Travels amongst American Indians : their ancient earthworks and temples : including a journey in Guatemala, Mexico and Yucatan, and a visit to the ruins of Patinamit, Utatlan, Palenque and Uxmal . , and my previous conjecture that it was a naturalformation remained unchanged. It was, however,impossible to form a decided opinion upon the subject,for it required a properly executed scientific investi-gation to be made, before the problem of the con-struction could be determined. If it should be provedto be artificial, its position and shape as a highplatform earthwork, would support a theory, th
Travels amongst American Indians : their ancient earthworks and temples : including a journey in Guatemala, Mexico and Yucatan, and a visit to the ruins of Patinamit, Utatlan, Palenque and Uxmal . , and my previous conjecture that it was a naturalformation remained unchanged. It was, however,impossible to form a decided opinion upon the subject,for it required a properly executed scientific investi-gation to be made, before the problem of the con-struction could be determined. If it should be provedto be artificial, its position and shape as a highplatform earthwork, would support a theory, that itwas raised by the same race that built the greatertemple platform of Cholula, in Mexico. After quitting the Cahokia mounds and traversingseveral miles of the plains, where for centuries manygenerations of Indians had encamped, I returned toSt. Louis and embarked on board the Muscatine, asteamer about to proceed to the highest part of thenavigal^le waters of the Mississippi. Sixteen milesabove St. Louis we passed the mouth of the Missouri,and observed how its waters, thickly charged with *The school teacher, Miss Maud Osborn, requested me toaccept this spear head in memory of my SACS AND FOXES. 109 earth, entirely chaDged the character of the riverinto which it flowed. Above the confluence, theMississippi is a clear, tranquil stream, but afterreceiving the Missouri it becomes muddy, rushing,and turbulent.^ It had been my intention to have gone up theMissouri to Nebraska, and the ancient hunting-grounds of the Pawnees, but there were certaindifficulties which made that plan impracticable, so 1decided to proceed northwards, and then to crossthe prairies of Minnesota, and Iowa towards thevalley of the river Platte. I was fortunate in havingas a companion on board the steamer, an Americanjudge, who, before being appointed to the post hethen held, had been for many years acting as Indianagent to the Sacs and Foxes, and was well acquaintedwith the habits of the tribes, wh
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidtravelsamong, bookyear1894
