NOTES AND QUEEIES. 
219 
previously occupied the country became very angry, and at last so enraged and 
infuriated, by reason of these intrusions, that the red man durst not venture 
out to hunt any more, and was consequently reduced to great distress. At 
this time a large number of these huge monsters assembled here, when a 
terrible battle ensued, in which many on both sides were killed, and the 
remainder resumed their march towards the setting sun. Near the bluffs, 
which are at present known by the name of the Rocky Ridge, one of the 
greatest of these battles was fought. Immediately after the battle, the Indians 
gathered together many of the slaughtered animals, and offered them on the 
spot as a burnt sacrifice to the Great Spirit ; the remainder were buried by the 
Great Spirit himself in the before-mentioned Pomme de Terre, which from this 
time took the name of the Big Bone river, as well as the Osage, of which the 
Pomme de Terre is a branch. Prom this time the Indians brought their yearly 
sacrifice to this place, and offered it up to the Great Spirit as a thank offering 
for their timely deliverance ; and more latterly they have offered their sacrifice 
on the table-rock previously mentioned, which was he'd in great veneration, 
and considered holy ground. This ceremony was kept up with the utmost 
rigidity uutil one of the white emigrants settled in the valley at the foot of 
the rock, with the intention of making himself and family a permanent resi- 
dence on this fertile spot : but he did not long enjoy this beautiful situation, 
for on the return of the Indians to offer their wonted sacrifice, they beheld 
with indignation and astonishment the intrusion of this venturesome settler on 
their sacred ground. Soon the council fire was kindled, when the Indians gave 
their accustomed murmur of dissatisfaction, and immediately the white man 
was obliged to leave, without the least preliminary ceremony. Some time 
after this, on becoming better acquainted with his red neighbours, and having 
through much perseverance gained their good opinion, after much reluctance 
on their part, and explanations and assurances that he would not infringe on 
their sacred j)rivileges, and would only raise corn and potatos for his family, 
he was once more permitted to settle on this sacred spot, of which lie retained 
peaceable possession until the return of some old chiefs, who had been for a 
long time absent. They in turn were exasperated to madness on seeing the 
violation of the sacred ground of their forefathers by the encroachment of the 
white man, and again the poor farmer was obliged to leave. Prom tliat time 
this spot remained in the hands of the Indians, and no entreaty or allurement 
could be held out to induce them to resign it, until they were removed by the 
government; it then for the third time fell into the hands of the original 
settler, who joyfully took possession of the place he had so long desired to 
make his home. After a while other settlers arrived, and as the want of a mill 
for grinding their different kinds of grain began to be felt, each family having 
hitherto been obliged, in order to obtain a supply of meal, to resort to the 
laborious process of pounding their corn in mortars, the old farmer resolved on 
building a tub-mill for the accommodation of himself and his neighbours. In 
order to ]n-ocure the necessary water power, the aid of the before-mentioned 
spnng was brought into requisition; and in making the necessary excavation, 
the labourers found several bones of young mastodons, wliich excited their 
curiosity and astonishment ; but they suspended their labour on ascertaining 
that the force of the said spring was not sufficient for their purpose. Soon 
after this the place was sold, and the excitement about the bones and the 
Indians was forgotten until the summer of 1839, at which time a young man, 
who was employed to clean the said spring, found the tooth of a mastodon 
during his labour, which occurrence reminded several of the old settlers of the 
former transactions and traditions, and a narration of these induced a few per- 
sons residing in that vicinity, out of mere curiosity, to make further examina- 
tion as to what was contained in the spring. They succeeded in findmg several 
