A Prc-Historic Indian Village — Pettigrczv. 351 



they journeyed toward the Big Sioux river, where they made a 

 fort. They remained in that country a long time. Game abounded. 

 By and by the Dakotas made war upon the three tribes and many 

 Omahas were killed by them, so at last the three tribes went west 

 and southwest to a lake near the head of Choteau creek, now 

 known as lake Andes, there they cut the sacred pole. It is claimed 

 by the Omahas that it is two hundred years since the sacred pole 

 was cut. Tradition also says that they built dirt lodges wherever 

 they went, and lived in them. In vain have I searched for any 

 evidence of dirt lodges. There are no traces of them in this local- 

 ity, and it is quite plain to my mind that there never were any. 

 The earthworks above described may be the fort alluded to in the 

 story ; it was undoubtedly the work of the same people who lived 

 in the village, and built the mounds, and built the fort at the same 

 time. 



Several years ago I examined the ancient diggings at the 

 great Red Pipestone quarry, also at subsequent times have 

 noticed that the accumulation of vegetable mould in the pits as 

 well as on the rubbish heaps, denote great age ; the sod and veget- 

 able mould is of the same thickness as that which covers the 

 mounds in the village. 



The picture writing cut into the smooth weather-worn sur- 

 face of overlying quartzite at the great Red Pipestone quarry ex- 

 hibits many curious and grotesque forms among which can be 

 traced the turtle, fox, skunk and bear of which tradition tells us 

 nothing, nor can any of the present races of Indians enlighten us 

 upon that subject. The peculiar dry moss that grows so slowly 

 upon smooth rock surfaces which has so persistently spread it- 

 self over and upon these picture writings, would undoubtedly re- 

 quire the same lapse of time that it would require to form the 

 vegetable mould upon the mounds, in the pits and on the rubbish 

 heaps. 



Whatever and whoever these people were, that quarried the 

 pipestone, made the pictures on the rocks, built the mounds and 

 made the fort, I am unable to say ; but I do believe it was all done 

 by one class of people at about the same time, and that they were 

 the mound builders from the Ohio or their kindred tribes. 



MOUND EXCAVATIONS. 



I opened one mound which was forty-five feet in diameter 

 and four feet high, composed of coarse gravel and clay ; after re- 



