Flood-plain and the Mound Builders — Peet. 49 
the terrace, but the circle is partially obliterated by the wash of 
the river which formerly flowed near, but is now at a ' 'long dis- 
tance;" the ancient bed is distinctly seen at the foot of the ter- 
race." The cedar bank works are, on a steep precipitous bank, 
just above the river, at a hight of about eighty feet, l>ut the wall 
on the river side has been entirely obliterated, showing that much 
time had elapsed since the works were deserted. At High Bank 
the works are seventy- five feet above the river but they extend 
half a mile south. . . The works at this point have been washed and 
obliterated by the river, though its bed is now a long distance 
from the works. A series of works on Paint creek show the same 
changes. One village was then almost obliterated b}- the river 
but the river is now over a mile away. At Newark there is a 
graded waj- which formerl}' ran out to the water's edge but it ends 
on dry ground, while the covered way on the other side of the 
village which formerly reached the water now terminates on a 
wide bottom and the water is at a long distance awa}'. The same 
is true of the walls at Portsmouth, These formerly extended to 
the river from the works on the upper terrace across both ter- 
races, and were seven miles in length. They were so arranged as 
to give the idea of ferries connecting the sacrificial place with 
the sun symbol in one direction and the square enclosure in the 
other direction — three groups, two ferries and 2\ miles of wall. 
The walls at Portsmouth have been encroached upon by the Scioto, 
which has changed its channel and turned toward the wall and 
now flows where the wall once stood. The works near Dayton 
were formerly on the same level where now a neat modern village 
stands. The great Miami however has so overflowed its l^anks 
since these works were deserted, that the circle which was farthest 
away, near the edge of the blufl's, has been washed away and 
parts of it are not to be seen. The modern village lies entirely 
between this circle and the river, but the modern village is never 
flooded. 
These facts are significant. The rivers might have sudden 
freshets and so change their channels and make great havoc with 
the earth works, but where the land has become so dry and high 
that white men place their farms, build their houses and ei'ect 
their villages on it, we may judge that much time has passed. We 
cannot look upon the earth-works as so recent as some would 
make them. 
32 
