42 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 93 



conclusion that they had heen used for purposes of burial. (Zimmer- 

 man, 1918, p. 475.) They have never been systematically worked 

 and reported on, however. 



On July 27 Captain Clark writes (Lewis and Clark, 1904, pp. 

 91-92) : 



I took one man R. Fields and walked on Shore with a view of examoning 

 Som Mounds on the L.S. of the river those Mounds I found to be of Different 

 hight Shape & Size, Some Composed of sand some earth & Sand, the highest 

 next to the river all of which covered about 200 acres of land, in a circular 

 form, on the Side from the river a low bottom & small Pond. The Otteaus 

 formerly lived here. 



This was near the present southern boundary of the city of Omaha 

 and was probably on a flat below the elevated series of bluffs which 

 border the river here. Gilder at one time suggested that this Oto 

 village was the same as the series of prehistoric house pits and mounds 

 on the bluffs at Child's Point (1908, p. y^,), but subsequently de- 

 cided that the Oto village must have been on a lower flat since 

 washed away by the Missouri River in the constant shifting of its 

 channel (1907, pp. 64-65). This is in all probability correct and it is 

 certain that Clark's description cannot be applied to the Child's Point 

 sites. On July 28th, from the past mentioned camp, the journal con- 

 tinues (Lewis and Clark, 1904, p. 92) : 



Passed at i ml. a Bluff on the S.S. the first high land above the Nodaway 

 approaching the river on that Side, a Island and Creek 15 yds. wide on the S.S. 

 above this Bluff, as this Creek has no name call it Indian Knob Creek Iprobably 

 Indian Creek flowing into the Missouri at Council Bluffs — present author] 

 our party on Shore Came to the river and informs us that they heard fireing 

 to the S.W. below "^ this High and on the S.S. the Aiauway [Iowa] 

 Indians formerly lived, below this old village about 5 miles passed Some Monds 

 on the L.S. in a bend where the Ottcauae [Oto] Indians formerly lived, this 

 Situation I examined, found it well situated for Defence, about 2 or 300 acres 

 of Land Covered with Mounds. 



Clark also gives a good description of the hilltop grave of the 

 famous (or infamous) Omaha chief. Blackbird (Lewis and Clark, 

 1904, p. 106) : 



Capt. Lewis myself & 10 men assended the Hill on the L.S. (under which 

 there was some fine Springs) to the top of a high point where the Mahars King 

 Black Bird was hurried 4 years ago. [Died of small pox] a mound of earth 

 about 12 [feet — Biddle] Diameter at the base & 6 feet high is raised over him 



" The rest of this paragraph follows the original manuscript which had been 

 crossed out by another pen. The Biddle edition says that the lowas " emigrated 

 from this place to the river Des Moines," as does the Coues edition. Neither 

 of the later editions mentions the old "Oto" site again. 



