32 



less hay meadow. At high water in spring, as I ascertained, 

 the river still sends its surplus water by this old channel. My 

 position is that the 200 yards of earth between the site of the 

 Grand Mound and that of the small mound was deposited after 

 the Grand Mound was begun, and before the commencement 

 of the small mound. Undoubtedly this small mound, as well 

 as a similar one not far up the river from the Grand Mound, 

 were begun on account of the laborious work of carrying bones 

 and earth to such a height, and on account of the numerous 

 interments which have left the surface of the Grand Mound a 

 bone pile. This is shown by the small mound being on a site 

 more recent than that of the large mound. Suppose a hundred 

 years to have sufficed to raise the small mound to its height 

 when the devastating ruin of the Sioux slaughtered the last 

 Mound Builder and checked the mound. From our previous 

 position this would represent a point some 500 years ago. But 

 during this 500 years according to our hypothesis all of the 

 point of land below the small mound, that is to say, about 300 

 yards in length, has been formed. The question then is, how 

 long at the same rate must it have taken the 200 yards between 

 the two mounds to form? This brings us then to a point say 

 300 years before the time of beginning of the small mound. 

 We thus arrive at about 800 years ago as the time when the 

 Grand Mound was begun. It will thus be seen that we have 

 reached back to the eleventh century, the time previously de- 

 duced from historic date for the arrival of the Toltecans on 

 the Rainy River. 



CONCLUSION. 



Our investigation has now come to an end. I have led you 

 to examine the few fragments of a civilization which it would 

 be absurd to declare to have been of the very highest type, but 

 yet of a character much above that of the wandering tribes, 

 which, with their well-known thirst for blood, destroyed the 

 very arts and useful habits which might have bettered their 

 condition. The whirlwind of barbarian fury is ever one which 

 fills peaceful nations with terror. We may remember how 

 near in the " Agony of Canada," the French power was to 

 being swept out of existence by the fierce fur^ of the Iroquois 

 — up to that time always victorious. We may remember how 

 civilization in Minnesota was thrown back by the Sioux mas- 

 sacre of 1861. It is only now by persistent and unwearied 

 efforts that we can hope to conquer the Indians by the arts 

 of peace, and by inducing him to take the hoe in place of the 

 tomahawk, to meet nature's obstacles. Who can fail to heave 



