# IN NORTHEASTERN IOWA

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## Record

- **Collection:** Tribal code
- **Document type:** Tribal code

## Text

WOODLAND
COMPLEXES
IN NORTHEASTERN IOWA

WOODLAND COMPLEXES

From the collection

2

of the

^ m
rv,

o Prelinger

p

t

San Francisco,

2008

California

Conical burial mounds at Effigy Mounds National Monument.

WOODLAND
COMPLEXES
IN NORTHEASTERN IOWA

WILFRED D. LOGAN

Publications in Archeology 15

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Washington 1976
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402 Price $4.10
Stock No. 024-006-00575-7

As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior
has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural
resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental and
cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and providing for
the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses

our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development
is in

the best interests of all our people. The Department also has a major re-

sponsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who
live in Island Territories under U.S. administration.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Logan, Wilfred David, 1923-

Woodland complexes in northeastern Iowa.
(Publications in archeology; 15)
Originally presented as the author's thesis,

University of Michigan, 1959 under title: Analysis
of woodland complexes in northeastern Iowa.

Bibliography: p.
Supt. of Docs, no: I 29.59:15
1.

Indians of North America

2.

Iowa

I.

Title.

—Antiquities.
II.

3.

— Iowa—Antiquities.
— Iowa.

Mounds

Series.

E51.U75no. 15 [E78.16] 977. 7'004'97 75-25768

—

FOREWORD

The prehistoric inhabitants of any unit of
the National Park

System did not exist in

such groups took part in the
complex events of culture history in the regions in which they lived. This archeological
report, which includes a study of the Indians
who once inhabited Effigy Mounds National
Monument, encompasses a good deal more
than those people who lived within its
isolation. All

boundaries.

This book, written by Wilfred D. Logan,

an archeologist with many years of experi-

Mount Vernon, Iowa, and the late Ellison
Orr of Waukon, Iowa. Their efforts, between
the years of 1933 and 1937, are reported
herein, providing a vast

body of informa-

tion in the form of notes and artifact coUec-

tions derived from their excavations.
National Park Service archeologists carried
on major excavations at Effigy Mounds in
1950 and 1952, and the bulk of the mounds
remaining in unexcavated state form a valuable scientific bank for the future.

This report, then,

is

an analysis of the

Orr and
and serves to place the remains of

ence in the National Park Service, increases

results of the research of Keyes,

our understanding of the peoples whose bur-

others,

mounds are preserved within the national
monument and other sites in the surround-

the national monument in a definite prehis-

The volume presents data, not
heretofore analyzed, from a large number

ley. By so doing, the author presents a more

ial

ing locale.

toric context in the Upper Mississippi Val-

complete understanding of the people who

of excavations in northeastern Iowa, and

used the area, both in terms of their devel-

systematizes the material to develop a back-

opment from earlier occupants, and in terms

ground against which to view the Effigy
Mounds and the people who built them.
The study owes much to the vision of two
conservation -minded amateur scientists
the late Charles R. Keyes of Cornell College,

of their relationship, at any given time, to
their

neighbors living in the Middle West

during the centuries before Europeans first
visited the river valleys of our Nation's

midlands.

Gary Everhardt
Director

National Park Service

PUBLICATIONS IN ARCHEOLOGY
1.

2.

3.

Archeology of the Bynum Mounds, Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi, by John L. Cotter
and John M. Corbett. 1951. (PB 177 061)*
Archeological Excavations in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, 1950, by James A.
Lancaster et al. 1954. (PB 177 062)*
Archeology of the Funeral Mound, Ocmulgee National Monument, Georgia, by Charles H.
Fairbanks. 1956. (PB 177 063)*

4.

Archeological Excavations at ]amestoivn, Virginia, by John L. Cotter. 1958. (PB 177 064)*

5.

The Hubbard Site and Other Tri-Wall Structures in New Mexico and Colorado, by
Gordon Vivian. 1959. (PB 230 988/AS)*

6.

R.

Search for the Cittie of Ralegh, Archeological Excavations at Fort Raleigh National Historic
Site, North Carolina, by Jean Carl Harrington. 1962.

7A.
7B.

7C.

7D.
7E.

7F.

7G.
8.

The Archeological Survey of Wetherill Mesa, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, by
Alden C. Hayes. 1964. (PB 234 542/AS)*
Environment of Mesa Verde, Colorado, by James A. Erdman et al. 1969. (PB 234 541/AS)*
Big Juniper House, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, by Jervis D. Swannack, Jr. 1969.
(PB 234 537/AS)*
Mug House, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, by Arthur H. Rohn. 1971. (PB 234
539/A5)*
Badger House Community, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, by Alden C. Hayes and
James A. Lancaster. 1975.
Skeletal Remains from Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, by Kenneth A. Bennett. 1975.
Orthopedic Problems of the Wetherill Mesa Populations by.James 5. Miles, M.D. 1975.
Excavations in a 17th-Century Jumano Pueblo, Gran Quivira, New Mexico, by Gordon
Vivian. 1964.

9.

10.

11.
12.

Excavations at Tse-Ta'a, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, by Charlie R.
Steen. 1966. (PB 234 540/AS)*
Ruins Stabilization in the Southwestern United States, by Roland Von S. Richert and R.

Gordon Vivian. 1974
The Steamboat Bertrand: History, Excavation, and Architecture, by Jerome E. Petsche. 1974.
The Bertrand Bottles: A Study of 19th Century Glass and Ceramic Containers, by Ronald R.
Switzer. 1974.

13.

Investigations in Russell Cave, Russell

Cave National Monument, Alabama, by John W.

Griffin et al. 1974.
14.

Casemates and Catmonballs: Archeological Investigations at Fort Stanwix National Monument, Rome, New York, by Lee H. Hanson and Dick Ping Hsu. 1975.

15.

Woodland Complexes in Northeastern Iowa, by Wilfred D. Logan. 1975.

'These publications are no longer available from the Superintendent of Documents, but may be ordered by
and parenthetical code number by writing to: National Technical Information Service, U. S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22151.
title

PREFACE

This publication could be considered an archeological antique.

I

say this because the

research was begun in 1951 and completed

searches for flint and clay sources and the
like

—

in other

words, no exhaustive study

of the full gamut of the landscape of primi-

in 1958. I do not intend to indulge in arche-

tive man. Presentation of the data, likewise,

ological reminiscence here, but I believe the

follows certain conventions of the period in

circumstances should be understood because
many years have passed since I last con-

consistency in providing scales for certain

sidered the problems of archeology in the

artifact illustrations

upper Mississippi Valley.

not considered terribly important.

which this study was written: hence the in-

— such then was simply

In the years intervening, many new tech-

Furthermore, at the tim.e this study was

niques have made their impact on the field

accomplished, archeologists were not so in-

of

American archeology. When this work

terested in processual studies as in culture

began, scholars, of necessity, were still seeking to develop local culture sequences (cul-

history.

The study reflects this bias. The

years have changed my own interest. North-

ture sequence, here, may be read as "ceramic

eastern Iowa

sequence," or at best, "sequence of artifact

studies,

complexes"). Before this work was completed, my intimate personal involvement

would so direct my research.
In the two decades since the study was
done, manuscript copies have been circu-

with the environment of the Mississippi
River Valley and its surrounding uplands
(to

say nothing of long discussions with

David A. Baerreis and Warren L. Wittry)
had caused me to ponder at length the relationships between man and the land. These

lated

is

a field ripe for processual

and were I to work there today, I

among scholars, but the basic data

have never been presented to a wide audience in systematized form. There are many
exciting studies possible within the identical
collections presented here, and if I could do

over today, I would adjust my approach to

factors, in turn, led to the beginnings of soils

it

analyses of mounds at Effigy Mounds Na-

the data considerably.

Monument, carried out by Wayne
Scholtes of Iowa State University. Such
work only whetted my appetite for more
sophisticated studies. However, money and

resist

tional

time limitations, as well as the research emphasis of the period decreed that many investigative

techniques

cannot, therefore,

applicable to the scientist:

"Ah but a man's reach should exceed his
grasp, or what's a heaven for."

now commonplace

were not employed. Hence there were no
exhaustive analyses of soils and pollen; no
studies of forest and faunal succession.

I

reminding the reader of Robert
Browning's words from Andrea del Sarto
(1855) on the work of the artist, equally

w. D. L.

September, 1974
Denver, Colorado

Figure 1.
to in text.

Northeastern Iowa, Mississippi Valley, and southwestern Wisconsin, showing location of sites

referred

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A study of this kind, drawing as

it

does on

To Paul Sagers of Emeline, Iowa, I am

the contributions, encouragement,

and as-

thankful for the use of his collections from

sistance of so many persons, makes

it

im-

possible to acknowledge the total debt

owe. All

I

who study Iowa archeology are

indebted to the late Charles R. Keyes, of
Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa, and
to the late Ellison

Orr of Waukon, Iowa. I

have a slightly greater appreciation of this
obligation than most, for I relied heavily on
their col lections, notes and observations.
Their perception and understanding of the
mounds were such that no problem considered herein had not been addressed to some
extent by them. If I have been in any way
successful in shedding light on the life of
prehistoric peoples in northeastern Iowa, it
is

because the work of Keyes and Orr pro-

vided me with the raw materials.
I greatly appreciate the cooperation and
assistance of William

J.

Peterson, former

Maquoketa area. Not only did

sites in the

Mr. Sagers put his extensive collections at
my disposal, but he and his wife also offered
me the hospitality of their home on several
occasions. Gordon Peckham, of Prairie du
Chien, Wisconsin, was an enthusiastic guide
and informant on sites in and around Prairie
du Chien. In addition, he frequently assisted
as a volunteer laborer in
tions.

my test excava-

Leland Cooper, formerly of Hamline

University, St. Paul, Minnesota, gave of his

knowledge and previous experience in the
Prairie du Chien area, and called my attention to the Highway Thirteen Rock Shelter.
I am indebted to Elizabeth J. Logan for constant

encouragement and assistance in

typing and proofreading

(if

not outright

editing) of the initial manuscript.
I

wish to express particular thanks to the

superintendent of the State Historical So-

University of Michigan Museum of Anthro-

ciety of Iowa, for making available the arti-

and photographs of

pology for a number of photographs. Those
obtained from the Museum are cited by

the Charles R. Keyes Collection, as well as

negative number in their respective legends.

fact collections, notes,

other data pertaining to Woodland manifes-

Finally,

I

must acknowledge the special

tations in northeastern Iowa. I am also grate-

assistance of James B. Griffin, Albert C.

