NO. 10 NEBRASKA ARCHEOLOGY STRONG 4I 



very little information on Nebraska archeology has crept into any of 

 the more general treatises on New World prehistory. It seems worth 

 while, therefore, to review briefly the general scope and status of 

 archeology in Nebraska before presenting such new evidence as is 

 available.'" 



Rarely does the anthropologist in the Missouri or the Columbia 

 River valleys turn in vain to the accounts of those great scientific 

 explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. They saw much of 

 the living Indians and more surprisingly many things that pertained 

 to the past activities of the Indian people. What they saw they re- 

 corded briefly but accurately, for they had keen eyes and clear judg- 

 ment. Thus, on July 12, 1804, we find the following entry in the 

 original journal of William Clark (Lewis and Clark, 1904, p. 75) : 



Concluded to Delay here today with a view of takeing equal altitudes & 

 makeing observations as well as refreshing our men who are much fatigued, 

 after an early Breakfast I with five men in a Perogue assended the River 

 Nc-Ma-Jmiv about three [2] Miles to the Mouth of a Small creek on the 

 Lower Side, here I got out of the Perogue, after going to Several Small 

 Mounds in a leave] plain, I assended a hill on the Lower Side, on this hill 

 .Several Artificial Mounds were raised, from the top to the highest of those 

 Mounds I had an extensive view of the Serounding Plains, which afforded 

 one of the most pleasing prospect I ever beheld, under me a Butifull River of 

 Clear Water of about 80 yards wide Meandering thro : a leave! and extensive 

 meadow, as far as I could See, the prospect much enlivened the fiew Trees & 

 Shrubs which is bordering the bank of the river, and the Creeks & runs falling 

 into it, Tlie bottom land is covered with Grass of about 4J^ feet high, and 

 appears as leavel as a smoth surfice, the 2^ bottom [the upper land] is also 

 covered with Grass and rich weeds & flours, interspersed with copses of the 

 Osage Plumb, on the riseing lands. Small groves of trees are Seen, with a 

 numbers of Grapes and a Wild Cherry resembling the common Wild Cherry, 

 only larger and grows on a small bush on the tops of those hills in every direc- 

 tion, I observed artificial Mounds (or as I may more justly term graves) which 

 to me is a strong evidence [indication] of this country being once thickly 

 Settled. (The Indians of the Missouris Still keep up the Custom of Hurrying 

 their dead on high ground) after a ramble of about two miles about I returned 

 to the perogue and descended down the river, gath^. Som grapes nearly ripe, 

 on a Sandstone Bluff about i of a Mile from its mouth on the Lower Side I 

 observed some Indian Marks, went to the rocks which jucted over the water 

 and marked my name & the day of the month & year. 



This was at the mouth of main Nemaha River in what is now 

 Richardson County, Nebr., just north of the Kansas line. Subse- 

 quent excavation in certain of these mounds has verified Clark's 



'"The following summary makes no pretense at absolute completeness. It is 

 drawn from all readily available sources but does not attempt to include all 

 newspaper accounts or very obscure local reports. 



