Dr. Beck mentions one of these ruined towns in 

 Gasconade county, (probably now falling within the county of Crawford, erected 

 out of Gasconade,) in which the sites of houses, possessing foundations of stone, 

 are distinctly visible. Stone walls are said to occur in some parts of the area, 

 covered by heaps of earth.* The same author describes several works of stone 

 displaying, in his estimation, great architectural skill, which occur on Osage river 

 and Buflalo creek, one of its tributaries. One said to exist on Noyer's creek, near 

 the town of Louisiana, Pike county, has been particularly noticed. " It presents 

 the dilapidated remains of a building constructed of rough, unhewn stones, fifty-fix 

 feet long and twenty-two broad, embracing several divisions and chambers. The 

 walls are from two to five feet high. Eighty rods eastward of this structure is 

 found a smaller one, of similar construction. The narrow apartments are said to 

 be arched with stone, one course overlapping the other, after the manner of the 

 edifices of Central America."! Nothing of this character has been observed 

 elsewhere, and it is extremely probable that there is some mistake in the matter. 

 If works answering to this description really exist, at the points mentioned, they 

 deserve the careful attention of the archteologist. It is suspected that they will 

 not bear a rigid scrutiny, such as is required to a proper substantiation. Our 

 authority observes, that " these remains form a class of antiquities entirely distinct 

 from the walled towns, fortifications, barriers, or mounds ; and that the regularity 

 and other peculiarities of structure which they display, favor the conclusion that 

 they are the remains of a race different from those who erected the former, 

 and who were familiar with the rules of architecture, and perhaps with a perfect 

 .system of warfare.";}: 



I. DiLLE, Esq., of Newark, Ohio, in a communication addressed to the authors, 

 presents the following facts respecting the remains of Missouri, which cannot fail 

 to prove interesting in this connection : " I have been much interested in a singular 

 kind of antiquities found in the State of Missouri. They have been mentioned, but 

 not described, by various writers. They consist of small turauh, generally raised 

 about twelve or eighteen inches above the surface, and have the general form of 

 an ellipse, measuring usually twenty-five by eighteen feet. They are very nume- 

 rous, particularly upon the head waters of the St. Francis river, and are always 

 near streams and water-courses. I have dug into several, but never succeeded in 

 finding anything except coals and a few pieces of rude pottery. Hence I have 

 concluded they are the remains of mud-houses. They are always arranged in 

 straight lines, with broad streets intervening between them, crossing each other 



* Beck's Gazetteer of Missouri, p. 234. f Ibid. p. 30G. 



I Dr. Beck also mentions another stone work, described to him by Gen. Ashley, as situated upon a 

 high cliff on the west side of the Gasconade river, from whence it commands an extensive prospect. It is 

 represented to be from twenty-five to thirtv feet square : and, although in ruins, exhibits an uncommon 

 degree of regularity. From the monument leads a devious path, i^vtciidiii'^ down the cliff to the entrance of 

 a cave, in which was found a quantitv of ashes. 



