MOUNDS IN SPOON RIVER VALLEY, ILLINOIS. 837 



hornstone, ail of the leaf pattern except one, and this was 3£ inches in 

 length, with notches at the heel, and had the appearance of having been 

 used; also a small piece of galena. Six of the arrow-points lay with 

 their points to the west, one to the southwest, one to the east, aud one 

 to the north. 



There was a slight depression on the surface above the deposit. I 

 made an opening 9 feet east of the center, in which we obtained a cop- 

 per awl or needle, 3£ inches in length and three-sixteenths of an inch 

 square, thick in the middle and sharp-pointed at each end. This cop- 

 per implement was inclosed by some material, which, under a micro- 

 scope of low magnifying power, hns the appearance of being the bark 

 of a tree. This tool lay with' the points southwest and northeast. I 

 also found a white flint spear-point or lance-head 4 inches in length and 

 1.1 inches wide, without notches at the heel. We found the flint imple- 

 ment some 10 inches southwest of the copper, which was surrounded 

 by the same red material as the first. 



I made an opening 14 feet west of the center of this mound, and at 

 a depth of 3 feet 8 inches I found a copper needle or awl, rounded and 

 pointed ; three copper beads one-fourth of an inch in diameter and three- 

 sixteenths of an inch in length ; one piece of copper tubing or bead 1 

 inch in length, and one-fourth of an inch in diameter; one piece of tub- 

 ing or bead three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter and 1 inch in length; 

 one piece 1| inches in length aud one-fourth of an inch in diameter ; and 

 five other pieces very like those described; also a small fragment of a 

 tooth, but I was not able to determine positively the animal to which it 

 belonged, but think it belongs to a human being ; also several small flint 

 pebbles. 



There are traces of a breastwork or fort commencing at the south- 

 western part of this mound, about G to 12 inches in height. Commenc- 

 ing at the mound it extends 120 feet to the southwest, thence 07 feet 

 south, thence south-southeast 106 feet, thence to bluff of Spoon Eiver 

 (bluff 40 feet high), 130 feet from bluff to mound in a straight line SE. 186 

 feet. All the arrow-points were finely finished, and far superior to those 

 found on the surface of the ground. This mound is 42 rods west of 

 Spoon. Eiver. The bluffs here are composed of the usual yellow clay, 

 and contaiu very little sand. On the northeast corner of the WW. £ of 

 the SE. £ Sec. 5 are three common round mounds, standing in a triangu- 

 lar position to each other, with the largest to the north, the next in size 

 directly south of it, and the smallest to the east. 



On or near the southwest corner of Sec. 4, T. 11 N. of the base line 

 5, east of the fourth principal meridian, are a series of common round 

 and long mounds of more importance than any yet discovered in this 

 part of Illinois. Commencing at a point near the foot of a long bluff 

 and sloping to the south 40 rods north of the south line of Sec. 4, and 

 10 rods east of the west line, are three common round mounds. For 

 convenience we have numbered these mounds commencing with the 



