MOUNDS IN WEST FLORIDA. 859 



Westward, along the shores of East Eiver, are found great numbers of 

 small sbell heaps of all sizes in the hammock. 



West of the mouth of the river, near the residence of Colonel Hooper, 

 is the site of another village. This was situated on the banks of a small 

 bayou, and numerous small mounds mark the position of many houses 

 or wigwams. Excavations in these mounds revealed the situations of 

 their fires and fragments of pottery and the usual refuse of culinary 

 operations. Some years ago several skeletons were unearthed here by 

 the plow. Altogether there is conclusive evidence of there having 

 been a large population at the mouth of East River, and that there 

 were probably two, or perhaps three, permanent villages located there. 



Proceeding still westward along the peninsula between Pensacola Bay 

 and Santa Eosa Sound, the next mounds are about 4 miles east of Eed- 

 fish Point. Upon the bluffs here are two mounds, each about 12 feet 

 high, constructed entirely of sand. Two days spent in digging revealed 

 no objects of interest. Between these large mounds and Eedfish Point 

 many low circular mounds are scattered along the center of the penin- 

 sula. These mounds are mere elevations from 2 to 4 feet high, with 

 bases from 50 to 200 feet in diameter, and, judging from the nature of 

 the country, which is low and marshy, they were intended for residences. 



About 1£ miles east of Eedfish Point, at a place called Forty-nine 

 Pines, are two earth mounds, one of which is 5 feet high and 80 feet in 

 diameter ; the other has every appearance of having been left in an 

 unfinished condition. The larger mound was trenched carefully, but no 

 objects of interest were found. There are many small shell heaps in the 

 vicinity, and several objects were obtained from persons living near. 

 From this place to Town Point, the western extremity of the peninsula, 

 there are but few traces of Indian occupation. 



Santa Eosa Sound is a stretch of water 35 miles in length, connecting 

 Pensacola Bay and Choctawhatcbee Bay. The sound is very narrow, 

 and does not exceed 2 miles in width at the widest part. The traces of 

 aboriginal residence along this body of water are nearly all confined to 

 the mainland side. If Santa Eosa Island ever contained any mounds, 

 the shifting sands have long since covered every trace of them. In 

 proceeding east the first shell heaps are met with at Dr. Botherford's 

 place, about 2 miles east of the old Government Live Oak Plantation. 

 Immense beds of shell and the usual indications mark this as the former 

 residence of a large population. The slopes of the hills are covered 

 with irregular beds of shell from 2 to G feet in thickness, which occupy 

 an area of several acres. The beds contain large quantities of broken 

 pottery and numerous implements made of shell. At this place was 

 secured the first specimen of a clay image found in this section, a frag- 

 ment of a rude imitation of a bird's head. 



Shell heaps occur at various points between this place and Wheeler's 

 Spring, G miles west of Mary Esther post-office. At Wheeler's Spring 



