﻿NOTICE 
  

  

  OF 
  

  

  SEVERAL 
  ANCIENT 
  REMAINS 
  OF 
  ART, 
  

  

  IN 
  JEFFERSON 
  AND 
  ST. 
  LAWRENCE 
  COUNTIES, 
  

   BY 
  FRANKLIN 
  B. 
  HOUGH, 
  M. 
  D. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Leray, 
  Jefferson 
  county, 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  two 
  

   ancient 
  trench 
  enclosures. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  situated 
  near 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  

   Black 
  River, 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  below 
  the 
  little 
  village 
  of 
  " 
  Lockport," 
  

   (Black 
  River) 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  nearly 
  obliterated 
  by 
  the 
  plough 
  ; 
  except 
  the 
  

   section 
  that 
  crosses 
  the 
  road, 
  and 
  that 
  which 
  lays 
  in 
  a 
  pasture 
  between 
  

   the 
  road 
  and 
  the 
  river. 
  For 
  the 
  relative 
  situation 
  of 
  this 
  enclosure 
  with 
  

   surrounding 
  objects, 
  reference 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  accompanying 
  plan, 
  No. 
  1, 
  

  

  n 
  the 
  cultivated 
  field 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  road, 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  

   traces 
  of 
  fireplaces, 
  both 
  within 
  and 
  without 
  the 
  trench 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  cir- 
  

   cular 
  area 
  to 
  the 
  northeast, 
  several 
  skeletons 
  have 
  been 
  exhumed. 
  From 
  

   the 
  state 
  of 
  preservation 
  in 
  which 
  these 
  bones 
  are 
  found, 
  it 
  is 
  inferred 
  

   that 
  they 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  recent 
  tribes 
  of 
  Indians 
  that 
  inhabited 
  the 
  

   region. 
  No 
  aboriginal 
  settlements 
  were 
  known 
  to 
  exist 
  here 
  at 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  settlement 
  by 
  the 
  whites, 
  about 
  fifty 
  years 
  since. 
  The 
  

   same 
  remark 
  applies 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  remains 
  of 
  ancient 
  enclosures 
  in 
  

   Jefferson 
  and 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  counties. 
  

  

  The 
  other 
  trench 
  enclosure 
  is 
  about 
  one 
  mile 
  north 
  of 
  this, 
  is 
  larger, 
  

   and 
  like 
  the 
  first, 
  contains 
  in 
  and 
  around 
  it 
  numerous 
  traces 
  of 
  hearths, 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  pottery, 
  shells 
  of 
  edible 
  fresh 
  water 
  shell-fish, 
  and 
  the 
  

   bones 
  of 
  men 
  and 
  animals. 
  Its 
  outline 
  is 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  very 
  obscure 
  

   and 
  the 
  plough 
  will 
  in 
  a^few 
  years 
  efface 
  the 
  last 
  vestige 
  of 
  mound 
  or 
  

   trench. 
  The 
  adjoining 
  flat 
  was 
  once 
  flowed 
  by 
  a 
  beaver 
  dam, 
  making 
  

   a 
  shallow 
  pond 
  of 
  several 
  acres 
  in 
  extent. 
  The 
  remains 
  of 
  this 
  dam 
  

   are 
  still 
  distinct. 
  It 
  is 
  built 
  in 
  a 
  curve, 
  the 
  convex 
  side 
  being 
  up 
  the 
  

   stream. 
  For 
  the 
  dimensions 
  and 
  topography 
  of 
  this 
  enclosure, 
  see 
  

   plan 
  No. 
  2. 
  

  

  