75 



.mutation*, of fine lor--, modified in contour by the action of 

 wind and rain. The -out hern |>ortion of one of the mo-t prominent 



of the-e elexation*.. known a- Long'- Ilill. coli-i-t- ( in tin- part nearer 

 ID Florence) of a ridge alnuit <'.<Ml yard- long, rnnninir parallel 

 with the Missouri. Thi- ridge i- covered \\ith timlicr of recent 

 growth, tin- original fore-t having been cut by contractors for the 

 1'nion 1'acilic railroml. Geologically the ridge is com|>osed of car 

 iMuiiferoii- ^irata forming the base 1 , on wbicli rest from 10 to Ifi feet 

 of glacial drift containing Sioux <|uartxiti> and granitic lH>wIdcrs; 

 aln.\c thi- is alxnii !.">() fwt of Hue lijrht-lmff I<HS.S (HarlxHir). A 

 \\a;:on road, which lias IHHMJ washed out until it forms quite a deep 

 ravine, runs alonjj the whole ItMijrth of the ridge, rising gradually to 

 it-> crest. Near the southern end of this crest is seen a small eleva- 

 tion, which might easily pass for a natural feature of the hill; its 

 center originally could not have l>een more than 'J or X feet alnive the 

 line of the crest, and, while its circular form is appreciable, its outer 

 IxMindaries are so indistinct that measurements of its diameter can 

 not In 1 more than approximations. This is the (Jilder mound. A 

 fr\v yards to the north is visible another low dune-like swell, |M>S- 

 sibly also an artificial mound; some years ago another low elevation, 

 alnmt 'J50 yards north of this, was dug into and yielded human 1 Mines. 

 and alxHit the same distance still farther in the same direction, three 

 imperfect human skulls were found by Mr. (Jilder in the west bank 

 of the road, within less than *J feet of the surface. 



The structure of the (Jilder mound, which was examined so fu- 

 ns the partially frozen condition of the ground |Mrmitted. is as fol- 

 lows: The whole knoll is covered to a depth of 10 inches with dark 

 surface soil, which contains roots and other vegetable matter. 

 Itcneath this is the loess, apparently entirely free from coarse mate- 

 rial. The color of this deposit is deejM'r in its up|MT |M>rtion, fading 

 out gradually to the characteristic yellowish hue of the dry loess 

 beneftth. The darker color al>ove is due in part to moisture, in part 

 to a thin admixture of ashes and occasional minute bits of charcoal. 

 The signs of fire are most noticeable toward the center of the mound, 

 where they extend to a depth of nearly '.\ feet. An effort was made 

 to ascertain whether there is a led of baked earth U'licath the super- 

 ficial layer, as reported by Mr. (Jilder. but without success, on account 

 of the fro/en condition of the ground. It was plain, however, that 

 ;:i no point had the baking progressed so far as to render the earth 

 impervious to water. No definite line of separation between the SU|M- 

 rior and the inferior levels in the mound was ol>served. and there 

 i- no |M-rccptible difference in the density or structure of the ltHss at 

 different levels: in fact, the exposed surfaces, In'ing every win ' 

 smoothed by the shovel or trowel, showed no trace of structure what 

 ever. T\\<> large rodent burrows, one running very deep, \\cn- 