National Park Service both for

Spaulding, Frederick P. Thieme, Richard K.

encouragement and financial support in pursuing this research. I especially wish to acknowledge the help of William J. Kennedy
and Walter T. Berrett, first and second Su-

Beardsley, and Volney H. Jones. These
scholars supplied helpful criticism and sug-

ful to the

perintendents, in that order, of Effigy
Mounds National Monument; the late Paul
L. Beaubien, then Regional Archeologist of
the Midwest Region; and John M. Corbett,
former Chief Archeologist of the National
Park Service.

gestions during the course of the research

and preparation of the manuscript which
was originally prepared as a Ph.D. dissertation.

w. D. L.

September, 1974

Denver, Colorado

TABLE OF CONTENTS

7

INTRODUCTION

WOODLAND SITES IN NORTHEASTERN IOWA

11

Burial Mounds

11

Mound Groups in Jackson County
Deppe Mound Group
Mound Groups in Clayton County
Mound Groups in Aallamakee County
Miscellaneous Burial Mound Data

12

Habitation Sites

57

Miscellaneous Sites in Jackson County

83

Miscellaneous Habitation Site Data

86

ARTIFACT TYPES

89

Pottery

89

12
17

26
56

Marion Thick

89

Spring Hollow Incised

89

Spring Hollow Brushed

92

Naples Stamped

92

Levsen Stamped

93

Levsen Punctuated

94

Spring Hollow Cordmarked

97

Spring Hollow Plain

98

Lane Farm Cord-Impressed

99

Lane Farm Stamped

100

Madison Cord-Impressed

101

Minott's Cord-Impressed

103

Minott's Plain

105

Minor Pottery Types of Northeastern Iowa

105

Types with Havana Paste Characteristics

107

Miscellaneous Single-Cord Decorated Sherds

107

Shell-tempered Pottery

108

Cordmarked Body Sherds

108

Ware Groups
Havaiia Ware
Linn Ware

109
110

110

Lake Michigan Ware

110

Unclassified Types

110

Chipped Stone Artifacts

110

Ground and Pecked Stone Artifacts

118

Bone and Antler Artifacts

120

Shell Artifacts

123

Metal Artifacts

124

Miscellaneous Pottery Objects

125

4 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MOUND, ROCKSHELTER, AND
VILLAGE SITES

127

Pottery Comparison and Seriation

127

Comparative Analysis of Burial Mounds

141

Red Ocher Mounds

142

Mounds Containing Hopewellian Grave Goods
Conical Mounds with Few or No Grave Goods
Effigy Mounds and Related Tumuli
Simple Conical Mounds

146

Analysis of Rock Shelters and Village Sites

5

157
161

164
165

The Minott's Focus

165

Other Woodland Village Complexes

170

Mound-Village Correlations and Chronology

175

CULTURAL SPECULATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

178

APPENDIX: HOPEWELLIAN TRAITS OF THE DAVENPORT AREA 190

REFERENCES

192

INDEX

199

ILLUSTRATIONS

Frontispiece.

Conical burial mounds at Effigy Mounds National Monument

1.

Northeastern Iowa, Mississippi Valley, and southwestern
Wisconsin, showing location of sites referred to in text

2.

Rock alinements and burials, Deppe Mound 7
Rock alinements and burials, Deppe Mound 8

3.

4.
5.
6.
7.

North half of burial pit, Pleasant Creek Mound 3
Plan of Gudovissy Mound 1
Miniature pot from Gudovissy Mound 1
Pottery from the mound fill, Harvey's Island Mound 1

viii

13
15
16
18
19
19

Cord-wrapped-stick decorated pot associated with burial,
Harvey's Island Mound 1
Lane Farm Cord Impressed pot fragment,

20

Harvey's Island Mound 2

21

10.

Plan of burials, French Town Mound 10

11.

22
23
24

13.

Bone and stone objects, French Town Mound 10
Stone objects, French Town, Mound 10
Conch columella beads and socketed antler point,

14.

French Town Mound 10
Levsen Punctated pot, French Town Mound 8

15.

Pottery from the "Valley" Mound,

12.

Harpers Ferry Mound Group
16.

Plan of excavation, Ryan Mound 2

24
25
26
28
29

17.

Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot fragment, Ryan Mound 2

18.

Plan of excavation, Ryan Mound 3

30

19.

Plan of excavation, Ryan Mound 4

31

20.

21.

Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot, Ryan Mound 4
Strata of the burial area, Houlihan Mound

22.

Brazell's Island Bear Effigy

32
32
34

23.

Chipped stone objects from the mound fill,
Brazell's Island Bear Effigy

24.

Plan of burials, Luth Mound 1

25.

Plan of burials, Luth Mound 3

26.

Cross section of Waukon lunction Mound 4
(the "Burned Earth" Mound)

The Lane Farm Mound Group

34
35
36

37
38

40.

Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot. Lane Farm Mound 3
Pottery pipe bowl and Snyder's Notched Point,
Lane Farm Mound 3
Plan of burials. Lane Farm Mound 11
Copper "celts" or plaques. Lane Farm: a, celt from Mound 11;
b, celt from field near Mound 11
Sherds of a Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot.
Lane Farm Mound 12
Plan of burials. Lane Farm Mound 13
Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot. Lane Farm Mound 13
Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot, Lane Farm Mound 13
Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot. Lane Farm Mound 13
Plan of burials, Lane Farm Mound 16
Lane-Farm Cord-Impressed pot. Lane Farm Mound 16
New Galena and Hog Back Mound Groups
Levsen Stamped pot. New Galena Mound 1

41.

Perforated bear canines and copper hemispheres.

42.

New Galena Mound 1
Sherds of pot from New Galena Mound 4

28.
29.

30.
31.

32.

33.
34.
35.
36.
37.

38.
39.

43.

Plan of excavations and burials. Hog Back Mound 1

45.

Pot from Hog Back Mound 3
Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot from Slinde Mound 6
Chipped stone, bone, and antler artifacts from the Spring
Hollow Shelters
Miscellaneous potsherds from the Elephant Site
Potsherds from the Waterville Rock Shelter
Potsherds from the Waterville Rock Shelter
Spring Hollow Plain Sherd from Levsen Rock Shelter
Pottery, shell object, boatstone, and chipped stone from Mouse

48.

49.
50.
51.

52.

53.

54.

56.

Marion Thick sherds from the Elephant Site
Spring Hollow Incised sherds from Spring Hollow Rock

43
44

45
45
45
46
47
47
48

52
54
55

56
58

67
74
74
78

Part of Spring Hollow Incised pot from Spring

85
90
91

Shelter No. 1
57.

43

79
Hollow Rock Shelter
80
Pottery from the Mouse Hollow Rock Shelter
Lake Michigan Ware potsherd from the Verne Hute Rock
Shelter

55.

42

Plan of burial pit and adjacent mound floor.

44.

47.

41

49
50

New Galena Mound 28

46.

40

Hollow Rock

Shelter No. 1

92

58.

Potsherds from the Levsen Rock Shelter

93

59.

Naples Stamped and Havana Cordmarked potsherds from the
94
Levsen Rock Shelter
95
Potsherds from the Levsen Rock Shelter
96
Levsen Punctated sherds from the Levsen Rock Shelter
Spring Hollow Cordmarked sherds from the Spring Hollow
97
Rock Shelter No. 1

60.
61.
62.

}

63.

Potsherds from Spring Hollow Rock Shelter No. 1

64.

Aberrant form of Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pottery from the
Waterville Rock Shelter

98

99
100
101
102

65.

Exterior surfaces of typical Madison Cord-Impressed rims

66.

Madison Cord-Impressed rims
Lake Michigan Ware sherds from the Minott's Rock Shelter
Minott's Cord-Impressed sherds from Minott's Rock Shelter
103
Minott's Plain and Spring Hollow Brushed sherds from Spring
Hollow Rock Shelter, No. 1
104
Triangular and triangular side-notched projectile points
111
Ovoid and lanceolate projectile points
112
Large side-notched and straight-stemmed projectile points
113
Contracting-stemmed projectile points
113

67

.

68.

69.

70.
71.
72.
73.

Interior surfaces of typical

74.

Expanding-stemmed projectile points

75.

Corner-notched projectile points
Large ovoid and lanceolate blades

76.
77.
7?>.

79.

80.
81.
82.

Oval knives
Anvilstone from Minott's Rock Shelter
Platform pipes from the New Galena Mound Group
Bone and antler objects from the Levsen Rock Shelter
Ceramic pipe from the Gingerstairs Rock Shelter, No. 1
Diagram showing formal and sequential relationships of
Woodland pottery types in northeastern Iowa

83.

Chronological placement of Woodland culture groupings and

84.

Decorative variations of Spring Hollow Incised

85.

Decorative variations of Naples Stamped

86.

Decorative variations of Levsen Stamped

selected sites in northeastern Iowa

87.

Decorative variations of Levsen Punctated

88.

Decorative variations of Lane Farm Cord-Impressed

89.

Decorative variations of Madison Cord-Impressed

90.

Additional decorative variations of Madison Cord-Impressed

91.

Rim profiles of Havana Ware

92.

Miscellaneous rim profiles of northeastern Iowa pottery

93.

Miscellaneous rim profiles of northeastern Iowa pottery

94.

Vessel forms of Lane Farm Cord-Impressed

95.

Vessel forms of Levsen Stamped, Naples Stamped, Spring

Hollow

Incised,

Cord-Impressed

114
115
116
117
119
121
122
125

128
130
131

132
133
133
134
135
136
137
137
138
139

Spring Hollow Cordmarked, and Madison

140

TABLES

1.

Numerical distribution of artifact types from Spring Hollow Rock
Shelter No. 1

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.
7.

59

Numerical distribution of artifact types from Spring Hollow Rock
Shelter No. 2
Artifacts from the approach trench. Spring Hollow Rock Shelter No. 2
Numerical distribution of artifact types from Spring Hollow Rock
Shelter No. 3
Numerical distribution of artifact types from Gingerstairs Rock
Shelter No. 1
Numerical distribution of artifact types from Minott's Rock Shelter
Numerical distribution of artifact types from Trench C,

9.

10.

Numerical distribution of artifact types from 1955 Test I at the
Elephant Site
Numerical distribution of artifact types from 1955 Test II at the
Elephant Site
Numerical distribution of artifact types from Test I,
Nelson Dewey Site

11.

