424 PRE-IIISTOEIC MOUNDS OF GRANT COUNTY, WISCONSIN. 



OBSERVATIONS OX THE PRE HISTORIC MOUNDS OF GRAXT COUNTY, WIS- 

 CONSIN.' 



By Moses Strong M. E., Assistant State Geologist 



During the course of my geological examination of the lead region 

 of Wisconsin in the summer and fall of 1874, my attention was directed 

 to tbe numerous and remarkable tumuli which are found in the valleys 

 of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers, and on the adjacent bluffs. 



Tbe entire number of mounds, of which this article treats, may be 

 classified in three kinds, according to their form. 



1st. The round mounds. — They are perfectly round or circular at the 

 base, and are dome-shaped or conical, according to their height, which 

 varies from 3 to 15 feet. By far the. larger number — probably as many 

 as four-fifths — are less than 5 feet high, and are spherical segments, 

 with an average diameter at the base of about 25 feet. The conical 

 mounds usually exceed this diameter and height, and are always 

 rounded off at the apex ; whether this was by design, or is a modifica- 

 tion due to the lapse of time, it is difficult now to decide. Some of the 

 largest attained a diameter of 50 feet and a height of 15 feet. Again, 

 many of the round mounds were so low as almost to escape observa- 

 tion, and sloped so gradually into the ground on which they were 

 thrown up that the true diameter could not be exactly ascertained. No 

 traces were seen of ridges or trenches surrounding any of the round 

 mounds, such as are described in other localities, as at Hutsonville, Ills. ; 

 nor were there any terraces on their sides, or any appearance of a plat- 

 form on their summits. All the circular mounds were perfectly plain 

 and simple in their structure. 



2d. Oblong mounds. — These tumuli are invariably straight and of 

 various lengths, from 50 to 300 feet. They are seldom more than 4 feet 

 in height, and will average about 2£ feet high and 15 in width. They 

 always slope gradually at the ends to the ground. Sometimes these 

 mounds are found in a long straight line, and, at others, in parallel 

 rows ; but a systematic arrangement is always apparent. Excepting 

 in their length, there is less variation from a uniform standard seen in 

 the oblong mounds than in any other kind. 



3d. Effigy mounds, or those leaving animal forms. — These are the 

 most singular and interesting of all ; perhaps for the reason that it is 

 most difficult to find any theory which rationally accounts for their ex- 

 istence. They are found of all dimensions as regards length ; being 

 from 50 to 200 feet long, and are usually a little higher and wider than 

 the long mounds. Their average height is about 4 feet, and their width 

 25. They usually represent animals lying upon one side, with the head 

 up, and legs apart, as if in motion. Representations of the human form 

 were not observed, although such exist north of the Wisconsin River. 



* Extract from the report of the Wisconsin Geological Survey of 1673-74. 



