KEV. .T. CtASS.— MOUND EXPLORATIONS DUUIN<; THE PAST YEAK. 191 



Moimtls near Miiscatiue. 



On the bluffs on the west side of the Mississippi Valley below 

 Muscatine, are many groups of ancient mounds. On Mr. Schmale's 

 farm, are five mounds from five to eight feet in Iieio-jit and sixty-five 

 feet, more or less, in diameter. 



In the first mound, at the west side of the grou]), which was five 

 feet high, an opening five by six feet was made from the top and five 

 feet deep. Here I found the remains of two skeletons, the head of 

 one being eastward, and the other westward. The bones were much 

 decayed, and crumbled on being removed. Here and there in the 

 soil were some pieces of charcoal and pottery, but no other relics. 



In the next mound, No. 2, only one skeleton was found, and no 

 other relics. 



The third mound is eight feet high. Making an ojiening of eight 

 by twelve feet, I found at the depth of seven feet a pit, two by three 

 feet and one foot deep, contaming a number of human leg arul arm 

 bones ai;id pieces of skulls, but nothing more. 



Mound No. 4 is six feet high. Six feet down I found three skele- 

 tons covered over with pieces of wood. At the sides I found pieces 

 of pottery and marine shells; but the whole were so decayed and frag- 

 ile that nothing could be secured for the Mus "um. 



The fifth mound was the smallest, and nothing was found in it ex- 

 cept a few bones. 



These five were all com[)osed of a very hard clay, making the work 

 of exploration very laborious. 



One mile west of the last mentioned grouj), on Mr. Hershey's farm 

 is a group of forty-six mounds, arranged in four concentric semi-cir- 

 cles. These are all of a conical form, except two of the largest, of 

 which one is oval, and the other long and narrow. The heights of all 

 vary between two and six feet. I explored twelve of tliese mounds, 

 and learned that some are burial mounds and the rest are not. The 

 ])ones contained in the former are much deca^'ed, and in the most of 

 them the remains of only one skeleton, and in no case more than two. 



Ashes and charcoal were found in every mound, l)ut no relics of 

 importance, excei)t a few arrow heads and fragments of ])ottery. 



Down at the river, directly even with this group of mounds, is an 

 old camping-place, where, for an extent of fifty yards along the shore 

 the high water washes down a great number of pieces of pottery, (lint 



