28 THE GEORGE CATLIN IXDIAN GALLERY. 



tended by many white men (October 4 or 5, 1838) by his family, and about fifty of his 

 tribe. Almost all of the Sac and Fox were absent at Rock Island. — A. R. Fulton. 



Captain Jordan, who, as above stated, was present at his burial, is now residing on 

 the very spot where he died. In reply to a letter of inquiry from Mr. Snyder, he 

 writes as follows : 



"Eldon, Iowa, July 15, 1881. 



" Black Hawk was buried on the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 

 2, township 70, range 12, Davis County, Iowa, near the northeastern corner of the 

 county, on the Des Moines River bottom, about 90 rods from where he lived at the 

 time he died, on the north side of the river. I have the ground where he lived for a 

 door-yard, it being between my house and the river. The only mound over the grave 

 was some puncheons split out and set over his grave and then sodded over with blue- 

 grass, making a ridge about four feet high. A flag-staff, some 20 feet high, was planted 

 at his head, on which was a silk flag, which hung there until the wind wore it out. 

 My house and his were only about 4 rods apart when he died. He was sick only 

 about fourteen days. He was buried right where he sat the year before, when in 

 council with the Iowa Indians, and was buried in a suit of military clothes, made to 

 order and given to him when in Washington City by General Jackson, with hat, 

 sword, and gold epaulets, &c." 



Another old settler of that neighborhood, Mr. Isaac Nelson, sent Mr. Snyder the fol- 

 lowing : 



"Hickory, Iowa, June 24, 1881. 



" I came to Iowa in the spring of 1836, and was two or three times near Black Hawk's 

 house, but never went in to see him. * * * He was buried in a manner on the 

 top of the ground, but his feet were about 16 inches in the ground and his head 

 about a foot above the surface. He had on a suit of military clothes ; four nice new 

 blankets were wrapped around him, a pillow of feathers was under his head, a plug 

 hat was on his head, and an old-fashioned brussel stock around his neck. You may 

 ask how I saw all of this when he was in his grave. I will try to describe the way in 

 which he was buried, and then you will understand it. A forked post had been 

 planted at his head and one at his feet ; a ridge pole was laid in these forks, and then 

 puncheons put over him in the shape of a roof and the earth thrown on, which made 

 a raise of 2 or 3 feet above him. The whites had taken out the two ends so we 

 could see through. The grave had been inclosed with pickets some 8 feet high, 

 planted in the ground with joints broken ; but these the whites had forced apart so 

 that we could easily creep in. His feet were to the east and his head to the west. 

 At his feet was a shaved oak post with painting on it, and at his head a pole with a 

 nice silk flag. All the grass and weeds were kept out of the inclosure and for some 

 distance around the outside. He had no coffin, but was laid full length on a board 

 with four fine blankets around him." 



Pursuing the investigation further, I found, with the kind assistance of W. Clement 

 Putnam, esq., of Davenport, in the Annals of Iowa (1863, p. 50, and 1864, p. 353 

 et 8eq.) the statements of Willard Barrows, esq., and Capt. H. B. Horn, in relation to 

 the event under consideration. They say that the old chief's body was laid on a 

 board which was sunk at the foot, or lower, end, about 15 inches below the surface 

 of the ground, while the other, or upper end of the board, was raised, and supported 

 three feet above it ; thus his body reclined at an angle with the horizon of some 25 or 

 30 degrees. He was dressed in the military uniform of a colonel of the Regular Army, 

 said to have been presented to him by a member of President Jackson's Cabinet, with 

 a cap on his head elaborately ornamented in Indian style with feathers. At his left 

 side was a sword, which had been presented to him by General Jackson ; and at his 

 right side were placed two canes, one of which he had received from Hon. Henry 

 Clay ; the other was the gift of an officer of the British army. Besides these were 

 deposited on either side other presents and trophies, highly prized by him as memen- 

 toes of his valor and greatness. About his neck were ribbons suspending three med- 



