Il8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. "Jl 



He found the other site where the Rock Island Railroad now 

 crosses the Big Sioux River, about lo miles southeast of Sioux Falls. 

 It is designated here the Rock Island site. 



ROCK ISLAND SITE 



Sometime in the seventeenth century the (^maha and Poncas re- 

 moved from the Pipestone regions in Minnesota and finally, after 

 some further wanderings, built a fortified town on the Big Sioux 

 River at the Rock Island site. While living in this fortified Rock 

 Island site they were attacked and defeated by an enemy, most prob- 

 ably the Dakotas. and finally forced to leave the region. Before 

 leaving, they buried their dead from this fight in a mound on this 

 site. This burial tradition was confirmed by excavations made by 

 Mr. A. G. Risty and Mr. F. W. Pettigrew, who report finding a 

 considerable amount of human bones in one of the mounds. Some 

 glass beads and small copper bells of white man's make Avere also 

 found in one of the mounds on this site. There is evidence that this 

 site was occupied somewhere between 1700 and 1725. 



SPLIT ROCK SITE 



After leaving the Rock Island site, the Omahas and Poncas roved 

 without long permanent settlements for several years, but finally 

 returned to their beloved Xe and built a permanent village at Split 

 Rock site on " The Big Bend " at the junction of the Big Sioux and 

 Split Rock rivers. 



The month of October, 192 1, was spent exploring this Split Rock 

 site. J\Iany interesting relics of the Omahas were here unearthed, 

 which throw new light on the life of these people before they had 

 been very much changed by contact with the whites. 



There is a group of 30 mounds on the ridge between the two rivers 

 marking the site of that portion of the old town occupied by the 

 Omahas. On a hill one-half mile to the east was a group of ten more 

 mounds, occupied by the Poncas before they split away from the 

 Omahas at this old town. 



On the tall ridge \\ miles to the west, by following the clues furn- 

 ished by the traditions, three low mounds were discovered. These 

 were said by the traditions to have been on the site of the lookouts for 

 the main village. These lookout mounds command a view, ranging 

 from 6 to 15 miles, on all sides. The mounds on this Split Rock site 

 appear to have nearly all been used for burial. 



