162 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. 



Another point worthy of notice is that in the vicinity 

 there are high lands which command extensive prospects. 

 At this point there are extensive ridges which form promi- 

 nent points from which extensive views could be gained. 

 The geological formation is here noticeable. The Great 

 Bend was caused by the damming up of the stream in the 

 glacial period by great ridges of gravel which turned it from 

 its course, deflecting it to the eastward, for six miles or 

 more. At the point where the village is located the river 

 bursts through the barriers, leaving a high knob of land 

 upon the west side and gentle swells of ground upon the 

 east, making an extensive lake, or reedy and marshy 

 place to the north of the ridge, and throwing the region 

 to the south open to the ravages of fire, so that the prairie 

 crept up to the very edge of the stream at that side. On this 

 ridge there are mounds and earthworks which correspond to 

 altar mounds and outlooks which have been discovered else- 

 where. In approaching the locality from the north one is 

 impressed with the sightliness of this blufif or ridge, for at 

 many intervals the ridge can be seen several miles away. It 

 is singular that as the writer approached it there were open 

 spots in the wooded hill top which attracted special notice, 

 and that these spots proved to be the very localities where 

 were outlooks and sacrificial mounds. 



On reaching the locality the first thing which attracted at- 

 tention was the discovery of a panther efiigy of remarkable 

 size and well defined shape. (See Fig. 2.) In following the out- 

 line of the Q^^j and reaching the head, it was discovered that 

 the land was broken by a great number of pits, which proved 

 to be the caches of the village. These were situated on the 

 edge of a small pond, and near a beaver dam, but were hid- 

 den away in the forests and would not have been noticed ex- 

 cept for the proximity of the eflSgy. 



There are many effigies which seem to guard caches as 

 this does, but none had so far been discovered near any vil- 

 vage site. Dr. Lapham describes one as situated at Indian 

 Prairie. Here the effigy is represented as guarding a low 

 mound. In the mound was a pit and upon the surface of 

 the soil were corn hills. The figure is given herewith for the 



