AN ERIE INDIAN VILLAGE AND BURIAL SITE 519 



which, falHng, had carried away a part of the village site and with 

 it the missing portion of the ring [see map of village site, pi. 4]. 

 The soil most modified by the occupation, that is to say, the top- 

 soil most deeply stained and intermixed with waste products of 

 aboriginal activities, was that part embraced within the area of the 

 dirt ring. Just outside of this ring there was another occupied 

 layer but it did not extend far. Some time after the discovery of 

 the former presence of the earth wall, on September 4, Mr George 

 Morse, an old settler, visited the scene of the operations and intro- 

 duced himself as one of the pioneers of Chautauqua county, and as 

 a man who in his boyhood remembered the site and its features. 

 Mr Morse made a verbal statement to the Archeologist which was 

 taken down verbatim. The account was afterward read to him and 

 pronounced correct. The statement follows : 



STATEMENT OF GEORGE MORSE RELATING TO THE EARTH RING 

 Taken verbatim 



I was born in 1823 a half mile from Dewey knoll and as a child 

 remember the Indian fort ring here. It was breast high and as 

 round as a cart wheel. My father said it (the inclosure) was 

 covered with a second growth whitewood woods. All around the 

 circle several rods from its edge was the primeval forest which 

 was cleared away by Mr Dewey, — -he owned the land once. To be 

 precise I remember that the ring was not complete for the two 

 ends like the letter C touched the lake bank. 



Since the earliest days relics have been carted away. When the 

 stumps were pulled and whenever the grub hole struck, arrows and 

 " skinning stones " would come to light. Sometimes Indian crockery 

 (pottery) in pieces as big as your hand and bigger would be found. 



I remember it was as round as a cart wheel and was plowed 

 down to level it off. My father planted corn there in 1826 and he 

 plowed and dug it level. There was a stone mound covered with 

 earth there. My brothers dug into it but did not dig deep enough 

 I think. Finally the bank caved off, — caves off every spring a good 

 deal, and a part of the mound fell into the water. Then when we 

 ■looked at it we saw a skeleton exposed under it. Shortly the entire 

 mound went over into the lake. 



The earth ring is found in many places in western New York and 

 elsewhere and is the base upon which a line of sharpened stakes or 

 palisades was placed to fortify the enclosure. This being true, the 

 village here must have been within the circular walls of sharpened 

 posts that rose from the earth circle. A number of families prob- 

 ably had lodges outside the fortification. These may have been 

 the less cautious or those who were crowded out through lack of 

 space within the narrow confines of the picket wall. 



