USA > Michigan > St Clair County > St. Clair County, Michigan, its history and its people; a narrative account of its historical progress and its principal interests, Vol. I > Part 9
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57
MOUND BUILDERS AND MOUNDS
Scattered over the central United States, including Michigan, are evidences of a people antedating the Indians of historic times. These evidences consist mainly of mounds of various shapes, and in conse- quence the people have been generally called the Mound Builders. It has been the general belief until quite lately that they were of a civilization higher than the Indians. as the white men have known them, and that they were perhaps connected with the Aztecs, or the more civilized races of Mexico and Central America. "The more careful exploration of the mounds in recent years, and the more thorough study of the data bearing on the subject have shown these opinions to be erroneous. The articles found in the mounds and the character of the various monuments indicate a culture stage much the same as that of the more advanced tribes found inhabiting this region at the advent of the whites. The conclusion reached chiefly through the investigation of the Bureau of Ethnology and now generally accepted, is that the Mound Builders were the ancestors of the Indians found inhabiting the same region by the first European explorers."
There were Indian mounds in St. Clair county until a few years since, but unfortunately no attempt was made to explore them thor- oughly or scientifically, and for our knowledge of them we are com- pelled to rely upon the report concerning them made by Mr. Henry Gilman, of Detroit, in 1872 to the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Mr. Gilman was at that time assistant superintendent of the light house service on the lakes, had before that been connected with the geodetic survey and later was for a time librarian of the public library in Detroit, and consul at Jerusalem. A portion of his report is as follows: "The mounds situated at the head of the St. Clair river extend from south of Fort Gratiot for one and one-half miles north- ward, along the west shore of the river and of Lake Huron. It is alto- gether probable that they reach much farther, both northward and
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
southward; but I have traced, examined and fully identified them for the distance mentioned. Similar works have been found on the oppo- site side of the river in Canada. Isolated mounds in the interior also exist, an interesting example of which is seen on the west shore of the Black river (a tributary of the St. Clair), at a point about one and three-quarter miles southwest of Gratiot; the mound referred to having been exposed, some years ago, by the grading of a road through it, which, as usual, resulted in the loss of a large amount of valuable relics.
"With few exceptions, all these mounds have a general resemblance, and bear the appearance of terrace-like embankments from ten to twenty and twenty-five feet in height; they are much longer than wide, and run nearly parallel to the general direction of the river and lake shore, which here does not vary much from north and south. They are mostly of the drift formation, subsequently modified or added to by man for the various objects for which they were occupied, whether for the purposes of interment, habitation, or the manufacture of the rude implements connected with the daily life of that period; and, from the topographical features and the geographical position, they must have formed favorite places of retreat in war time.
"Mound No. 1 is composed chiefly of sand and gravel, is about two hundred feet long by fifty feet wide, and is fifteen feet above the level of the river. It has rather abruptly-eurving sides, and is built on a slope of the ridge, of drift formation, on which the village of Gratiot stands.
"A large excavation, made about fifty feet from the south end of the mound, disclosed the remains of four human bodies, at a depth of four feet from the surface. In an area of about ten feet square the four crania, with a portion of the accompanying bones, were taken out, but were in so decayed and tender a condition that, with the exception of a skull and a few of the long bones and vertebrae, they mostly fell to pieces. The bodies evidently were buried in a sitting posture. This was very apparent in one case, where the femora were found bent upon and above the tibiae, the vertebrae, etc .. resting upon these, while the skull lay on top, face downward, as though it had leaned forward orig- inally, and had finally fallen over into that position. This cranium is that marked Skull No. 1, Mound No. 1; and the vertebrae and other bones thereto belonging may be found correspondingly marked. With these remains were associated fragments of pottery, the bones of fishes and birds, flint chips, and some stone implements of the rudest character. These last were mostly water-worn boulders, apparently used as ham- mers, and almost invariably shattered, and net sinkers, flattish, irregu- larly-elliptical stones, notched on the edges or partially grooved toward the eenter. It is interesting to notice that the tibiae present the peculiar compression which I have found so marked a characteristie, and in such extreme degree in the tibiae from the mounds on the Detroit river and the River Rouge, Michigan, establishing the fact that these, too, were platyenemie men.
