Annals of Platte County, Missouri - Paxton




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3 PRE-HISTORIC. earth in the mound. It is evident that eremation was practiced by the tribe to which the deceased belonged. It seems that the stone vault had been built on the surface of the ground. the body placed in it and burned. a11d then the pile of stone and ea.rth reared above it. No relies of any kind were unearthed except a few pieces of wrought flint. The mound was located on one of the highest points in this region and commands a splendid view in every direction. No doubt at least a century has elapsed sinee the mound was built. Mr. Palmer. who settled there in 1845. more than half a century ago. says the mound looked as old then as when it was opened yesterday. A large white oak tree originally grew on top of the mound. but it was cut down in 1866 and converted into ties for the K. C. railroad. The tree measured nearlv four feet in diameter. On the same hill. about 10 or 15 rods south of this mound. is another similarly eoustrut,-ted. but a little smaller. There is also one in Mr. Palmers garden. and several on another hill just east of his house. Looking nortlnvest from the mound opened yester- dav,.one may see three very prominent mounds on Bud Smiths farm, about a mile away. There is 2I.V91V largze mound in front of John Vandre1s kitchen door. Several men dug: into the side of it some time ago. and exhumed several skulls. There are a. num~ ber of smaller mounds on the terraces of the ereek bottom which runs through Iatan. Several of these are near the old mill on the south side of the ereek. and one on the north side. in Rud Ia1mers eld. Some of these mounds are the remains of Indian lodges. and the writer found a portion of a pottery vessel near one of them. "Some time ago the writer explored a small mound on the old Major Bean farm near Bean Lake. .lthou;,-h similarly eon~ strueted. it presented somewhat of a eontrast to the mound on Mr. Palmers farm in some respeets. From the large mass of charred bones it was evident that several Indians had been de- posited in one mound. The bones were seattered about promis- euously, which indieated that they had been buried with little or no regularity. A layer of burned substanee Iesenblin;: briek had to be penetrated before reaehing the remains. [he pieees of skull found in this mound were unusually thiek. Indian mounds, eamp-sites. and other remains are seattered along the bluffs at intervals all the Way from Rushville, in Rm-hanan (ountv. to Iatan and Weston. in Platte (ount,v. and it presents one of the best elds for the antiquarian in this. region. Hundreds of in- teresting relies have been picked up in the elds hereabouts. lhe writer has a. tomahawk whieh Mr. Palmer-s father pieked up in 1845. Ancient walls and graves have been uneovered. near Park- ville. but little of interest has been disclosed.