OX THE SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 



29 



If the North American Indians had been destroyed In a general pestilence before 

 Pamphilo de Narvaez landed in Florida, what traces of them should we ho able to 

 lind! They have left no distinctive marks of their existence impressed upon the 

 soil. Some faint signs of cultivation in the shape of little hillocks or hills of corn, 

 not entirely obliterated as yet, are the sole vestiges of centuries. But avoiding all 

 mere conjectural speculations, the following conclusions may be drawn with reason- 

 able certainty: — 



An ancient people extracted copper from the veins of Lake Superior of whom 

 history gives no account. 



They did it in a rude way, by means of fire and the use- of copper wedges or 

 gads, and by stone mauls. 



They had only the simplest mechanical contrivances, and consequently pene- 

 trated the earth but a short distance. 1 



They do not appear to have acquired any skill in the art of metallurgy or of 

 cutting masses of copper. 



For cutting tools they had chisels, and probably adzes or axes of copper. These 

 tools are of pure copper, and hardened only by condensation or beating when cold. 



They sought chiefly for small masses and lumps, and not for large masses. 



No sepulchral mounds, defences, domicils, roads or canals are known to have been 

 made by them. No evidences have been discovered of the cidtivation of the soil. 



They had weapons of defence or of the chase, such as darts, spears, and daggers 

 of copper. 



They must have been numerous, industrious, and persevering, and have occupied 

 the country a long time. 



Eagle River, May 1, 185fi. 



• Their deepest works are about the same as that of the old tin mines of Cornwall, which were 

 wrought before the conquest of Britain by the Romans. 



PUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 



W A SHINGTON, D . I ! , 



a r r i l , 18 63. 