Artifact inventory of the Waterville Rock Shelter

12.

Artifact inventory of the Sixteen Rock Shelter

13.

15.

Inventory of artifacts from three Jackson County site
Percentages of pottery types by levels. Spring Hollow Rock

17.

18.
19.
20.

21.
22.
23.
24.

63
64

69
69

72
75
76
T7
81, 82, 83

129
141
144, 145
Comparative trait list for Red Ocher Mounds
147
Mounds with Hopewellian grave goods
150-153
Comparative trait list for 11 Middle Western burial complexes
154
Coefficients of association for 11 Middle Western burial complexes
158
Conical mounds with few or no grave goods
160
Effigy mounds and related corneals
161
Simple conical mounds
166
Comparative trait list for sites of the Minott's focus
Shelter No. 1

16.

62

Inventory of artifacts from the Levsen Rock Shelter on which depths

were measured
14.

61

66

Elephant Village Site
8.

60

Percentages of pottery types by levels. Nelson Dewey Site

c?m3n

mss^:sm.UMM:yi'^mu?itM^fi^4}!.

A bluff overlooking the Mississippi River just north of the Yellow River at Effigy Mounds National Monument.
The top of this bluff and plateau behind it contain many ancient mounds, some linear, some in effigy, and a series
of 19 conical mounds ending at the point of the bluff.

INTRODUCTION

A case may be made for

Physiographically, the portion of Iowa with

State of Illinois.

which this report deals differs markedly

marginality of southern Wisconsin to the

from the remainder of the state. Allamakee,
Clayton, and Dubuque Counties, along with
parts of Jackson County, are included in the
so-called Driftless Area (Martin, 1916, p.
75). This tract in southwestern Wisconsin
and northeastern Iowa was not glaciated
during the Pleistocene ice advances. Salient

among its features are deep valleys cut
through sandstone and limestone formations, often to depths of 300 or more feet.
These valleys are bounded by steep, precipitous walls. The uplands between the valleys
were once covered with forests of the northern hardwood type and represented the last
great intrusion of the woods into the prairieplains environment to the west. The Drift-

Area is some 120 miles wide, most of
which lies on the east side of the Mississippi

less

River in present-day Wisconsin. Parts of the
area resemble the Ozark Plateau of Missou-

and Arkansas.
Important culture centers do not appear
to have developed in the area in prehistoric
times. Groups living in northeastern Iowa
ri

Illinois area as well. However, recent studies

indicate that early peoples in southern Wis-

consin, although

influenced from outside

sources, pursued their own particular line of

development, and placed their own distinctive stamp on cultural items or ideas they
borrowed (Ritzenthaler, 1953, pp. 2-41;
Baerreis, Daifuku, and Lundsted, 1954, pp.
1-36; Wittry and Ritzenthaler, 1956, pp.
244-254; Rowe, 1956, pp. 9-103).

In spite of its peripheral position, cultural

manifestations in this region were studied
at

an early date. I. A. Lapham published a

volume (1855) summarizing his researches
in Wisconsin mound groups. Certain sites
in the western part of Wisconsin were mentioned in this paper. Lapham's work is valuable as a compendium of site locations and
maps of mound groups for students of Wisconsin archeology, and bears upon the archeology of northeastern Iowa as well.
Between 1881 and 1895, T. H. Lewis and
A. J. Hill, of St. Paul, Minn., mapped many
of the mound groups of the upper Mississip-

River Valley (Keyes, 1930, p. 216). Like

appear to have been culturally marginal to

pi

peoples on comparable time levels in other

the

Middle Western areas. Northeastern Iowa

the Lewis and Hill survey have value today

is

part of a larger area of distinctive aborig-

which southern

as a

work of Lapham, the detailed plats of

compendium of sites. Such maps are

eastern Iowa appears to have been marginal,

valuable aids in distribution studies of
mound types, and may be of worth eventually in arriving at population estimates.

now included in the

They may also serve as a means of learning

inal cultural flavor, of

Wisconsin comprises the major part. Northas well, to the area

what once existed in the region, for many of
the mound groups have been destroyed
through agriculture and other modern

permitting detailed descriptions of culture

activities.

century through the efforts of the Iowa Ar-

In

two papers pubHshed in Annual Re-

ports of the Bureau of American Ethnology,

Cyrus Thomas described northeastern Iowa
mounds, notably those on the Lane and Fish
farms in northern Allamakee County, and
others in the vicinity of Dubuque (Thomas,
1894, pp. 99-110). Unfortunately, Thomas'
descriptions were general. Although the descriptions

suggest probable chronological

position, they lack details necessary for

thorough comparative studies. South of the
region with which this report is concerned,
groups of conical mounds early commanded

chaeological Survey.

Sponsored by the State Historical Society
begun in 1922 by the late
Charles R. Keyes of Mount Vernon, Iowa,
this survey was the first systematic study of
of Iowa, and

the state's archeological resources. Through

the survey, Keyes planned to locate and map
the state's archeological sites and to make
recommendations on the advisability of
State ownership for certain of these. With
authority granted by the State Historical Society of Iowa,

Keyes visited local sites and

studied the collections of Iowa's many ama-

the attention of students associated with the

teur archeologists. He made surface collec-

local amateurs to donate parts of their col-

tury, conical mounds in several groups near

lections to the Society. Among those he was

the city of Davenport, Iowa, were examined

Orr collection
(from sites predominantly in Allamakee
County) was the most notable because of
its thorough documentation and spectacular

ceedings of the Davenport Academy of
Natural Sciences. It is evident from the reports that these mounds were largely of
Hopewellian origin. A part of the work of
the Academy has been summarized by a
modern student (Bennett, 1945, pp. 113-

tions on the sites he visited and stimulated

able to obtain, the Ellison

nature.

Other important acquisitions which came
through

to the State Historical Society

Keyes' efforts included the Noe collection

from the vicinity of Amana, and the small

122). Both Griffin (1946, p. 68) and Bennett

but significant Hawbaker collection from

(1945, p. 121) assign these mounds to the

when Federal
Recovery Administration
(FERA) funds became available, Keyes obtained authority to make excavations. Ellison Orr, of Waukon, Iowa, was appointed
field supervisor, and the Iowa Archaeological Survey began its field work in mound
groups and village sites along the Upper

Hopewellian Phase of the Woodland Culture Pattern. North of the area in which the
Academy's investigations were made, few
Iowa mounds were studied until the period
in the 1920's and 1930's during which time
the Iowa Archaeological Survey was in
operation.
Brief descriptions published in a variety

of media, written for the most part by local

amateur archeologists, are to be found in the
Perhaps the most valuable paper
on Iowa mounds written in the 19th century
is that by Frederick Starr compiling scattered fragments of information (Starr, 1897,
pp. 1—24.). However, fieldwork of a quality
literature.

Woodland

appear until the early decades of the 20th

Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences.
During the closing decades of the 19th cen-

by Tiffany, Lindley, Pratt, and others. The
results of their work are reported in the Pro-

Complexes

content and chronological outline did not

the Boone River area. Later,

Emergency

Iowa and Mississippi Rivers in Allamakee
and Clayton Counties (Keyes, 1934, pp.
321—354). The bulk of the excavations were
made between 1934 and 1936.
The association of Charles R. Keyes and
Ellison Orr was a fortunate one for the study
of prehistory. Keyes had received some archeological training during his years as a

student in Germany. Orr had been employed variously as a grade school teacher,

cavations and surveys, collections donated

company manager.

manuscripts, and files of survey sheets arranged by counties.

farmer, and telephone

Both men were highly intelligent and possessed a familiarity with almost every phase

went out of
their way to equip themselves with knowledge necessary to archeological field
research. Their earliest fieldwork, accomplished before they had obtained great faof the natural sciences. Both

by amateurs, notes, maps, photographs,

Study of these collections affords a good
sampling of Iowa prehistory and, in addiresearch is needed to make the record more

nearly complete. The collections and notes
are most extensive for several of the eastern

miliarity with archeological methods, lacked

counties of Iowa

certain refinements of technique, but,

Orr excavated many rock shelters and
mounds. The work was concentrated in two
localities. The northeastern corner of Iowa

viewed as a whole, their excavations were
sufficiently controlled to obtain information

(fig.

1).

Here Keyes and

for most of the essential features of nearly

(Allamakee and Clayton Counties) was cov-

of the sites they studied. Errors and

ered in detail. In Linn and Jackson Counties

shortcomings in their work may be ascribed

of east central Iowa, mounds and rock shel-

all

knowledge in the field of

ters provided information paralleling the re-

eastern United States prehistory at the time.

sults of the work in the northeastern section.

They could not be expected to forecast, in
1934, conclusions which seem obvious to
the modern student as he looks back over
more than 30 years of research. Only re-

Other parts of the state seem to have been
covered in less detail. Southeastern Iowa excavations concentrated on the Glenwood
Culture, which appears to be an Iowa variant of the Nebraska Culture (Strong, 1935,
pp. 124-167, 287). The Mill Creek sites of
northwestern Iowa were tested rather extensively, and the material in the collections
from these excavations has helped provide

to overall scant

cently has a comfortable chronology been

developed with artifact types to mark the
various horizons.
Orr's training as a surveyor was import-

ant to the project. He also possessed an ability to

make objective observations and to

report these clearly and succinctly. Keyes'

fairly detailed

understanding of this inter-

The materials contained in the collections

him some understanding of the materials
with which they worked and of the problems

of the Iowa Archaeological Survey have

be resolved, in addition to an understanding of the planning necessary to give
direction to the project. He made use of his

knowledge to such a degree that no major
cultural entity recognized in the Mississippi

Valley at the time of their excavations was
missed in the fieldwork. This is an important
consideration, for subsequent fieldwork in

Iowa has been meager. Their notes and collections represented the largest repository

of information available on the subject of

prehistory within the state at the time they
finished their work.

