594 



ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS. 



Along the Iowa in this county there are known to be, or have 

 been, at least one hundred of these mounds. It would be useless labor 

 and waste of time to attempt to locate on a map the situation of each 

 mound in Johnson Connty, and a tedious and unprofitable repetition to 

 detail minutely the examination of each separate mound. 



For brevity of description they can be readily grouped in two classes 

 according to their form, and the description of one will answer generally 

 for all of its particular class. 



The first class of mounds, and by far the largest in number, are cir- 

 cular at the base and have an oval or flattened top, a diameter varying 

 from 12 to 24 feet, and a height of from lA to 3 feet. The second class 

 of mounds are long and narrow, sometimes forming an extension to one 

 of those of the first class. These mounds have, so far as observed, a 

 length varying from 45 to 130 feet, with a width of from 12 to 13^ feet, 

 and a height varying from 1^ to 2 feet. 



Near Mr. Iker's, 5 miles north from Iowa City, occurs an interesting 

 group of these ancient mounds, eighteen in number, located in a line on 

 the summit of a high, narrow ridge, which forms the east baulv of the 

 Iowa and the west bank of Sanders Creek, and extends nearly parallel 

 to them. 



The highest point of this ridge rises about 100 feet above the bed of 

 the Iowa Eiver, but to a lesser height above the bed of the creek. From 

 this ridge a beautiful and more or less extensive view of the valley is 

 obtained. The mounds are arranged in a slightly curved line, follow 

 ing the crest of the ridge. The surface of the summit of the ridge has 

 a slope of several feet from the south to mound No. 5. From mound 

 No. 12 the surface gradually rises until within about a quarter of a mile 

 an altitude varying from 25 to 30 feet is attained above the base of this 

 mound. 



The accompanying map will illustrate the position and relation of the 

 mounds to one another, while the table will give their dimensions, etc. 



