﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  SECRETARY. 
  69 
  

  

  The 
  30 
  mounds 
  on 
  the 
  ridge 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  rivers 
  mark 
  the 
  site 
  

   of 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  town 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Omahas. 
  On 
  a 
  hill 
  

   one-half 
  mile 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  was 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  10 
  more 
  mounds, 
  occupied 
  

   by 
  the 
  Foncas 
  before 
  they 
  split 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  Omahas. 
  

  

  By 
  following 
  the 
  clues 
  furnished 
  by 
  the 
  traditions, 
  three 
  low 
  

   mounds 
  were 
  discovered 
  on 
  the 
  tall 
  ridge 
  1| 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  west. 
  These 
  

   were 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  marked 
  the 
  lookouts 
  for 
  the 
  main 
  village; 
  they 
  

   command 
  a 
  view, 
  ranging 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  15 
  miles, 
  on 
  all 
  sides. 
  The 
  1 
  

   mounds 
  on 
  the 
  Split 
  Rock 
  site 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  nearly 
  all 
  been 
  used 
  

   for 
  burial. 
  

  

  The 
  exploration 
  of 
  mound 
  No. 
  1, 
  on 
  the 
  Omaha 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  town, 
  

   showed 
  a 
  beautiful 
  little 
  knoll 
  on 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  steep, 
  bluff-like 
  bank 
  

   of 
  Split 
  Rock 
  River. 
  In 
  its 
  soil 
  the 
  Indians 
  dug 
  a 
  shallow 
  pit, 
  about 
  

   12 
  by 
  6 
  feet, 
  and 
  2 
  feet 
  deep. 
  Here 
  were 
  placed 
  bones 
  belonging 
  to 
  

   five 
  bodies, 
  several 
  of 
  which 
  appeared 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  buried 
  after 
  decay 
  

   of 
  the 
  flesh. 
  One 
  body 
  appeared 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  closely 
  flexed 
  before 
  

   it 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  pit. 
  The 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  skeleton 
  of 
  a 
  horse 
  with 
  

   a 
  crushed 
  frontal 
  bone 
  showed 
  that 
  when 
  this 
  body 
  bundle 
  had 
  been 
  

   placed 
  in 
  the 
  pit, 
  a 
  large 
  horse, 
  about 
  seven 
  years 
  of 
  age, 
  had 
  been 
  

   led 
  to 
  the 
  knoll, 
  and 
  there 
  killed. 
  Then, 
  over 
  all 
  these, 
  a 
  low, 
  round- 
  

   topped 
  mound, 
  60 
  feet 
  across 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  and 
  5^ 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  had 
  

   been 
  raised. 
  

  

  Mound 
  No. 
  2, 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  group, 
  was 
  round 
  topped, 
  110 
  feet 
  

   across 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  and 
  10 
  feet 
  high. 
  A 
  rectangular 
  charnel 
  pit, 
  12 
  by 
  

   14 
  feet 
  and 
  2 
  feet 
  deep, 
  had 
  been 
  dug 
  in 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  near 
  

   the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  town. 
  This 
  pit 
  was 
  thoroughly 
  lined 
  or 
  coated 
  with 
  

   a 
  white 
  layer 
  about 
  one-eighth 
  inch 
  in 
  thickness, 
  made 
  from 
  calcined 
  

   bones. 
  The 
  bottom 
  and 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  pit 
  were 
  then 
  probably 
  covered 
  

   with 
  furs, 
  now 
  indicated 
  by 
  a 
  thin 
  layer 
  of 
  animal 
  matter 
  on 
  the 
  

   white 
  coating. 
  Bones 
  representing 
  about 
  50 
  human 
  beings 
  had 
  been 
  

   laid 
  on 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  this 
  fur-lined 
  pit. 
  

  

  Traces 
  of 
  the 
  thin 
  fur 
  layer 
  were 
  also 
  found 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  this 
  solid 
  

   mass 
  of 
  human 
  bones. 
  Over 
  this 
  fur 
  covering 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  bark 
  was 
  

   placed, 
  and 
  upon 
  this 
  bark 
  earth 
  had 
  been 
  spread 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  

   from 
  3 
  to 
  6 
  inches. 
  The 
  earth 
  was 
  then 
  smoothed 
  and 
  pressed 
  down, 
  

   and 
  on 
  this 
  surface 
  a 
  white 
  coating, 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   and 
  sides, 
  had 
  been 
  spread. 
  Only 
  one 
  small, 
  cylindrical 
  copper 
  bead 
  

   was 
  found 
  with 
  all 
  this 
  mass 
  of 
  bones, 
  and 
  no 
  object 
  of 
  white 
  man's 
  

   manufacture 
  was 
  found. 
  There 
  is 
  evidence 
  that 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   site 
  was 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Omahas 
  somewhere 
  between 
  1725 
  and 
  1775. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  Omahas 
  and 
  their 
  kindred, 
  the 
  Poncas, 
  lived 
  together 
  

   at 
  the 
  Split 
  Rock 
  site 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  events 
  in 
  their 
  

   history 
  took 
  place. 
  The 
  united 
  Omahas 
  and 
  Poncas 
  and 
  their 
  old 
  

   enemies, 
  the 
  Cheyennes 
  and 
  Arikaras, 
  here 
  made 
  a 
  peace 
  which 
  

  

  553T&— 
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  6 
  

  

  