86 



MOUND KXPLOKATIONS. 



miles north of Ciis.sville. These, remarks ^Ir. Hohiies, may be taken 

 as an illustration of the earthworks of this region. The bluffs are 

 here ujjwards of 300 feet in height and are very abrupt on the margins 

 overlooking the river. The horizontal beds of massive masnesian lime- 

 stone outcrop along the 

 brink, giving a series of 

 gray escarped promon- 

 tories, between which 



are notch-like recesses 

 cutbythedrainage. The 

 steep faces of the bluff 

 are without timber, but 

 the recesses and the up- 

 per surfaces are covered 

 with forests; this, to- 

 gether with the dense 

 growth of underbrush, 

 make exploration ex- 

 tremely difficult. 



Between Muddy creek, 

 which comes out of the 

 bluflt's at right angles 

 to the river escarpment 

 and the Sandy, a rivulet 

 emerging three-foui'ths 

 of a mile farther south, 

 there is a tongue of the 



I 



plateau divided into sev- 

 eral parts at the outer 

 end and connected by a 

 narrow ridge with the 

 main plateau. This out- 

 standing mass is a mile 

 in length and at the 

 widest part not more 

 than one-fourth of a 

 mile wide. Mounds are 

 found upon the main crest as well as upon most of the spurs. This 

 distribution in groups was determined apparently by the topography, 

 as will be seen by reference to the accompanying map. (Fig. 42.) 



The main lines of works occupy the crest of the principal ridge, 

 which borders Muddy creek on the south. Beginning at the outer 

 point we follow the curved ridge encountering first six oblong mounds 

 of the usual cliaracter, then a conical mound standing somewhat alone, 

 and beyond tliis a series of eight conical mounds connected into a chain 

 by low ridges. Traversing a distance of about 700 feet a second chain- 