The

collections

they

amassed consist of materials from their ex-

I

esting late prehistoric manifestation.

contact with professional archeologists gave

to

I

tion, makes clear those areas where further

been known to prehistorians of the eastern
United States since the time they were collected. However, no detailed statements
have been made concerning them. Both
Keyes and Orr were advanced in age when
they embarked upon their project, and both

died before they could publish their work.
It was for this reason that the present study
was undertaken, and the material presented
in the ensuing pages is drawn from the notes
and artifact collections amassed by the Iowa

Archaeological Survey. Exceptions to this
are the materials presented on the Highway

Thirteen Rock Shelter and the Nelson
Dewey Site. Information on these sites is

Introduction

based on excavations carried out by the
author during tenure as archeologist at the
Effigy

Mounds National Monument near

McGregor, Iowa. In addition, some of the
information presented on the Highway
Thirteen Rock Shelter is based on collections made by Professor Leland Cooper of Hamline University, St. Paul, Minn.
Although it was not possible for Keyes
and Orr to present in a single manuscript

ual shift in

some aspects of culture. The

basic economy did not change radically, al-

though some investigators have proposed
the beginnings of agriculture in this transitional period. By the end of 1,000 or 2,000

B.C., groups over most of the East had de-

the time this paper was prepared, a chron-

framework, embracing numerous

pared for use as tombs. These, in turn, con-

the synthesized results of their research,

ological

—

—

prehistoric culture complexes, had been ad-

tained burials which were given quite

vanced for the Middle West. The general
outlines of this framework by now have
been generally accepted by most archeologists working in the region.

elaborate treatment, and which were accom-

panied by special burial offerings. In the

early (ca. 9,000-10,000 years ago) occupa-

scheme of eastern United States prehistory,
this period is called the Early Woodland. To
some degree it may be looked upon as transitional between the Archaic and later Middle Woodland, the latter reaching its most
complex expression in the Hopewell burial
mounds of southern Ohio and the Illinois

tion by hunters whose economy roughly re-

River Valley.

The culture history of the East appears to
have been relatively uniform over the whole
of the geographic area involved. In nearly
every local sequence, evidence exists for an

sembled that of the Clovis and Folsom
hunters of the High Plains along the east
slope of the Rocky Mountains. Remains of
such groups have been reported from locali-

It is

a matter of speculation as to the de-

gree to which agriculture provided an eco-

nomic base on which the Middle Woodland
peoples erected this superstructure of arts,

ties as widely separated as Missouri, Michi-

objects, and beliefs. For parts of the Middle

gan, Illinois, Maine, and Alabama. Data are

West, it appears that agriculture played a
prime role in supporting the cultural developments. However, such an assumption is
not so clearly warranted in other areas. One
such area is that under consideration here.

available to support a theory of continuous

development of the life of these people,
from generation to generation, into one
characterized by a wider variety of projectile point styles; larger population group-

more settled existence in areas of
greater economic advantage; some elaboraings; a

tion of the arts (particularly stoneworking),

Woodland

At the end of

this period there seems to have been a grad-

veloped some simple forms of ceramics, and
had begun to bury their dead in earth
mounds. In some localities notably southern Ohio and to a lesser extent in the valley
of the Illinois River
these mounds were
quite large and contained structures pre-

such syntheses have appeared for other
parts of the eastern United States. Hence, by

Complexes

as 3,000 to 5,000 years ago.

and more elaborate burial practices. The cultural assemblages representing the existence
of such groups are called Archaic in the generally accepted terminology of the prehistory of eastern United States.
The Archaic probably flourished from
around 8,000 years ago until perhaps as late

Judging from the evidence of the burial
mounds, the remains of the arts and crafts
found in village deposits, and the distribution of remains, the Middle Woodland
reached its developmental peak and widest
sphere of influence around A.D. 200; then it
gradually declined. Over most of the East
there is ample evidence for progressive simplicity of burial mounds and treatment accorded the dead. This is not to imply that
there was a decline of population. In some

areas of the East, distribution and frequen-

Keyes. At the same time, the National Park

cy of sites indicate population increase.

Service was in need of a study of material

As the Middle Woodland declined, another cultural development was on the rise

in these collections pertaining to the prehis-

in the eastern area. This so-called Missis-

An arrangement was made for me to go to

tory of Effigy Mounds National Monument.

sippian Culture Pattern, in its most distinc-

Iowa City, supervise the ordering of the col-

overwhelmingly of southern
distribution. Its influences, however, were
felt over a much wider area, and small
"pioneer" communities, conforming rela-

lections, and begin a study of the Woodland

tive

form,

is

tively closely to the more southerly models,

were found as far north as central Wisconsin and as far west as Kansas City, Mo. In
some parts of the Middle West, an increasing Mississippian influence on the Woodland culture base is evident. To modern
students of American archeology, the characteristics of Middle Mississippi culture are

known. The large organized villages;
temple mounds; elaborate ceramics; clear
well

dependence on intensive horticulture; and
the distinctive complex of religious objects
and art motifs comprising the Southern
Cult, all have been presented in the literature. Middle Mississippi communities evidently were at the height of their influence
from about A.D. 1200 to 1300 or 1500, although their developmental phases may
have appeared as early as A.D. 600, and the
last vestiges of the

Mississippian life-way

are still to be discerned in the habits of some

modern aboriginal groups.
This, then, is the general framework of
Middle Western archeology as currently
known by American archeologists. It is

against this taxonomic and chronological
structure that the materials analyzed on the

following pages will be considered.

This study was made possible through
the cooperation of the State Historical
Society of Iowa. There was need for ar-

rangement of the Keyes material, as the collections of the Iowa Archaeological Survey
are designated. This collection had been

moved to the State Historical Society's
offices

sity of

on the campus of the State UniverIowa after the death of Charles R.

sites

of the northeastern counties.

Work

was begun on the collections from mounds
and rock shelters in Allamakee, Clayton,
Jackson, and Linn Counties.

Some additional material, not included in
was gathered on sites in Cerro
Gordo, Chickasaw, Floyd, Marshall, Webster, Hamilton, Johnson, and Mills Counthis paper,

The material studied indicated a very
Woodland occupation in Iowa,
and that this occupation was of considerable
antiquity in the region. The collections also
ties.

extensive

provide evidence that an intrusion of Mississippi Pattern elements in late prehistoric

times may have fused with the local indigenous Woodland to produce new cultural
entities, some of which strongly parallel
known developments in the eastern Plains
area.

The material presented in this paper is
limited by the collections available and,
therefore, the discussion focuses on two localities in the eastern part of Iowa.

The

were most complete from Allamakee, Clayton, Jackson and Linn Counties. Allamakee and Clayton Counties are
located in the extreme northeastern corner
of Iowa along the Mississippi River (fig. 1).
Jackson County is separated from these two
by Dubuque County, and from Linn County
by Jones County. A gap also separates Linn
collections

County from Allamakee and Clayton
Counties.
Little or no data were available

from the

intervening areas. Northeastern Iowa, as

referred to on the pages which follow,
designates the area from the southern
boundaries of Jackson, Jones, and Linn
Counties north to the Minnesota-Iowa
boundary; and from the Mississippi River

Introduction

west to the western boundaries of Linn,
Buchanan, Fayette, and Winnesheik Coun-

respect to Late Woodland and Hopewellian

In reference to archeological remains,

esses which may have operated to produce it

ties.

however, the definition must be restricted

remains, and to examine the cultural procin northeastern Iowa.

further, for detailed data were available for

As the research progressed, it became ap-

only the four counties listed above. It is
assumed that similar materials would be

parent that the series of burial mounds ex-

cavated by the Iowa Archeological Survey

found in the other northeastern counties if
collections were available for study.
In the early stages of research on northeastern Iowa collections, two problems important to the interpretation of Effigy
Mounds National Monument were given
foremost consideration. The notes donated
by Ellison Orr to the National Park Service
contain descriptions and photographs of excavations which he performed for the Iowa
Archeological Survey on the Lane farm in
northern Allamakee County. The distinctive
pottery type found repeatedly in the Lane
farm mounds shows an interesting mixture
of Late Woodland and Hopewellian decora-

which were simpler in construction and

tive treatments. This mixture of Late Wood-

This study will attempt to illuminate these

and Hopewellian traits is reflected
in other grave goods and in mound structure

conditions and to suggest the interrelation-

as well.

longing to this interesting period of upper

land

At the urging of several local amateur

grave offerings than Hopewellian mounds,
nevertheless seemed to bear some relationship to Hopewell. These mounds were seg-

regated from other groupings and given the
tentative label of Allamakee Focus.

A part

of the problem will be to present evidence
for their cultural and chronological position

with respect to Hopewell, and to suggest
cultural processes involved in their develop-

ment. These mounds also bore relationships
to the effigy

mounds and Lane Farm com-

plex. Evidently a complex set of forces was
in operation in the northeastern

Iowa area

at some time during the Hopewellian period.

ships of

all

mound classes apparently be-

Mississippi Valley prehistory.

archeologists, I directed limited excavations

Another set of burial mounds contained

Spike Hollow Rock Shelter in Alla-

red ocher and an elaborate assemblage of

makee County on a tributary of Paint Creek.
The most significant discovery was the re-

grave offerings. Resemblances to the Early

in the

covery of sherds of the pottery type found
in

the Lane

Farm mounds

in

association

with a sherd resembling Hopewell Zoned
Incised and sherds of Madison Cord-Im-

pressed (Logan, 1952b, pp. 11-12). The
problem of the relationship of Hopewell,
Late Woodland, and the Lane Farm complex
therefore became very important in the investigations. The second problem of importance in connection with the needs of Effigy

Mounds National Monument was that of
identifying a village complex attributable to

peoples who built effigy mounds. This study

Woodland Red Ocher mounds of Illinois
were evident. The discussions of these
mounds will seek to outline the beginnings
of the Woodland sequence in northeastern
Iowa, and demonstrate relationships to sur-

rounding sites in Wisconsin and Illinois.

As

I

became more familiar with the dis-

tribution and content of sites, other prob-

lems involving the interaction of primitive
peoples of the upper Mississippi River Valley with their environment were apparent.
It was noted that the larger sites were on the
broad river terraces close to the Mississippi
River, and that there were numerous rock

seek to provide evidence for such a
complex. It will attempt to place the Lane

shelter campsites in the valleys of smaller

Woodland
Complexes

Farm complex in a meaningful context with

tribution will be considered in an attempt

will

tributary streams. The meaning of this dis-

environmental factors acting

lections could be made. The notes were quite

upon the Woodland peoples of the region.
The number of sites representing each
time period varies. The general trend appears to be one of increasing numbers of
burial mounds and heavier village occupation as time progressed. The generalization
that population was on the increase seems

detailed in their description of features ob-

warranted. Factors producing an increase in

facts in small collections available locally.

to illuminate

served in the excavations, but varied in the

amount of detail devoted to description of
artifacts.

