Ancient Villages Among Emhlematic Mounds. 171 



The ancient trail was supplanted first by the stage route. 

 The railroad has now taken the place of both. This village site 

 has not been reached by the railroad although it was a fav- 

 orite project to connect the interior with the lake by this 

 route. The first plank road through the Milwauke mounds 

 was built from Great Bend and Muskegon to Milwaukee. 

 The first railroad struck the site of another native village, 

 that at Waukesha and then passed on to the west. Proof 

 furnished by the thoroughfares of modern days may not 

 seem to be in point, and yet we take the ground that the 

 natural advantages of the country have led to the choice of 

 the same localities for residences, the same routes for travel,, 

 and the same spots for centers of population throughout the 

 whole series of changes which have occurred both in his- 

 toric and prehistoric times. 



The proofs that this was a village site do not need to be 

 dwelt upon longer. We only recapitulate the points which 

 have been illustrated in this case that we may understand 

 what are the characteristics of village life among the em- 

 blematic mound builders generally. We have 1st, the sit- 

 uation of villages as regards the means of subsistance, (a) 

 on the edge of a forest and near a prairie abounding in wild 

 game; (b) in proximity to wild rice swamps and near streams 

 and forests where fruits and grains were abundant, (c.) it 

 was near rivers and lakes where fish could be procured, and 

 may have been a favorable position for the raising of maize 

 and horticultural products. 2d. The character of the ground 

 on which the village was located, (a.) It was isolated from 

 the river and from the surrounding country, (b.) It was a 

 favorable place for drainage and furnished favorable places 

 for hiding their stores of grain. 



3rd. Provisions for defense: (a) fragmentary walls placed 

 on the edge of a hill; (b) efiSgies placed at the openings be- 

 tween; (c) a covered way, protecting the entrance to the 

 village. 



•Ith. The outworks accompanying the village consisting of 

 (o) burial mounds; {h) game drives; (c) effigies protecting it; 

 (d) look-out mounds in a prominent position; {e) other works 

 designed to protect and to furnish means of subsistence. 



