242 Ancient Bones. 
Arr. V.. On some ancient human bones &c. with « no- 
tice of the bones of the Mastodon or Mammoth, and 
of various shells found in Ohio and the west; by Cates 
Atwater, Esq. 
>» 
Circleville, May 22, 1820. 
TO PROFESSOR SILLIMAN. 
Dear Sir, 
Ir has been said, that neither the bones of man, nor 
the remains of any of his works, have been found in any of 
the rock formations of our Globe. This may be true of all 
parts of the earth except Ohio. In this region however a 
number of skeletons have been found in two places at least, 
and the works of man have been discovered in many oth- 
ers. To what epoch or catastrophe of our globe, they are to 
be referred, I leave others to decide, while I proceed to 
relate the facts. 
Iam credibly informed, that in digging a well at Cincin- 
nati in this state, an arrow head was found more than nine- 
ty feet below the surface. The geology of that place has 
been well described by Dr. Drake, in his ‘Picture of Cin- 
cinnati.” It is avery ancient alluvion. Nine miles South 
of the present shore of lake Erie, at Ridgeville, Cayaho- 
ga county, several feet below the surface, in the ridge, 
which was once the southern shore of the lake, several 
bricks, and one or more human skeletons were found, which 
from every appearance were deposited there by no human 
hand.* They might have been thrown on the shore, with 
the cedars which surround these remains, before the lake 
receded to its present bed. Similar indications have been 
observed in Huron county immediately West of Ridge-. 
ville} We may account for those found in Huron, in the 
same manner as those discovered at Ridgeville. 
At Pickaway plains, about three miles South of this town, 
while several persons were digging a well, several years 
since, a human skeleton was found{ seventeen feet six inches 
* Fact derived frrom Moses Eldred, Esq. 
+ Authority, Israel Harrington, Esq. of Lower Sandusky. 
+By Major John E. Morgan. 
