MOUNDS OF THE WESTERN PHAIRIES. 



By Clement L. Webster, Charles City, Iowa. 



In travelling over the beautiful prairies of the West the attention of 

 the traveller is struck by the beauty and number of the flowering plants 

 which are presented to view on every hand, their bright yellow, blue, 

 pink, and other varied colors and hues being in happy contrast to the 

 rich green of the jirairie grass among which they mingle. The differ- 

 ent portions of this emerald expanse, as high and low, wet and dry, 

 support, to a greater or less extent, their own peculiar flora. The fine- 

 ness, coarsness, richness, or sterility of the soil of its different parts 

 have often a marked effect upon the distribution of many of its species. 



Regions much trodden over by the cattle, on the large Western 

 ranges, present beautiful fields of gold, in the latter portion of the sea- 

 son, by the blooming of myriads of plants of the order Compositce, 

 many of which are represented by the genera Vernonia, etc. 



Another characteristic which attracts the attention of the traveller 

 who for the first time passes over this beautiful region is the scarcity or 

 absence of all arboreal vegetation, the only timber of this region being 

 confined to the margins of some of the streams which meander through 

 it and the small isolated groves which occur upon it. 



But a widely prevalent feature, which attracts perhaps no less in- 

 terest but more speculation, even among many of those who have long 

 inhabited these prairies, is the great number of isolated or grouped 

 mounds which are seen over the surface, and which are often denomi- 

 nated by the inhabitants as Indian mounds. These mounds are gen- 

 erally circular and have an oval or flattened top with a diameter at the 

 base of from 4 to 20 feet, and commonly rise to a height of from 1 to 3 

 feet. 



Although the marginal outline of these mounds is usually circular, ' 

 still at times some of them are oblong or have a gently flowing contour. 

 These mounds are either isolated from 5 rods to 1 mile from one another, 

 or are closely and irregularly grouped, or grouped into rude circles, semi- 

 circles, or even straight lines. In some instances, as many as sixteen 

 of these mounds have been counted in an area containing about 2 acres. 



The location of these mounds is almost exclusively in the prairie 

 regions and may be found on high and dry or low and rather moist 



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