184 



MOUND EXPLORATIONS. 



Some 10 or 12 miles southwest of the battlefield of Belmont is one of 

 the peculiar sand ridges of this swampy region, called I'in Hook ridge. 

 This extends 5 or (i miles north and south, and is less than a mile in 

 width; botli of its tapering ends hook round in a westerly direction, as 

 shown in Fig. 9<i. There is abundant evidence here that the entire 

 ridge was long inhabited by a somewhat agricultural peojile, with sta- 

 tionary houses, who constructed numerous and high mounds, whi(;h are 

 now the only place of refuge for the present inhabitants and their stock 

 from the frequent overflows of the Mississippi. About one-halt of the 

 ridge is under cultivation ; the remainder is covered by a native forest 

 of oak, ash, gum, and other tiees, which are as large upon these mounds 

 and residence circles as elsewhere. 



baker's mound. 



This (No. 2 on the diagram) is situated nearly a mile southwest of 

 Beckwith's Fort (marked No. 1, in Fig. 96), and hereafter more fully 



Fin. ftr». — Pin Hunk lliilt^p ninniulH, Mississippi county, Misflonri. 



described; it is circular in form, about 50 feet in diameter and 4 feet 

 high. The peculiar feature of this mound is the mode of its construc- 

 tion, which is shown in Fig. 97. The lower stratum, marked No. 2, 

 consists of bluish swamp muck mixed with ashes, which, as a matter of 

 course, when deposited was soft and pliable as dough, though now so 

 hard as to require the use of a i)ick to penetrate it. Instead of the top's 

 being leveled as usual, it was depressed in the middle, so as to foi'm a 

 saucer-shaped basin, the rim on the south side being higher than on 

 the opposite side, as the mound stands on a natural slope. This was 

 filled with sandy loam (No. 1) and rounded over, completing the mound. 

 Near the upper part of this sandy layer Mr. Baker, who liad pre- 

 viously opened it, found two skeletons, placed horizontally, with heads 