"After excavating to the depth of six feet, the coarse gravel of the drift was encountered ; but no further objects of interest being met with,
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
the opening was extended in other directions to the westward, so as to open a lateral trench through the mound. This revealed several fire- places, solid beds of black ashes from one foot to eighteen inches thiek, with fragments of pottery and bone, flint chips, sinkers and broken hammers interspersed. The fireplaces were invariably at or near the surface of the mound, showing it to have been occupied for habitation subsequently to being used for burial purposes. Openings made at two points, about fifty feet from the north end of the mound, and also at a third point, half-way between these and the first excavation, added no faets of special interest. Two excavations were then made at twenty- five feet from the south end of the mound, showing fireplaces with the beds of black ashes two feet thiek, and intermingled relies similar to those of the fireplaces already mentioned. Some of the fragments of pottery taken out here were uncommonly thick and coarse. Beneath were small pieces of the bones of man, but nothing further worthy of mention. The encroachment of the town on this mound, and on those to the west of it, prevented a more satisfactory examination.
"The oldest residents (some born and brought up here) knew noth- ing of the character of the mound, though they remember that, many years ago, it was covered with a large forest growth.
"Mound No. 2, which lies two hundred feet northwest of Mound No. 1, is over five hundred feet in length by from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet wide; and of the general height of twelve feet above the level of the St. Clair river. It is bounded on the north by a small stream known as MeNeil's ereek, which also runs southwardly all along its eastern slope, as well as a part of the south end of the mound. The ordinary observer will searcely fail to notice that this mound is something more than the work of nature. Its sides have a graceful, gradual slope, with the exception of the side fronting the river, which is abrupt and terrace-like, even where not washed by the creek. Be- tween the creek and the River St. Clair is some low lands with ponds, where are a few outlying mounds, small and of slight elevation. About two hundred feet of the south end of Mound No. 2 is clear of trees, except on the sides, and is covered with a smooth, green turf. Exeava- tions were made in a number of places, showing that this entire end of the mound was covered with a solid erust of black ashes from eighteen inches to two feet thick. So hard and solid was this crust that layers of it in large pieces several inches square and thick were taken up unbroken. Fragments of pottery, showing a great variety of patterns, bones of animals, birds and fishes (some of the larger bones evidently smashed), flint flakes and chips, with stone implements, consisting prin- cipally of arrowheads, hammers and sinkers, were found intermixed with the ashes. The abundance of the sinkers and particularly of the broken hammers is a remarkable feature. Though such rude utensils, a selection from them is preserved, so as to give an idea of their char- acter. I have not found elsewhere a similar condition of things, and believe that this end of the mound furnishes a nearer approach to the 'refuse heaps' of the Atlantic coast than anything I have seen else- where on the shores of the Great Lakes. The absence of the shell deposit, however, makes a marked differenee. I cannot find that those
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
ancient inhabitants of this region had much recourse to shell-fish as an article of diet. The great abundance of fishes, and the ease with which they were captured, together with the multitude of land game, left them under no necessity to use the inferior fresh-water mussels for food.
"From the large quantity of pottery fragments and broken hammers together with the thick bed of ashes covering so wide an area of this mound, I incline to think that this must have been a point where the manufacture of their pottery was carried on to an unusual extent. The broken hammers may be accounted for by their having been fractured in pounding the grains used as food, and in eracking the bones of animals for the extraction of the marrow, indications of which are not wanting. The pottery found in both these mounds exhibits an unusual variety of patterns, though not a single utensil was taken out entire.
"From want of time, the investigation of the northern part of the mound, which is elevated at its center from two to three feet above the portion covered with the ash-bed, was confined to three points. No additional information was obtained, however, further than establishing for it a like origin with the other mounds.
