MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS RELATING TO ANTHROPOLOGY. 587 



ANTIQUITIES OF WAYNE COUNTY, ILLINOIS. 



By H. F. Sibley, of Fairfield, 111. 



Wayne County is one of the larger connties of tlie State, located on 

 tlie southern border of the prairie region. At least three-fourths of its 

 surface was originally timbered land. The prairies are generally small. 

 The principal streams are the Little Wabash and Elm Eivers and the 

 Skillet Fork (a branch of the Wabash). The sm-face is generally roll- 

 ing- and elevated from 50 to 125 feet above the stream beds. The 

 Wabash and Skillet Fork bottom lands are generally rather low and 

 flat, with the exception of some few ridges of hig-h land, ordinarily lying 

 parallel with the watercourse. On the ridges generally we find the 

 ancient tumuli of the Mound Builders. One of the most prominent 

 places of ancient resort in our county was a ridge in the Skillet Fork 

 bottom, now known as Fleming's Eidge, in Arrington Township. (See 

 map.) The ridge commences at the river and runs almost due north to 

 the prairie, and is from one-half mile to one mile wide. Near the 

 south end of the ridge, about one-quarter to one-balf mile from the 

 river, is a groui) of mounds, seven or eight in number. Several farms 

 have been opened up, and mounds aie found all over the ridge. Two 

 of them have been explored and the ordinary fragments of pottery, 

 shells, human remains, «&c., were found, but all seem to have been 

 disturbed. Just to the southwest of the ridge I have drawn a half- 

 moon- shaped figiu-e for a pond, or rather where a pond had been, but 

 which has been drained for the fish. It is now known by the name of 

 the Horseshoe Pond from its peculiar shape. It was probably an artifi- 

 cial fish-pond built by the Mound Builders, as it fills up when the river 

 is high, but can easily be shut up even during high water. Southeast 

 of the ridge are two more mounds, about 100 feet long and 50 feet 

 wide, and now G or 7 feet high. One of them was examined, and in it 

 were found some flint arrow-heads (very rude), an immense number of 

 turkey and wolf bones, together with deer-horns, &c., which seemed 

 to have been thrown into fire, some of them being partially consumed. 

 Human remains were also found, as well as some broken bits of pot- 

 tery. There seemed to bo no line of separation. 



In the southwest corner of Big Mound Township are three mounds 

 in one group which have never been examined. Northwest and near 

 to them are two more, of which one was examined, and in it were 

 found rude arrow-heads, broken pottery, &c., but could not get a skele-* 

 ton in any state of preservation at all, so as to determine how they 

 were buried. 



On the east edge of the township, some 2 mOes south of this place 

 (Fairfield), are two mounds, one of which was shghtly examined, and 

 found to be a burial mound. One mile farther south, almost right in 

 the center of Little Mound Prairie, is a natural elevation,- topped out by 



