Encyclopedia Dubuque
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MOUND BUILDERS: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:mounds.gif|left|thumb|250px|Mounds of earth, sometimes created as effigies, have been throughout the Dubuque area.]]MOUND BUILDERS. A term used by archaeologists to describe various Native Americans who constructed humps of earth in various sizes and shapes from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the [[MISSISSIPPI RIVER]] eastward to the Appalachians. Early miners in the Dubuque area were intrigued by the hills of earth. Some mounds were elongated, but most were found in a conical shape. | [[Image:mounds.gif|left|thumb|250px|Mounds of earth, sometimes created as effigies, have been throughout the Dubuque area.]]MOUND BUILDERS. A term used by archaeologists to describe various Native Americans who constructed humps of earth in various sizes and shapes from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the [[MISSISSIPPI RIVER]] eastward to the Appalachians. Early miners in the Dubuque area were intrigued by the hills of earth. Some mounds were elongated, but most were found in a conical shape. | ||
[[LANGWORTHY, Lucius Hart|Lucius Hart LANGWORTHY]] mentioned mounds in speaking before the Dubuque Literary and Scientific Institute in 1854. Scientists at the time had many theories. The mounds were thought by some to have been used as a crude fortification. | [[LANGWORTHY, Lucius Hart|Lucius Hart LANGWORTHY]] mentioned mounds in speaking before the Dubuque Literary and Scientific Institute in 1854. Scientists at the time had many theories. Theories included the thought that the people who had constructed them were the lost tribes of Israel or an off-shoot of the Toltecs whose civilization once thrived in Mexico. In the 19th century some archaeologists believed that the people were a distinct American race distinct from other world peoples. The mounds were thought by some to have been used as a crude fortification. (1) | ||
In 1882 mounds at [[EAGLE POINT]] were surveyed by Colonel P. L. Norris. | Under the direction of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D. C., an organized mound exploration was conducted in 1882. Research teams were sent to all areas where mounds had been found. (2) In 1882 mounds at [[EAGLE POINT]] were surveyed by Colonel P. L. Norris. Cyrus Thomas, director of a national program to explore the mounds, wrote in his final report that mound builders appeared to come from several cultures and were simply early Iowa natives. While possibly related to then existing Native Americans, the mound builders were not directly related to the [[MESQUAKIE]] who migrated into the region in the mid-1770s. (3) | ||
Some of the mounds in the Dubuque area were constructed by the Hopewell Culture, pre-historic people who lived in this area between 500 and 1200 A. D. Later they either joined or were conquered by another mound building group that moved up from the southern area of the Mississippi Valley. Eventually the mound builders lost their distinct identity as they traded and intermarried with other groups in the region. (4) | |||
Construction of the [[DUBUQUE-WISCONSIN BRIDGE]] was brought to an abrupt halt in July 1980, when it was discovered that the route of the highway in Wisconsin ran through a Native American burial site. Dating back as far as 1,300 years, the area had one linear-shaped fifteen-foot long mound with a cone-shaped mound at the northern end. This contained the remains of two, and possibly more, infants. Before the site was excavated, a Winnebago medicine man from Wisconsin sanctified the ground with prayers. The remains were reburied nearby in similar shaped mounds made of the same earth. (Photo Courtesy: National Park Service) | Construction of the [[DUBUQUE-WISCONSIN BRIDGE]] was brought to an abrupt halt in July 1980, when it was discovered that the route of the highway in Wisconsin ran through a Native American burial site. Dating back as far as 1,300 years, the area had one linear-shaped fifteen-foot long mound with a cone-shaped mound at the northern end. This contained the remains of two, and possibly more, infants. Before the site was excavated, a Winnebago medicine man from Wisconsin sanctified the ground with prayers. The remains were reburied nearby in similar shaped mounds made of the same earth. (Photo Courtesy: National Park Service) | ||
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Source: | |||
1. "Burial Mounds Dot Area," Telegraph Herald, June 26, 1960 | |||
[[Category: Native American]] | [[Category: Native American]] | ||
Revision as of 18:54, 31 May 2014
MOUND BUILDERS. A term used by archaeologists to describe various Native Americans who constructed humps of earth in various sizes and shapes from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the MISSISSIPPI RIVER eastward to the Appalachians. Early miners in the Dubuque area were intrigued by the hills of earth. Some mounds were elongated, but most were found in a conical shape.
Lucius Hart LANGWORTHY mentioned mounds in speaking before the Dubuque Literary and Scientific Institute in 1854. Scientists at the time had many theories. Theories included the thought that the people who had constructed them were the lost tribes of Israel or an off-shoot of the Toltecs whose civilization once thrived in Mexico. In the 19th century some archaeologists believed that the people were a distinct American race distinct from other world peoples. The mounds were thought by some to have been used as a crude fortification. (1)
Under the direction of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D. C., an organized mound exploration was conducted in 1882. Research teams were sent to all areas where mounds had been found. (2) In 1882 mounds at EAGLE POINT were surveyed by Colonel P. L. Norris. Cyrus Thomas, director of a national program to explore the mounds, wrote in his final report that mound builders appeared to come from several cultures and were simply early Iowa natives. While possibly related to then existing Native Americans, the mound builders were not directly related to the MESQUAKIE who migrated into the region in the mid-1770s. (3)
Some of the mounds in the Dubuque area were constructed by the Hopewell Culture, pre-historic people who lived in this area between 500 and 1200 A. D. Later they either joined or were conquered by another mound building group that moved up from the southern area of the Mississippi Valley. Eventually the mound builders lost their distinct identity as they traded and intermarried with other groups in the region. (4)
Construction of the DUBUQUE-WISCONSIN BRIDGE was brought to an abrupt halt in July 1980, when it was discovered that the route of the highway in Wisconsin ran through a Native American burial site. Dating back as far as 1,300 years, the area had one linear-shaped fifteen-foot long mound with a cone-shaped mound at the northern end. This contained the remains of two, and possibly more, infants. Before the site was excavated, a Winnebago medicine man from Wisconsin sanctified the ground with prayers. The remains were reburied nearby in similar shaped mounds made of the same earth. (Photo Courtesy: National Park Service)
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Source:
1. "Burial Mounds Dot Area," Telegraph Herald, June 26, 1960