"All the northern portion of the mound and also the sides of the southern portion are covered with a large second growth of trees. These consist chiefly of white pine, scarlet oak, white oak and basswood. The trunks of some of these trees have a diameter of from eighteen inches two to and one-half feet. A few decayed stumps of the original forest still remain. These average four feet in diameter.
"Mound No. 3 .- After the exploration of four other mounds, three lying northward, the fourth northwestward of Mound No. 2, which con- tributed no additional facts of particular value, other than their identity of origin with the rest of the group, attention was next directed to Mound No. 3, which proved to be the most interesting of the entire series. This mound is situated three-quarters of a mile northeastward of Mound No. 1. It is about five hundred feet in length, and in breadth varies from seventy to ninety feet; while its height above the surface of Lake Huron is twelve feet, or not more than five feet above the general level of the surrounding land. In general direction it corresponds to the other mounds, and there is little in its appearance to suggest its char- acter or call the attention of any other than a practised eye.
"A large excavation was made at its widest part, and about its cen- ter. Within two feet of the surface the bones belonging to a single body were unearthed, but in so tender a condition from age that they mostly crumbled to pieces. A few bones of birds and fishes were found with them. Some of the decayed roots of an oak tree stump, ten feet to the westward (and which will be further alluded to), had grown over and around these bones. The excavation was deepened, widened and carried farther to the eastward, opening a trench to the depth of six feet, but only small fragments of human bones resulted. The trench was then opened to the westward, toward the stump of the oak. When at the depth of five feet, we came to a skull (No. 1, Mound 3). Some of the bones first taken out overlay this, and decayed roots of the oak, as thick as a man's arm, stretched above it. The other bones belonging to the body appear dwarfish. It was buried with the head to the east,
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
and the legs seem to have been drawn up, and not stretched out at full length. On removing these remains, we found, immediately beneath, a third body, placed so closely that the skull of the upper rested on that of the lower. At the head was a large quantity of the bones of birds and fishes, in a .compaet mass, as though once held in some wrapping or vessel which had decayed. These were pressed against the skulls, so that in some cases they adhered to them, and are, no doubt, the remains of the food placed with the dead. Such of the bones as could be re- moved are preserved, but a great portion crumbled to pieces. This body was buried with the head to the eastward. The roots of the oak tree had penetrated the bones in many cases, the long roots presenting some interesting examples of this, as the roots in their natural growth had first filled, then burst the bones, so that in several instances the parts of the bone surrounded the now deeayed root imbedded in it. Such pieces as held together are forwarded. This tree, which evidently belonged to the second growth of timber, was, I think, a scarlet oak, as the majority of the wood covering the southern half of the mound is of this species, together with the white pine. The decayed stump was two feet in diameter at the base, and at one foot above the ground divided into three trunks or main branches, each nine inches in diam- eter. These had been eut down, apparently, many years ago; and as between the first and two subsequent burials must have oeeurred, in all probability, some lapse of time, and the oak must have sprung up, reached its growth, been eut down, and its stump finally have decayed long afterward, some slight idea may be had as to the age of the first burial.
"The trench was now opened to the oak stump, when, from directly beneath it, Skull No. 3 was taken out with the accompanying bones. Upon this skull lay a plate of mica, five by four inches, of a quadrilateral shape, the corners worn off. A pebble of water-worn coral rested upon the mica, as if to keep it in place. About the neek of the deceased a necklace of remarkable construction had apparently been hung. This uncommon ornament was composed of the teeth of the moose, finely perforated at the roots, alternating with wrought beads of copper of different lengths, and the perforated bones of birds stained a fine green color, the stain, in the few picees preserved, being wonderfully fresh. Small portions of the cord to which they had been attached are still partially preserved and remain in the apertures of the copper beads. I suppose that the teeth alternated with the copper beads and the stained bones. One copper bead, which adheres by its oxidation to the perforated part of a tooth, sustains this conelusion. A rude stone axe, partially polished, lay beside these remains. All indieated that the dead had been peculiarly honored in his burial, and that he had been, perhaps, a noted personage.
