LOCATION OF THE GILDER MOUND 247 



Kausan territory. The roughest jDarts are nearest to the bluffs, and are 

 characterized by high rounded ridges the cores of which seem to consist 

 largely of Kansan till and clays and which are capped by loess rarely, if 

 ever, exceeding 35 feet in thickness. The bluffs between Florence and 

 Ponca creek show more or less drift, capped with loess. The former 

 rises to a height of 95 feet above the road north of Pries lake. The latter 

 rarely reaches a thickness of 30 feet. It is fossiliferous at several points. 



These ridges sometimes extend almost parallel with the river valley, 

 and their abrupt eastern slopes then form the immediate river bluffs. On 

 such a ridge, known as Long hill, located about 3 miles north of Flor- 

 ence, Nebraska (see figure 1), Mr Eobert F. Gilder, of Omaha, discov- 

 ered the mound containing the remains of the "Nebraska loess man." 



This ridge is a spur extending southward from a more massive higher 

 elevation (at its highest point fully 200 feet above the valley) and ter- 

 minating just north of Ponca creek. The wagon road leading north from 

 Florence follows the base of the main bluffs to Ponca creek, and then 

 ascends the ridge, practically following the crest, which here lies close to 

 the very abrupt eastern slope, to the summit of the spur. Gilder mound 

 occupies the highest point on this spur, about 12 rods north of its south- 

 ern base and 50 feet west of the road, which is here 10 feet lower than the 

 mound. Its elevation above the road at the southern base of the ridge is 

 150 feet, and above low water in the Missouri river about 190 feet. 



The mound itself was somewhat elevated above the surface of the ridge, 

 having a slight slope even to the north, though the crest of the ridge 

 slopes distinctly southward. It was covered with forest, the largest trees 

 on or near the mound being bur oaks (8 to 12 inches in diameter), a wal- 

 nut (10 inches), and a basswood (8 inches). 



Its dimensions could not be accurately determined on account of the 

 dense forest covering and the gradual blending of the surface of the 

 moimd with that of the ridge, but the lateral sections which were made 

 show that the disturbed materials forming the mound extend beyond the 

 limits of the excavated area.^" 



Previously Eeported Position of Human Eemains 



In this mound the first explorations of Mr Gilder and Doctor Barbour 

 revealed two distinct layers of human bones, the lower containing five 

 skulls in a layer of "packed clay or loess" at a depth of 4 to 5 feet, and 

 the upper three skulls and many bones of a more advanced man. 



10 For a more complete discussion of tlie extent of the mound, etcetera, see Robert F. 

 Giider"s paper, "Recent excavations at Long's hill, Nebraslia," in American Anthropolo- 

 gist, vol. 10, 1908, pp. 60-73. 



