Miscellaneous Papers Relating to Anthropology/Description of a Group of Mounds in Bureau County, Illinois
DESCRIPTION OF A GROUP OF MOUNDS IN BUREAU COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
By A. S. Tiffany, of Davenport, Iowa.
The group of eight mounds described below and represented in the accompanying plan is situated near Bureau, in Bureau County, Illinois, on the bottom lands of the Illinois River and Bureau Creek. The land on which they are located has been farmed about forty years, and the smaller mounds have been considerably reduced. Numbers 1 to 3 are situated on a natural swell, and the diameters can be determined only approximately. These three were explored by the writer and Mr. Sale.
Dimensions and distances of the mounds.
| No. | Diameter. | Height. | Directions. | Distance. |
| Feet. | Inches. | Feet. | ||
| 1 | 50 | 30 | W. 20º No. to No. 2 | 90 |
| 2 | 50 | 30 | W. 20º No. to No. 3 | 100 |
| 3 | 50 | 30 | W. 45º No. to No. 4 | 120 |
| 4 | 70 | 36 | S. 40º W. to No. 5 | 185 |
| 5 | 80 | 48 | S. 25º W. to No. 6 | 210 |
| 6 | 70 | 42 | S. 25º W. to No. 7 | 240 |
| 7 | 90 | 66 | S. 25º W. to No. 8 | 210 |
| 8 | 80 | 48 |
A rectangular opening, 7 feet square, was made in mound No. 1. At a depth of 15 inches a bed of ashes several inches in thickness was reached, which extended in all directions beyond the opening. At a depth of 5 feet a few bones, much decomposed, were found. They were parts of two individuals. A small number of bone awls were lying near them.
A slight dip in the floor of the mound was observed in the northeast corner. The exploration was extended 9 feet further, making the entire length of the opening 16 feet. The remains of two individuals were found with their heads toward the north. Under the head of the individual lying upon the west side was discovered a porphyry crescent-shaped implement of rare beauty. It is polished on both sides, and all its edges are nicely wrought.
GROUP OF MOUNDS
The perforation does not extend through the stone, being only .55 inches in depth, but sufficient for mounting. A flint knife was deposited with the same individual, about where the right hand would naturally be.
At the northeast corner of this excavation, with some decomposed bones of the other individual, a bone awl or needle was recovered, about four inches in length, but a portion had been broken off. It was gracefully tapering and finely pointed.
A few pieces of pottery obtained were of the same character as that which occurs universally in this region. The crania were too fragile to be saved. A few unio shells and water-worn pebbles had been deposited in different parts of the mound.
In mound No. 2 the skeleton of a youth, much decomposed, was all that rewarded our labor.
In mound No. 3 no human remains or objects of interest occurred.
The second group of mounds surveyed are situated on the bluff at Bureau, Bureau County, Illinois. The measurements are given in the accompanying table:
