ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN MISSOURiI 109 



of about 4 feet and then refilled. This vandalism aside from its ma- 

 licious motives is the more regrettable since the mound was in several 

 respects unique among all those examined by us or heretofore reported 

 for the region. 



To determine the limits of the mound proper and any special struc- 

 tures it might contain, four trenches were started on opposite sides 

 some distance from its apparent margins so as to intersect at or near 

 the supposed center. Each of these cuts, about 12 inches deep, soon 

 ran into unmoved flat-lying slabs, whereupon all earth was cleared 

 away from the angles between the trenches. The area thus defined 

 was approximately circular and about 15-16 feet across. Removal of 

 6 or 8 inches of gray soil further disclosed a layer of large slabs form- 

 ing an uneven pavement 1 to 3 feet wide completely encircling the old 

 diggings. I am inclined to suspect that this layer was once continu- 

 ous over the entire area, since numerous large slabs piled into the 

 central dug portion had obviously been thrown in very recently ; pre- 

 sumably they foiTnerly covered the looted section. At the outer edge 

 of the area the slabs rested directly on the yellowish subsoil, but those 

 nearer the center were underlain by a varying thickness of gray mixed 

 dirt. Moreover, the outermost stones were of the same natural gray- 

 white color as the limestone ledges in the ravines 200 yards distant, 

 the probable source of the slabs, whereas toward the center many had 

 been turned reddish through exposure to fire. 



Contrary to our expectations, the looted heart of the mound re- 

 vealed no evidence whatever of a laid-up stone wall, and it soon be- 

 came apparent that very little of the elevation was due to building 

 up of an artificial structure. Removal of the freshly filled-in soil 

 disclosed, as already mentioned, many loosely piled stones, bits of 

 charcoal, and occasional scraps of scorched human bone. Also pres- 

 ent were great chunks of burnt clay, of the color and nearly the hard- 

 ness of old brick. These varied in size up to a maximum of 18 by 

 11 by 8 inches. Some presented one or more flat surfaces bearing 

 the imprint of closely laid reeds, rushes, or slender rods, which in 

 some instances appeared to have been burnt off. Many of the stones 

 were pink to red in color, and one or two had been subjected to heat 

 of such intensity that they crumbled readily into a light ashlike powder. 



The central feature of the mound seems to have been a rectangular 

 pit 6.5 feet wide by about 7 feet long, with the long axis lying east 

 to west. The floor lay about 5 feet below the probable top of the 

 mound, and about 4 feet below the normal ground surface. Details 

 are obscure owing to the random nature of the previous digging, but 

 on such portions of the pit wall as had escaped destruction there were 

 interesting clues. Over a horizontal distance of about 30 inches along 

 the west wall vertical shallow flutings or corrugations were traceable; 

 their upper and lower ends had been dug out. Similar markings 