Tentative typological categories

had been set up for artifacts based on the
limited descriptions in the notes, and on
comparisons of this information with arti-

population will be discussed in the hope that

Inspection of the larger mass of artifact data

some light may be thrown on the economic

in the

aspect of the Indians' relationship to the

modifications of both typological categories

Keyes collection produced many

environment. It is evident that the Missis-

already set up, and of hypotheses formed

sippi River itself played a strong part in the

concerning culture processes.
Physical limitations of laboratory space

life

of Indians in eastern Allamakee and

Clayton Counties. The problems associated
with environment may be summarized as
involving both the Mississippi River and
the northeastern Iowa terrain in three aspects: (1) effects on site location; (2) effects

on population distribution; and (3) population size. No doubt the river also was important in travel and trade. However,
evidence on this subject was lacking, and
the river's part in promoting or hindering
contacts with other peoples could not be

presented in other than speculative terms.

This study, then, seeks to describe and
analyze the collections from sites of the
Woodland Pattern in northeastern Iowa.

The archeological components

will

be grouped with respect to observed artifact
characteristics in an attempt to define cul-

The meaning of the groupings
which emerge will be considered in terms of
geographical situation and chronology. The

ture types.

imposed other modifications of method. Restricted work space and incomplete cataloging of the collections made it necessary to

study the artifacts from each site individually, or from each level within certain sites.
Small representative samples of each artifact type were selected from the excavation
units for comparison with those from other

units. Timelimitationsalsogoverned

method of analysis. The Keyes collection
was located in a repository some distance
from the home of the investigator, and it
was necessary to gather all data in one short
period of continuous work. Likewise, it was
not possible to make frequent re-examination of the material. Therefore it was im-

portant to make the original notes as
complete as possible. In studying pottery,
for example, re-examination would have
aided materially in developing types. As this

could not be done, the investigation was carried out with reference to the original notes

groupings will be considered within the
context of eastern United States culture

made on ceramics, and with reference to

history with particular reference to cultural

small collections available at or near Effigy

Wisconsin, Minnesota,
and Illinois. The cultural and environmental

Mounds National Monument. Fortunately

questions will be considered separately.

sented greatest typological problems were

manifestations

in

Certain modifications of usual methods of

for the analysis, the variations

which pre-

common in local sites and collections.

analysis were necessary due to the circum-

Numerically, potsherds were the most

stances under which the work was carried

common single class of remains recovered.

out.

The Keyes and Orr notes were avail-

able long before an examination of the col-

The habitation

sites

contained a total of

10,152 sherds. Another 248 sherds were

Introduction

found in mound excavations, in addition to
21 complete or nearly complete vessels. In
studying these collections, observations
were made on characteristics of temper, tex-

The final type groupings were assigned
names according to the practice which has
become accepted within the eastern United

ture, hardness, color, surface finish, decora-

described in the notes taken on the collec-

tain type names are drawn from local sites.
These designate types which are either new
in the literature on Woodland materials, or
which are believed to be sufficiently different from related pottery classes described in
surrounding areas to warrant their presentation as separate entities. Others are names
carried over from the type descriptions of
surrounding regions. These names have
been employed where type identity has
been indicated through comparison of local
pottery with ceramics from other parts of
the Middle West. Where local variation was

As a result, many more variations

evident in these groups, such variation has

and vessel form. As the collections
were composed largely of sherds, study of
form was most often confined to observations of vessel rims, lips, and shoulders.
For each individual site the sherds were separated into broad classes. After an initial
sorting based on temper, texture, vessel
form, and general surface finish, subgroups
were developed according to detailed differences in these characteristics and in decoration,

tion.
tions.

These smaller groupings were

were noted than were represented in the
final typological categories and descriptions.
In producing the final type descriptions, the
minor variations were compared and many
were subsumed under broader categories.
As the Woodland sherds were all grit
tempered, temper characteristics entered into the analysis of the classes to a lesser
degree than did other paste characteristics,
certain attributes of vessel form,

and sur-

Projectile points and other chipped stone
tools were second only to pottery fragments

as the most common form of artifact remains in northeastern Iowa sites. A wide
variety of projectile point forms appeared.
Eight major classes were differentiated and
several subtypes were noted within the major categories. All of the types presented are

descriptive categories, but the possibility
that certain of these may be found eventual-

sherds, the groups segregated in the initial

ly to conform to artifact types with chrono-

inspection were produced on the basis of

logical

thickness and thinness of the sherds, tex-

likely. In

and spatial significance is believed
separating the classes of chipped

and the exterior surface

stone material, the procedure was similar to

treatment. In the case of the latter attribute,

that usually followed in cases where noth-

the pottery was separated into plain or

ing

cordmarked classes, and the cordmarked
group was broken down into two, and some-

distribution.

is

known about spatial and temporal
The obtrusive variations were

separated according to criteria which varied

As the work pro-

with the classes. Form was found to be of

gressed and greater familiarity with the ma-

most importance. Size sometimes was employed as a sorting criterion. The method
was to seek one or two characteristics which
distinguished a particular form from other
artifacts within the broad class of "projectile point," "knife," etc. Descriptions were
then made based on the groups segregated.
Similar procedures were employed in
grouping the burial mounds and the several

times three, categories.

terial developed, separation of the different

cordmark variations was made automatically as part of the overall sorting operation.

Sherds bearing decoration, rims, shoulders,

and other fragments with special characterwere handled separately from the
body sherds, but segregation of variations
followed the same lines listed above.
istics

Woodland

been indicated in the descriptions.

face finish. In the classification of body

ture of the paste,

Complexes

States over the past several decades. Cer-

village

complexes in proposing culture

types.

The following section of the paper is a
site-to-site description of the burial mounds

excavated by the Iowa Archaeological Survey. This is succeeded by a section treating
village sites

ner.

and rock shelters in like man-

A section defining artifact types follows

this. The remainder of the paper is compar-

ative, and includes a discussion of problems
connected with the Woodland occupations

of northeastern Iowa.

Introduction

9

The Mississippi River trench at Pikes Peak State Park south of McGregor, Iowa.

WOODLAND SITES IN
NORTHEASTERN IOWA

BURIAL MOUNDS

formation and artifacts in relation to the

amount of funds and

effort

expended

in

Groups of burial mounds are the most

excavation seems to have been a factor gov-

common

erning this. Nevertheless, these few effigy

evidence of prehistoric occupation in north-

mounds were probably of prime importance

eastern Iowa. The groups range in size from

in local culture history,

isolated tumuli scattered over the landscape

of the groups which remain perhaps would

to huge aggregates containing several hun-

contribute moderately to the understanding

obtrusive and perhaps the most

and detailed study

dred mounds. In the Harpers Ferry Mound

both of the effigy complex as a whole and of

Group alone, an estimated total of 900
mounds existed before agricultural opera-

local cultural relationships.

and other modern activities obliterated them entirely (Keyes, 1930, p. 220). It
is unfortunate that most of the large groups
have been destroyed. The largest single
cluster remaining in the northeastern counties of Iowa appears to be the Sny-Magill
Mound Group on the large Mississippi
River terrace at the confluence of SnyMagill Creek and Johnson Slough, 8 miles
south of McGregor, Iowa. The Sny-Magill
group is now protected in a detached unit of
tions

Effigy Mounds National Monument.

The northeastern Iowa mounds include a

Of more common occurrence are those
mounds called "linears" and the so-called
"chain-mounds." The former are oblong
earth

embankments, and the

latter

are

alinements of conical mounds connected by
additional earth fill. Investigators have included these in the effigy classification,
partly on the basis of their form, and partly
on the basis of observed cultural similarities
(Rowe, 1956, pp. 69, 72). Although this
classification appears warranted, it is prob-

ably significant that distribution of the
linear

mounds extends far beyond that of

the true effigies

—

in Iowa, at least. Like the

and chain-mounds

variety of types that can be distinguished

effigy forms, the linears

on the basis of exterior form and internal
content. Among the most spectacular are
the effigy mounds, a few groups of which

are in need of further study. The most com-

here is the conical. Such mounds are circu-

are distributed along the eastern border of

lar in ground plan and present a low, dome-

Iowa in Allamakee, Clayton, and Dubuque
Counties. Many such mounds have been
excavated in Wisconsin, especially by archeologists affiliated with the Milwaukee
Public Museum, but few have been studied
in Iowa. The relatively low return in in-

shaped silhouette. They vary considerably
in diameter and height. Most are small, seldom exceeding 60 feet in diameter and 5
to 6 feet in height. Average size for these

mon mound type in the locality considered

mounds is probably nearer 30 feet in diameter and 2 to 3 feet in height.
11

The information presented on the pages
which follow summarizes the excavations
made in local mounds by Keyes and Orr
with the Iowa Archaeological Survey. Many
were nondistinctive and difficult to place in
relationship to those which produced more
information. Often the mound data were

on previous excavations there. At some time

general, not because of lack of careful ex-

information gleaned was meager, and Orr

cavation and reporting on Orr's part, ap-

was not able to locate any of the previous
excavators or any of the material removed
from the mounds. Orr's own excavations
avoided the mounds dug in this amateur

parently, but rather owing to the character
of the mounds and to the advanced state of

destruction through agriculture. In descrip-

considerably prior to his work, three of the

mounds were dug into by a Dr. Hanske and
several boys from Bellvue. They found burials,

"some other relics," and a thin copper

plate "on which were scratched some char-

acters" (Orr MS., 1935, vol. Ill, p. 56). The

tions presented here, no attempt is made to
group the various mounds according to cul-

effort.

tural likeness. Instead, they are described

ter:

according to mound groups. The mound
group descriptions, in turn, are taken up in

ior area contained low, irregular walls, less

Mound 7 (fig. 2). Type: conical; Diame30 ft.; Height: 30 in. The burial floor
was at the natural bluff-top level. The inter-

geographic sequence, beginning with the

than a foot wide, made of small, flat lime-

southernmost groups excavated and moving northward up the Mississippi River.
This sequence does not follow the chrono-

stone rocks. The orientation of this structure

logical order in which the mounds were

excavated, as the Iowa Archaeological Sur-

was southeast-northwest. An elongate mass
of five bundle burials was found along the
row of rocks in the northeast quarter of the
mound. There were no grave goods or other

vey excavations began in the valley of the
Upper Iowa River in the extreme northern

associations (Orr MS., 1935, vol. Ill, p. 57).

part of the geographic area considered here.

ter:

The Survey's work proceeded gradually
southward, finishing with the few mounds

tained a roughly rectangular structure of

studied in Jackson County. The number of

top. This was oriented northeast-southwest

mounds excavated was smallest for the

on its long axis. Parts of six skulls accompanied by other bone fragments were found
under the rocks and scattered within the
rock enclosure. Some of these were well preserved. The burials were fragmentary and
may have been parts of two separate flexed
skeletons. Two of the skulls appear to have
been those of children. One long bone fragment had two notches cut in it. In the east
half of the mound was a disk cut from a
human skull. From this same part of the
mound came a fresh-water mussel shell.

southern part of the region.

