5() REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



When the work of le-suiveyiiig th<' earthAvoiks at Newark and Cliillieotlie was 

 finislied, Mr. Holmes made a journey into Indian Territory to examine an ancient 

 qnarry formerly su])posed to be a Spanish silver mine. It was reported by Mr. AVal- 

 ter P. Jeuuey, of the Geological Survey, that this was reallj'' an Indian flint quarry, 

 and the visit of Mr. Holmes confirmed this conclusion. Seven miles northwest of 

 Seneca, Mo., and 2 or 3 miles west of the Indian Territory line there are numer- 

 ous outcrops of massive whitish chert, and in x^laces this rock has been exten- 

 sively worked for the purpose of securing flakable material for the manufacture of 

 implements. The pits and trenches cover an area of about 10 acres. They are 

 neither as deep nor as numerous as the Flint Ridge quarries. The product of this 

 quarry was also the leaf-shaped blades of the usual tyjie, the size being greater than 

 in the other similar ipnirries of the country as a result of the massive unflawed 

 character of the stone. 



In May Mr. Holmes visited and examined a numbta- of extensive ([uarries of novac- 

 ulite in Arkansas, one of which had been visited during the previous year. A great 

 (juarry situated upon the summit of a long mountainous ridge at the head of Cove 

 Creek is the most extensive yet discovered in this country. The ancient excavations 

 extend along the crest of the ridge for several miles. The largest jiits are still 2o 

 feet deep and upwards of 100 feet in diameter. The product, of this ciuarry was also 

 leaf-shaped blades of the type obtained from the other tjuarries, and closely aualiv 

 gous in size, shape, and appearance to those of Flint Ridge, Ohio. Mr. Holmes next 

 passed north into Stone County, Mo., to visit a very lai'ge cave situated about 

 20 miles southeast of Helena, the county seat. Neither human remains nor works 

 of native art were found within the cave. The manufacture of chert implements 

 had been carried on extensively in the surroumling region. From Stone County he 

 went to southwest Minnesota, and spent ten days in the study of the red ]ti)>estone 

 quarry so famous in the hist(n-y of the Coteau des Prairies. Evidence of the pre- 

 historic operation of this quarry was found in the series of ancient pits extending 

 across the prairie for nearly a mile in n narrow belt and following the outcrop of 

 the thin layer of i)ipc8toue. 



The ancient copper mines of Isle Royale, Lake Superior, were next visited and 

 mapped, and extensive collections of stone hammers were obtained from the very 

 numerous pits and trenches. 



Mr. Holmes then went west to Little Falls, Minn., to examine the locality from 

 which certain flaked ([uartz objects, supposed to be of paleolithic age had been 

 obtained. It was found that these bits of quartz were the refuse of the manufacture 

 of blades of cjuartz by the aborigines and at a period not necessarily more remote 

 than the period of quarry working already described. 



Mr. Cosmos Mindeleff, early in July, 1891, closed the field work on the Rio Verde, 

 in Arizona, an account of which was given in the last annual report, and returned to 

 Washington, after which time lu' was engaged for the remainder of the fiscal year in 

 office work. 



Mr. Gerard Fowke completed the exploration of the .Tames River and its northern 

 tributaries, making interesting discoveries in Botetourt, Bath, Alleghany, and High- 

 land counties. He then began an examination of the prehistoric remains of the 

 Shenandoah Valley, remaining in the field until December. Later he examined the 

 islands and coast between the Savannah and St. Johns rivers, locating mounds and 

 shell heaps. In the s])ring he resumed w^ork in the Shenandoah Valley, making a 

 careful and thorough investigation of every county. The results show that this re- 

 gion was not the seat of any permanent occupation by the aborigines, though it 

 seems to have been a place of resort for hunters in lai'ge numbers. 



Mr. William Dinwiddle was engaged during the year in mapping and examining 

 the shell banks and other aboriginal remains of the PotimKic-Chesapeake region. 



As Prof. Cyrus Thonuis was engaged most of his time during the year in necessary 

 office work, his field work was limited. Finding it desirable that more accurate 



