200 MOUND EXPLORATIONS. 



ami fully iis wide, p;ii'tially disclosing the character of the luouiid, per- 

 mission to explore it being refused by the owner. 



THE BABCOCK MOUNDS. 



The small group bearing this name consists of but two mounds, sit- 

 uated iu Sec. 3(), T. 1(5 N., R. 2 E., of the lifth iirincipal meridian, in the 

 southeast corner of the county on a low ridge between Cache river and 

 a cypress swamj). ^ 



Mound I is of the ordinary round or conical form, 65 feet in diameter 

 and 7 feet high, composed chiefly of earth similar to the surrounding 

 soil. About halfway down from the top was found a thiu layer of 

 burnt clay reaching from 2 feet east of tlie middle to the western 

 margin, which did not conform liorizontally to the curve of the mound, 

 but to the level of the ground on which the mound stands. A few 

 inches above this layer were two small deposits of burnt clay. It is 

 doubtful whether they were burnt where they were found, there being 

 no coals or ashes about them and the earth in cont.ict with them show- 

 ing no indications of heat. They were scarcely more than a foot scpiare 

 and 3 inches thick. 



Two skeletons found wei-e probably intrusive burials, as they were 

 placed only 12 and 16 inches below the surface. The most interesting 

 thing observed iu this simple, ordinary mouud was the size of some ot^ 

 the supposed "load nuisses." Xear the bottom, in the central part, 

 the clayey portion increased and the mottled appearance, supposed by 

 mound explorers to be due to the deposits of individual loads, became 

 quite distinct and some of these masses were apparently too heavy 

 loads for even two persons, as they were 3 feet across the face and from 

 a foot to 20 inches thick. 



The other mound had already been o|)ened. 



CEAIGHEAD COUNTY. 



The topographical features of this county are mirch the same as 

 those of Greene, the only important difference being that its area em- 

 braces a larger proixa-tion of the lowlands of the St. Francis valley. 



According to Col. Norris, who visited the northeast part of the county, 

 the entire region along this part of the St. Francis lake is so cut up 

 with sink holes, "blow-outs," sand hillocks, and trenches (trending 

 northeast and southwest), the effect of earthquakes, that the ancient 

 works are scarcely traceable except iu certain favored localities. One 

 of these he found at Carpenter's landing on the St. Francis lake, 12 

 miles east of Brooklyn. Even this sandy ridge is much marred by the 

 effedts of the earthquake but there are unmistakable evidences that 

 this locality was occupied in foimer times by a large mound-buildei's 

 village and cemetery. A long line of circular and oblong mounds — 

 some nearly square and flat on top — is still traceable iu what is now a 

 swamp back of the ridge. 