Mound Groups in Jackson County
Deppe Mound Croup. The Deppe Mound
Group is located in the northeast quarter of
Section 12, Township 86 North, Range 5
East, in Jackson County. The group consisted
of eight conical mounds on the spur of a
287 feet high which extended northward along the Mississippi River 1 mile
north of Bellvue, Iowa. Orr excavated the
two southernmost mounds of the group,
which he designated Mounds 7 and 8. Be-

bluff

Mound 8 (fig. 3). Type: conical; Diame60 ft.; Height: 42 in. The mound con-

limestone at the natural level of the bluff

Pleasant Creek Mound Croup. This was a
line of five conical

mounds along the east

Woodland

the mound group, and his activity brought

edge of a terrace north of the mouth of
Pleasant Creek, in Sections 4 and 5, Town-

Complexes

forth information from the local population

ship 85 North, Range 5 East. One mound at

fore proceeding with excavation, he mapped

12

igure 2.

Rock alinements and burials, Deppe Mound 7.

13

the extreme north end of the group

was

mound in its original state. At a depth of 5.5

located on Section 33, Township 86 North,

feet

Range 5 East. Another hne of mounds once

shells reported by Gerlach.

existed in this group but it has been obhter-

part of Orr's excavation.

beads in the field where the line of mounds

the stratum varied

originally existed. Orr reported these to be a

shells to a deposit 4 inches thick in a com-

type of trade beads of European manufac-

pact bed. Below the shells was a black earth

ture (Orr MS., 1935, vol.

layer

Ill, p.

18). In the

The thickness of
single,

which gradually changed

scattered

to

yellow

of 9 feet below the top of the mound. In the
southwest quarter of the excavation Orr
found a bundle burial within the purple clay

two previous excavations, the first by the
sons of a former local minister. They were
said to have dug a pit about 6 feet long, 6
feet wide, and 6 feet deep. According to

stratum. Two feet west of the bundle burial,
under similar purple clay, were seven leafshaped, ovoid flint blanks of the type often
found in Hopewellian sites. All were exceed-

Orr's informants, six or seven skeletons

ingly well flaked and were

were found "lying across each other" (Orr
MS., 1935, vol. Ill, p. 19). With the skeletons were 70 or more large copper beads.
The bones of the skeletons seem to have
been in an excellent state of preservation,
for the boys removed them and kept them
for a long time in the basement of the local
Lutheran church. Some time later, Henry
Gerlach, owner of the land on which the

Orr believed the
bundle burials were at the same level as the
skeletons found by the sons of the Lutheran

mound group was located, employed a
scraper to remove about 3 feet of the mound

The mound was begun by clearing an area
on the terrace surface at least thirty feet in

Still later, around the year 1900, Gerlach
excavated a pit 4 feet wide and 6 feet long in

fresh clamshells from the nearby river, vary-

the mound. In this pit he discovered a large

ing in thickness from one shell to a compact

clay. Pure sand was encountered at a depth

quality blue-gray

made of high

flint.

He thought that the flint blanks
were included in this stratum. Orr's
statement on the excavation of this mound
contains observations on how he thought
the mound had been constructed:

minister.
also

diameter, over which was spread a layer of

deposit of fresh-water mussel shells. The pit

bed, in places 4 inches thick. Black earth

was said to have been located at the natural
level of the terrace. He found no burials,

made blacker by disintegrated charcoal

however.

Then over this was built a mound of yellow
clay to a height of 5.5 feet, the last foot,

Orr surveyed the mound before excavation and found patchy, irregular strata of
very stiff clay at a level corresponding to the

mound surface as it then existed. He found
that similar clay could be obtained along the

14

from

mound group which remained
intact, Orr excavated Mounds 2 and 3.
Mound 2. Type: conical; dimensions unspecified. Mound 2 had been subjected to

fill.

Woodland

This layer of shells covered the southwest

ated by repeated plowing. The farmer found

part of the

Complexes

Orr encountered the layer of mussel

which was packed solidly in the interstices.

the center being largerly purplish clay
brought from the banks of a small creek
flowing across the north part of the terrace.
In doing this, a single ceremonial flint, the
in

bank of a tributary of the deep slough at the

same as the 7 later deposited, ivas thrown in

foot of the terrace. In his own excavation he

an inclusive deposit in the mound earth, in

found an irregular stratum of this clay just
beneath the surface of the mound. Accord-

natural level.

ing to Gerlach's statement, this would have
been at a level 3 feet below the apex of the

At this level arid in this purplish clay zoere
found the skeletons and large copper beads

the southwest quarter at 36

in.

above the

Woodland
Sites in

Northeastern

Iowa
Figure 3.

Rock alinements and burials, Deppe Mound 8.

15

SCALE

Woodland
Complexes

Numbers indicate skulls

Figure 4.

North halt of burial pit. Pleasant Creek Mouiid 3.

at the

bottom of the pit made by the Lenz
hoys, the solitary bundle burial and the

Mound Group 1, and Gudovissy Mound

seven ceremonial pieces found by us.

Archaeological Survey, but excavations were

After which the

mound was built to a

Group 2. Both were mapped by the Iowa

made in Group 2 only. When the maps and

height of 10-12 ft., with a probable diameter

excavations were made, this group contained

of around 35 feet. (Orr MS., 1935, vol. Ill,

eight conical mounds in good state of pres-

p. 24.)

ervation.

Mound 3. Type: conical; Diameter: 30 ft.;
Height: 18 in. In the mound floor was a rectangular pit 4 feet deep, 5 feet wide, and 14
feet long. The long axis was oriented north-

south.

An "altar" of stones was found 18

inches below the surface of the

mound.
Mussel shells were discovered at the same
level.

A small deposit of charcoal at a depth

of 20 inches lay in the northeast corner of
the 5-foot square section at the center of the

mound. In the southeast corner of this section were more mussel shells. A lens-shaped
deposit of shell was found 10 feet south and
5 feet east of the center of the mound. These
shells were outside of the burial pit and 40

inches below the apex of the mound. This

depth indicates that the lens-shaped deposit

may not have been inclusive in the mound.
likely that the shell deposit was part of
pre-mound habitation site, although Orr
noted no evidence for a village site in conIt is

a

nection with the mound group.

Ten bundle

burials were found in the

north part of the burial pit (fig. 4). Near the
center of the pit was a fragmentary skeleton

which may have been the remains of a semiflexed individual. An isolated skull was located two feet east of the mound center. A
mandible fragment was found 18 inches east

mound center, 10 feet south of the
mound center was another skull fragment.
of the

No grave goods were reported.
Mound Groups in Clayton County
Gudovissy Mound Group 2. In Sections 17
and 18, Township 91 North, Range 1 West,
on bluff tops along the Mississippi River in
southern Clayton County, are two groups of
mounds which Orr designated Gudovissy

An additional four mounds orig-

had been part of the group. Orr
reported them to be badly obscured through
inally

cultivation at the time of his work.

Mound 1 (fig. 5). Type: conical; Diameter

:

40 ft. Height 36 in. This was the south;

:

easternmost mound in the group. Orr's excavation revealed an oval burial pit 5 feet

long and 4 feet wide. The long axis of the pit
was oriented east-west. Outside the burial
pit at its west end was a pile of large rocks
which Orr described as a "subconical heap,"
78 inches long (north-south), and 48 inches

wide (Orr MS., 1935, vol. Ill, p. 86).

The pit contained burials of four adults
and the skulls of four children. Although
these were bundle burials, they had been
placed in the pit while some tissue still connected the bones of the legs. Three adult
skulls were arranged along the east edge of
the pit. They were accompanied by a few
long bone fragments. Along the north side
of the pit were the four children's skulls.
The fourth adult skull was located near the
center of the pit. Part of another skull lay

nearby. These were accompanied by long

bone needles. The skulls were at the east
end of the bundles, and the long bones were
in positions roughly simulating articulation.

At the foot of one of these bundles was a
small whole pot. Near one of the children's
skulls, at a point close to the center of the

burial pit, were fragments of another vessel.
Still another pot, in badly disintegrated con-

dition, was found in the southeast corner of

the pit.

Although three pots were recorded as
having been found with the burials in this

Woodland

mound, information was available on only

Sites in

one (fig. 6). According to a description originally prepared by Griffin in 1935, this pot

Iowa

Northeastern

17

IN

Figure 5.

Plan of Gudovissy Mound 1.

was grit-tempered and of medium fine texture. The color was light brown to smoke
gray. The paste was soft, with a hardness of
2.0 to 2.5. The surface of the pot had been
roughly smoothed. The decoration on the
rim consisted of a series of short, vertical
lines incised just below the lip. Beneath
these were two narrow, horizontal lines in-

around the neck outlining a smooth
Two lines were incised around
the shoulder forming a curvilinear festoon

cised

Woodland
Complexes

neckband.

design. On the body, two sets of wider and

deeper incised lines formed a larger curvilinear festoon design. Both the shoulder and

body decoration encircled the pot. The body
of the pot was slightly elongate and had a
rounded base. The shoulder intersected the
neck and the body at angles considerably
sharper than are usual on local Woodland
pottery vessels; in addition, there was a
more pronounced neck constriction. The
upper rim flared slightly. The vessel is quite

small

— only 6.8 cm. high.

It

has a lip diam-

eter of 5.5 cm., a neck diameter of 4.4 cm.,

and a body diameter of 5.7 cm. The lip is 2

mm. thick. The pot as described here resembles one found in the Schwert Mound 7
of Wisconsin, where it was associated with

Hopewellian remains (McKern, 1931,

p.

250).

Mound 4. Type: conical; Diameter: 30
ft.;

Height: 36

in.