"Immediately to the northward of this body another was taken out, Skull No. 4, with the remaining bones. These were under the edge of the oak stump, and, as well as the remains No. 3, were surrounded with masses of roots. Both bodies lay nearly side by side, and at the same vertical plane, five feet below the surface. As in the other eases, the
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bones of birds and fishes were found with the remains, but in small quantity.
"The excavation was next carried southward, through the center of the mound, for a short distance; but no relies being met with other than a few fragments of broken hammers and flint chips, it was next opened in the opposite direction, northward, thus giving it the form of an irregular Latin cross. When a few feet to the northward of the remains last taken out (No. 4), we came upon Skull No. 5, and following up the indications, recovered such of the remaining bones as could be pre- served. With this body a flint arrowhead and some other rude stone implements were found; also a number of small shells, the species of which I have not determined, but which appear to have been used for some special purpose, perhaps as ornaments, as they were ground smooth at the base. About twelve of these were recovered, but there must have been many more originally. as a large number of them crumbled to dust, and also some of them might easily have been overlooked. A short dis- tance westward of the last relics, Skull No. 6 was taken out. The accom- panying bones, as in the cases of the others, were very tender, and it was with extreme difficulty that any of them were recovered. The tibiae exhibited the compression previously referred to in a marked degree. A large mass of fish bones lay in front of this body, which, like the previous remains (Skull No. 5, etc.), was buried placed on its right side with the head toward the east, and the limbs drawn up closely to the chest. It is possible that they may have been buried in a sitting or crouched position, and have afterward fallen over, but I think they were buried as first mentioned. The absence of pottery with the interments in this mound is worthy of note, only two fragments being found in any part of the mound, and these apparently accidentally dropped.
"Isolated excavations in different places throughout the extent of Mound No. 3, as also in a mound sixty feet to the west of it, contrib- uted nothing specially entitled to record.
"Mound No. 4 .- Mound No. 4 is eight hundred feet northeast of Mound No. 3. It is three hundred feet long by from thirty to fifty feet wide, and is a low, sandy ridge, with a series of nine conieal eleva- tions running along its length, and rising two or three feet above its general level, they having a diameter of from twenty-five to thirty feet.
"Mound No. 5 is fifty feet to the westward of Mound No. 4, and is of a conical shape, forty feet in diameter, and nearly twelve feet above the level of Lake Huron, being between three and four feet higher than No. 4. Two other mounds of smaller size but similar shape lie to the north of it.
"From Nos. 4 and 5 were obtained a few stone implements, frag- ments of bones and pottery, with flint chips and the usual boulder- hammers, mostly fractured. Our limited time prevented as thorough an investigation of these mounds as their appearance certainly warrants. I believe the removal of those conical elevations in Mound No. 4 would be rewarded with interesting discoveries.
"Other mounds to the northward and westward, belonging to the series, were also examined to the extent of confirming their elaims to a like origin with those more thoroughly explored. A mound south of
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Mound No. 1 (the first investigated) contributed a few stone imple- ments, which are forwarded. The large implement appears to me to resemble a spade, but may have been designed for some other nse than that apparently indicated.
"In conclusion, I would say that the facts observed fully prove this extensive group of mounds a rich field for more exhaustive research. And here I repeat the interesting fact that all the tibiae unearthed invariably exhibited the compression or flattening characterizing platye- nemic men. Unfortunately, the bones generally crumbling to pieces prevented satisfactory measurements. But sufficient evidence was ob- tained (in connection with my discoveries in other parts of Michigan) to establish the point that this race, from the Detroit river to the St. Clair and Lake Huron was marked with platyenemismn to an extreme hitherto unobserved in any other part of this country, or perhaps any other country in the world. I cannot but believe, from what I have seen, that future investigation will extend the area in which this type of bone is predominant to the entire region of the Great Lakes, if not to the great west; or, in other words, that at least our northern 'mound- builders' will be found to have possessed this trait in the degree and to the extent denoted. I am unable to say whether this peculiarity prevails in our modern Indian or not.
