234 



MOUND EXPLORATIONS. 



in such a state of preservation as to indicate that tliey, as well as'many 

 found on the west side above the bayou, pertain to a comparatively 

 modern period. It is even stated by some of the oldest settlers of the 

 locality that when first occupied by the whites it was not an unusual 

 thing- to plow up fragments of bark boxes or cofiQns, together with 

 bones and pottery. 



OLD TOWN WORKS. 



These are situated on a sandy ridge between the Mississippi river 

 and Old Town lake, at the point where they make their nearest ap- 

 proach to each other and near the 

 ancient outlet of the latter, which is 

 now closed by the levee. They con- 

 sist of earthen walls or embank- 

 ments, mounds, and the saucer- 

 shaped depressions supposed to be 

 house sites, as shown in Fig. 142. 

 The works to the left, marked a, con- 

 sist of an inclosing wall surrounding 

 I ,ap#f^ W ^ space somewhat in the form of a 



)' , ■■littiPifMY M quadrant of a circje; a large, trun- 



cated, pyramidal mound with ter- 

 race (No. 3 in the figure) and other 

 smaller conical or oval mounds and 

 numerous saucer-shaped house sites. 

 Those at the right must have been 

 very extensive, but have been to a 

 large extent removed for the pur- 

 pose of forming the levee. 



The preservation of the wall 

 around the western works is largely 

 due to the fact that it has, in part, 

 been utilized as a portion of the 

 levee. 



No. 1, at the right and forming a 

 part of the group marked h, is the 

 remnant of a wall which extended from the old bank of the liver 400 

 feet diagonally toward the head of the former' outlet of the lake and 

 terminated in a small rectangular iuclosure 15 by 30 feet. 



Whether this wall and inclosure arc wholly the work of aborigines 

 or jjartly of the whites is a question the Bureau assistant was unable 

 to decide, but thought the latter liew possible, judging from the size 

 and rectangular form of the work. According to local tradition they 

 were built by Moscosa and the remnant of l)e Soto's army whUe pre- 

 paring their brigantines for the descent of the Mississippi river. 



Much of mound No. 2 has been removed for levee purposes, but 

 traces of the edges still remaining prove it to have been GOO feet long 



Fig. 139.— Inuige pipe, Monroe county, Ark. 