This

mound contained

two bundle burials in a pit 6 inches deep and
of unspecified form. No grave goods were
with the burials and nothing was found in
the mound fill (Orr MS., 1935, vol. Ill, p.

Figure 6.

89).

Mound 1 (UMMA Neg. No. 12701).

Miniature pot from Gudovissy

Mound 8. Type: conical; Diameter: 30
Height: 30 in. The humus layer had
been removed from the mound floor. No
skeletons were found, although Orr seems
to have thought burials were there originally and had deteriorated (ibid., p. 90).
ft.;

southward along the west bank of the Mississippi River about IV2 miles north of the

business district of the village of Guttenberg.

The peninsula lies between the Mis-

sissippi River and the mouth of Buck Creek
in Sections 29 and 31, Township 93 North,

Harvey's Island Mound Croup 2. Harvey's

Range 2 West, and Section 5, Township 92

Island is actually a peninsula extending

North, Range 3 West. Most of the penin-

Figure 7.

Pottery from the mound fill, Harvey's Island Mound 1

(UMMA Neg. No. 12701).

Woodland
Sites in

Northeastern

Iowa
19

but details of form and dimensions were not
given. Cordmarked body sherds with fingernail impressions

over the cord-roughened

surface were found in the mound fill (fig. 7).

Fragments of a bundle burial were noted.

The bundle was associated with a pot decorated with a cord-wrapped-stick treatment
(fig. 8). The pot was grit

tempered, and

the body had been roughened with a
cord-wrapped paddle with deep cord impressions. It was smoothed over the cordroughened surface from the upper part of
the shoulder to the rim. Decoration was
confined to three zones on the neck and rim

on the
rim.

ejcterior surface,

and

to the inner

The decoration consisted of cord-

wrapped-stick impressions 2.2 cm. long and

mm. wide placed obliquely from the lip
downward on the exterior and interior. On
7

Cord-wrapped-stick decorated pot,

Figure 8.
associated with burial, Harvey's Island
Mound 1 (MPM Neg. No. 72265).

sula has been subjected to cultivation for a

period of more than 50 years. Summer cottages have been built at the south end of the
peninsula. Gravel quarrying operations are
in

progress north of these dwellings. Such

activity seems also to have been in progress
at the time of Orr's excavation and survey.

Three mound groups once existed on the

ward the left. On the interior they slanted to
the right. Below these impressions was a
row of bosses 7 mm. wide and spaced from
13 to 23 mm. apart punched from the exterior, and encircling the pot horizontally.
They were placed in a smoothed horizontal
band 18 mm. wide. Below the bosses, three
rows of horizontal cord-wrapped-stick impressions were placed in continuous lines
around the neck just above a very slight

of the barn attached to the Janck residence

shoulder expansion. This decoration fills a
band 22 mm. wide. The pot had an elongate

While it

body with a rounded, conoidal base. Its di-

known that a huge animal effigy of unique

ameter at the orifice nearly equalled that at
the shoulder. Overall height was 10 inches

peninsula. Group 1, about 300 yards north
in Section 5, has been obliterated.
is

form was found, Orr left us no information
on the number and types of mounds in the
group.

Group

2 consisted of five conical

(Orr MS., 1935, vol. Ill, pp. 142-143).
Mound 2. Type: conical; Diameter: 60 ft.;

of which were excavated. Two of these con-

in. This mound had been obscured by cultivation. Orr's excavation

tained remains indicative of a Hopewellian

revealed a rectangular, subfloor burial pit

Group 3 lies at the extreme north

8 feet long and 4 feet wide. The long axis

end of the peninsula in Sections 29 and 31
and, at the time of the survey, included one

was oriented north-south. At the north end
of the pit were six bone bundles. Part of the
long bones of these were stacked on end

mounds at the time of the Orr survey, three

origin.

linear and 10 conical mounds.

Height: 24

Mound 1. Type: conical; Diameter: 40 ft;

against the edge of the pit. Sixty-five tubular

A pit seems to have been

copper beads were scattered through the
earthfill of the pit to the south of the burials.

Woodland

Height: 10

Complexes

dug at the time of the mound's construction,

20

the exterior these impressions slanted to-

in.

These resembled copper beads reported from
Hopewellian mounds in Wisconsin (McKern,
1931, p. 215). In the earth which filled the
4 inches above the floor, were two unperforated canine teeth of a bear. Several
long bone fragments were found at the south
pit,

end of the pit. A fragment of a Lane Farm
Cord-Impressed pot is noted in the collection as having come from this mound (fig. 9).

The excavators discovered an

intrusive

historic Indian burial 13 feet south

and 5

feet west of the mound center. The skeleton

was extended with arms at the sides. Beneath the mandible were many purple glass
beads which appeared to have been parts of
a necklace. Over the left side of the thoracic
cage was a thin, circular, brass disk covered
with cloth resembling velvet. This disk was

Figure 9.
Lane Farm Cord Impressed pot
fragment, Harvey's Island Mound 2

(UMMA Neg. No. 12711).
about 200 feet lower than the bluff's summit.

The hogback extends southward from

the steep slope of the bluff, along the south

A little farther down

side of which runs a small, nameless creek.

on the same part of the skeleton was a similar disk, 3 inches in diameter. The disks and
glass beads were of European manufacture
(Orr MS., 1935, vol. Ill, pp. 129-130).
Mound 3. Type: Conical; Diameter: 60

On the east the bluff and hogback are

4 inches in diameter.

bordered by the sloughs of the Mississippi
River.

The mound group consisted of one

linear and 10 conical mounds. In addition to

the

mound burials, an interesting inhuma-

Excavation revealed a

tion was found at the base of the bluff slope.

rectangular pit, the long axis of which was

Small rocks were observed covering an area

ft.;

Height: 20

in.

oriented north-south, 6 feet long and 3 feet

4 feet wide and 5 feet long. These were sunk

wide. A fragmentary extended skeleton
with the head to the north lay on the floor.

into the ground until only the tops showed
flush with the surface. Under the rocks was

Two fragmentary bundle burials lay one on

a skeleton in extended position with

each side of the extended skeleton. Associ-

at the sides.

ated with the bundle burial on the east side

depth from the surface at the feet and 36

of the extended skeleton were three perfo-

inches at the skull. Near the right hand,

rated bear canine teeth. On the surface of the

resting on the pelvis with inner surface
downward, was a large mussel shell. An-

pre-mound terrace, outside the burial pit,
were two additional bundle burials, one of
which included two skulls with the long
bones. No grave goods accompanied the
bundle burials (Orr MS., 1935, vol. Ill, p.
140).

French Town Mound Croup. The French
Town Mound Group, 6V2 miles north of

Guttenberg in Clayton County, is located
in the northwest quarter of Section 32,
Township 93 North, Range 2 West. It occupies a high bluff and narrow hogback

arms

The skeleton was 30 inches in

other was located at the right knee. A
broken projectile point was found in the
earth which had been excavated from
around the legs.
Four of the conical mounds in this group
were excavated but only two were described
in detail. The others, Mounds 6 and 7, were

described very briefly.

Mound 6 contained

a single skull, complete, but crushed. Mound

Woodland

7 contained parts of a poorly preserved

Sites in

burial and a celt fragment.

The burial in

Mound 7 appears to have been extended.

Northeastern

Iowa
21

Figure 10.

Plan of burials, French Town Mound 10.

Mound 10 (fig. 10). Type: conical; Diam-

Burial

1.

Semiflexed. One of the two pit

The floor was

burials. The pit in which it lay was roughly

prepared by removing topsoil. Five pits
were dug in the floor, three of which were

rectangular. Red ocher was scattered
through the earth fill. Orr noted that the
burial was fairly well preserved although
the skeleton was incomplete. In the earth
filling the pit, and at a depth roughly cor-

eter:

44

ft..

Height: 48

in.

Two to three mussel
were found at the bottom of each.
Burials were located in the two remaining
pits and on the mound floor and fill. Rocks
filled with yellow clay.

shells

responding to the level of the mound floor,

included in the mound fill were reported to

Orr found five ovoid knives or ceremonial

have covered some of the skeletons. The in-

blades pointed at both ends.

Woodland

dividual burials are listed and described be-

these well flaked specimens resembled the

Complexes

low using Orr's burial numbers.

"turkey-tail" blades of Illinois, but lacked

In

outline

the characteristic notches (fig. lie, d).

The five blades are markedly uniform in
size, their dimensions in centimeters are:

Specimen No.
1

Length

Width

Thickness

Burial

A bundle burial lying on the

8.

mound floor.
Burials 9 and 10. Bundle burials. These
were found in the mound fill. Orr reported
limestone rocks in this fill and thought that

they had been placed over the burials.
All burials in Mound 10, with the excep-

^

tion of Burials 9 and 10, were covered with
fc-..

•

"

^

T'J^'

red ocher.
a flat

Burial 1.

iHK

One additional feature included
mound floor near

rock lying on the

Two blades pointed at either end

and a large (13.5 cm. long) bone awl (flg.
11a) lay on this rock. The two blades measure 13.7 X 4.5 X 0.7, and 14.0 x 4.3 x 1.0 cm.
respectively.

Although they were not mentioned in the
notes, five other objects were found, and at
least

three of these appear to have been

among the grave offerings. They may have
been missed accidentally in the excavation

and recovered from the back dirt. These included a broken, socketed antler projectile
Stone objects, French Town
Mound 10 (UMMA Neg. No. 12704).
Figure 12.

point stained with red ocher

(flg.

13c); a

small, polished bone splinter awl (fig. lib);

and two conch columella beads, each approximately 3 inches long, hollowed out at
the ends and perforated at each end at right
angles to their longitudinal axes

(fig.

13a,

These beads also bore red ocher stains.
A large retouched flake was also recorded as
having come from this mound (fig. 12b).
Mound 4. Type: conical; Diameter: 24
ft.; Height: 30 in. Orr noted one construction feature: a rock layer was placed over
the burials at the pre-mound soil surface
level. Under the rocks were three long bone
shafts, fragments of two mandibles, and
part of a scapula. A bundle of five long

b).

bones, a pair of femurs, a single femur, a

humerus, and two tibiae were located
under another cluster of rocks. These lay in
a compact bundle oriented north-south.
Two of six mussel shells were cupped under
left

small rocks. A skull fragment, two rockerstamped potsherds, a cordmarked sherd, a

Woodland
Complexes
24

Conch columella beads and
Figure 13.
socketed antler point, French Town Mound 10
Neg. No. 12702).