"With the exception of the rude stone hammers and the sinkers, the number of perfect stone implements seems to me unusually small throughout this entire series of mounds. The question arises: Had this people the habit of sometimes breaking the stone implements east into the burial mounds ? Or were broken ones selected for this purpose as being of little other use ?
"On the west bank of the Black river, a tributary of the St. Clair river, is a burial-mound which exhibited some unusual features. A road having been eut through the easterly slope of this mound, the exeava- tion consequent on grading, etc., revealed a large number of human bones, pottery, stone implements, and other relics. Stone-lance or spearheads of great length were taken out, two of them being over a foot long, and one sixteen inehes in length. But the most interesting feature of this repository of relies was a grave, the interior of which was described to me as being lined with pottery similar to that of which the vases, pots, etc., are formed. This was so peculiar a circumstance, no other instance of the kind having come to my knowledge, that at first I considered the statement rather doubtful. But not long after I availed myself of an opportunity of visiting the locality and making an examination.
"Though the construction of the road through the mound had destroyed most of the original features and scattered a mul- titude of valuable remains, further excavation revealed a considerable quantity of fragments of the pottery above referred to as having been said to have lined the grave. This certainly appeared to confirm the statement. I found this pottery to be of rather a coarser description than usual, and marked abundantly with the eord pattern, found to be of such frequent employment, but in this instance made with a large cord or small rope. The side so ornamented was invariably
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
concave, while the other side was convex and unsmoothed, different from any other specimens I have seen elsewhere. So rough and unfin- ished was the unornamented side, that it had every appearance of having been pressed upon the ground while yet plastic, and sand, and even small pebbles, adhering to it sustained this impression. After having viewed the evidence, I had no longer any great difficulty in receiving the statements previously made.
"My chief informant was perfectly uneducated in such matters, and even attributed the peculiar formation lining the sides of the grave to the coagulation and final hardening of blood, accounting for its presence in such large quantity by presuming a battle to have been fought in the vicinity."
CHAPTER VII
SOURCES OF LAND TITLES
THE IROQUOIS TITLE-QUEBEC-COLONIAL CLAIMS-INDIAN TREATIES AF- FECTING THE COUNTY-REPORTS OF INDIAN AGENT JOUETT AND JUDGE WOODWARD-CONGRESSIONAL REGULATION OF TITLES-LAND CLAIMS IN THE COUNTY-LANDS IN ST. CLAIR RIVER AND LAKE-SURVEY INTO TOWNSHIPS-PUBLIC AND SCHOOL LANDS-RAILROAD LANDS-INDIAN RESERVATION LANDS-SWAMP LANDS-ST. CLAIR FLATS.
Ordinarily in the examination of title to land in this state it is satis- factory if a complete connected chain of title is found, beginning with a deed or patent from the state or United States, but it may be of interest to go further and see what claim or right that original grantor had. In the state of Michigan, the state itself or the territory preceding it, had no title to any land except such as was derived by conveyances from the United States, so that we are led back to inquire into the latter's title, and then follow the various channels by which title has come to the present owners ; in that pursuit we shall find that there is but one other county in the state-Wayne-which has a title history of as many channels.
When the white men first came to America it was occupied in a way by the Indians, only a small part of whom, mainly the Iroquoian tribes, had a settled habitation and cultivated the soil. Much the larger part depended chiefly upon hunting and fishing for a livelihood, and as large areas are required to support life by hunting, they roamed over a terri- tory very large in proportion to their numbers. But for even these roaming tribes there were always recognized limits within which they were entitled to be, and if they went outside of those limits they knew and felt they were acting as enemies to some other tribe.
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