(UMMA

plain sherd, and a perforated carnivore ca-

nine tooth were found in the

mound fill

(Orr MS., 1935, vol. Ill, p. 106).

Mound 8. Type: conical; Diameter: 40
Height: 36 in. This mound contained

ft.;

several features quite unlike those in any of

the other

mounds investigated in this

group. A basin-shaped clay lined pit, about

14 feet in diameter, had been dug into the
original soil to a depth of 18 inches.

The

earth removed from this excavation formed

an embankment about a foot high around
the perimeter of the pit.

The pit evidently served as a crematory
basin, for a large fire had been built within
it. The fire appeared to have been smothered
with earth resulting in a charcoal stratum,

varying in thickness from 2 to 6 inches
within the pit. Charred logs, 4 feet long and
4 to 8 inches in diameter, overlay the charcoal stratum in the southeast quarter of the

Figure 14.

mound. The logs lay east to west, parallel to

Town Mound 8 (Height, 12.5 cm.).

the long axis of the pit. A rock deposit with
one slab set on edge was located south of
the logs. Burned human bone fragments,
chiefly bits of skulls, were scattered over the
floor of the basin under the charcoal. Five
feet east of the pit center, imbedded in the
clay directly under the charcoal, was a complete pot

(fig.

14). This small vessel

is

grit

tempered and had been malleated with a
cord-wrapped paddle. The cord impressions
were almost completely obliterated by subsequent smoothing of the surface. The color
is yellowish gray to smoke-blackened.
Just below the lip there is a series of short,
vertical, closely spaced lines impressed by
an instrument with a smooth surface. Below

Levsen Punctated pot, French

inner rim decoration.

There is a very slight flare to the rim; the
narrowed and rounded, and the base

lip is
is

conoidal.

The lip thickness is 3.0 mm.;

the rim, 5.0 mm., and the body 5.0 mm. The
vessel is 12.5 cm. high. The lip diameter is
8.6 cm. The base of the rim is 8.1 cm., and

the shoulder is 10.6 cm. in diameter.

Two feet south of the center, also im-

may well have been made by the same tool

bedded in the clay layer, was a bundle burial, and beneath the charred logs, 3 feet
southeast of the center, were two fragments
of a child's skull. Burned human bone fragments were found beneath the charcoal
layer. These lay on top of the clay layer and
were scattered over the floor of the basin
(Orr MS., 1935, vol. Ill, p. 117).
Evidently the mound was erected over the

as the plain rocker incising on the body. The

site of a crematorium. The charred logs ap-

and well smoothed.
At the shoulder there are eight low lobes,
each of which is decorated by a series of
three horizontal rows of plain rocker incised
lines. The swing of the rocker impression is
1.3 cm., and the rows overlap. The convex
part of the swing is to the right. There is no

parently were the remains of some type of

this

band, on the rim, there is a horizontal

area of short irregular incised lines which

shoulder area

is

plain

structure within which the burials were cre-

mated. Addition of the mound fill seemed to
have interrupted the burning before it was
complete as evidenced by the charred logs,
charcoal stratum, and incompletely burned
bones.

Woodland
Sites in

Northeastern

Iowa
25

Mound Groups in Allamakee County

burial area a little above the natural terrace

surface level. In the sections immediately

Mud Hen Joe Mound Group. This small
group of conical mounds was located along
the foot of the high bluffs that line the Mississippi River less than half a mile north of

Waukon Junction, Iowa. They were located
in Section 3, Township

96 North, Range 3
West. All were destroyed in the process of
constructing a county road along the Mississippi River from Waukon Junction to Harpers Ferry. Before destruction, Orr mapped
the group and excavated three mounds.

west of the mound center were fragments of
what apparently had been an extended burial

(or

perhaps bones placed in positions

The bones
were located 8 inches below the level of the
natural terrace surface and the humus layer
had been removed before the burial vvas

simulating an extended burial).

placed.

A crushed, grit-tem.pered pot lay be-

tween the knees of the skeleton. The skull
was absent, but a skull fragment lay by the
proximal end of the right femur. Other bone

Mound 1 Type conical Diameter :32ft.;

fragments, apparently parts of the left arm,

Height: 30 in. Rocks were piled indiscrimi-

lay across the shaft of the left femur. The

nately on the mound floor. No burials were

found. The mound fill contained the follow-

frontal part of a skull, a tooth, and a long
bone fragment were discovered to the east

ing objects: three chipped flint objects

of this burial. The mound fill contained five

(probably scrapers), one planoconvex
scraper, and four potsherds (Orr MS., 1936,

grit-tempered potsherds and a broken pro-

vol. V, pp. 162-163).

the Lane

.

:

;

Mound 2. Type: conical; Diameter: 30 ft.;
Height: 18 in. A crude rock wall, approxi-

jectile point.

pot could not be located in the collections

(Orr MS., 1936, vol. V, pp. 163-164).

mately 8 feet long and 2 feet wide, was lo-

Mound 4. Type: conical; Diameter: 30 ft.;

cated in the southwest part of this mound.

Height: 24 in. Three grit-tempered sherds

Two rows of rocks were arranged over the

of

Figure 15.

Madison Cord-Impressed type were

Pottery from the "Valley" Mound, Harpers Ferry Mound Group

(UMMANeg. No. 12704).

^

Ci

^

'^

L^^^o^

e>

©

CN.

'^^a

A

Flint Ccie

B

Cofiper htigget

fB

^

^c

C FIM Modn

QkocV
Figure 25.

Plan of burials, Luth Mound 3.

of four skulls were represented, indicating

the axis of the rock arrangement. Near the

West of the skull
accompanying the extended burial were

distal end of the right humerus was a large,

at least four individuals.

parts of two additional skulls and two long

bones. Longbone fragments were also scattered between these and the bundle burials.

One blade found \vith the extended skele-

the center of the thoracic cage, and a flint

ton is of the type called Snyder's Notched,

core was situated 2 feet east of the skull.

a Hopewelhan projectile point t%'pe (Scully,

bundle burial with no accompanying grave

1951, p. 12).
meter: 30 ft.; Height: 24 in. Four parallel

goods lay beneath the row of rocks 3 feet
northwest from the skull of the extended
skeleton (Orr MS., 1936, vol. V, pp. 125-

rows of rocks were found. These appeared

126).

Mound 3 (fig. 25). Type: conical; Dia-

Woodland
Complexes
36

comer-notched, brown chalcedony blade.
Near the left femur was a large, ovoid, unnotched blade made from the same chalcedony. A nugget of copper was found near

A

to delimit a rectangular area oriented

The large comer-notched point found in

roughly southeast-northwest. Toward the

this mound is of the Snyder's Notched type.

center of the enclosure was a fragmentary'

The ovoid blade resembles the Hopewellian

extended burial with the skull to the north-

"blanks" of Pleasant Creek Mound 2. Both
blades found in Luth Mound 3 were made

and the bones of the torso extending
southwest at an approximate right angle to

east

of the type of brouTi chalcedony believed to

be Knife River flint, the source of which is

Dunn County, North Dakota (Bennett,
1945, p. 94).
Paint Rock Mound Croup. The Paint Rock
Mound Group is located on top of a Missis-

A badly broken grittempered pot was found with the skeleton
disturbed by the looters. Parts of the same
pot were found by Orr in the loose dirt left
by the boys. A part of the pot taken from
the site by the boys was later given to Orr,
of the upper torso.

sippi River bluff in the southwest quarter of

who was able to make a partial restoration

the northeast quarter of Section 3, Town-

of the vessel. The pot is of the type called

ship 96 North, Range 3 West, about three-

Levsen Stamped, and the decoration had
been produced with a cord-wrapped implement. The decorative treatment of the pot is

quarters of a mile north of the village of

Waukon Junction. Only one mound in the
group was excavated. This was a partial excavation prompted by a report of looting on
the part of local boys. The mound studied
was designated Mound 1 in the excavation
notes.

Mound 1. Type: conical; Diameter: 44
ft.;

Height: 36

in.

The excavation cleared

out the pit previously dug by the boys who
looted the mound. The mound had been constructed over a floor from which the topsoil
had been removed. The mound fill over the

burial area was composed of light gray,

hard earth. Immediately over the skeleton
was a layer of reddish clay. The remainder
of the mound fill above the light-gray earth

illustrated in figure 81g.

Waukon Junction Mound Group. This
mound group is located atop a Mississippi
River bluff just north of the mouth of Paint
Creek in the east half of the southwest
quarter of Section 3, Township 96 North,
Range 3 West. The village of Waukon Junction is located at the foot of the bluff on its
south side near the mouth of Paint Creek.
The group consists of five conical and nine
linear mounds, one bear effigy, and one bird
effigy. The only mound excavated in this
group was Mound 4, a conical also referred
to by Orr as "The Burned Earth Mound."

Mound 4 (fig. 26). Type: conical; dimen-

was yellow loess identical to the surrounding bluff top soil.

sions unspecified. The mound, according to

In their digging, the boys had partially
disturbed an extended skeleton which
seems to have been oriented northwestsoutheast. The bones of the skeleton discovered in Orr's excavation were badly
jumbled, but it also appeared to have been
extended. The skull lay on top of the bones

Orr's description,

was built on a layer of

disintegrated rock which composed the subsoil of the bluff top.

On top of the subsoil

was a black earth layer. In the central area,
on top of the black earth, were fragments of
burned human bones scattered over an area
about 10 feet in diameter. Over the bones

Cross section of Waukon Junction Mound 4
("The Burned Earth Mound").

Figure 26.

Burned Earth Loyei
Surface of Mound

Woodland
Black Earth Layer

Sites in

Northeastern

Iowa

37

Township Line

Numbers

1

through 24 Indicate Mounds of Lane Farm Group

SCALE

Figure 27.

The Lane Farm Mound Group.

was an irregular mass of earth which had
been burned until it had assumed the character of soft red brick. A few rocks were
scattered between the bone layer and the
burned earth deposit.
Orr believed the cremation had been accomplished elsewhere and later brought to
the mound site for burial. He also suggested
that the clay had been puddled before it was
fired. Very little charcoal was found in spite

of the repeated evidence of cremation

and

burning. No grave goods were found.

The excavation appears to have been too
The exca-

limited to produce full details.

vated area consisted of a cross-section
trench, 5 feet wide. Detailed profile drawings of the east and west walls of the trench,
and a drawing of the north wall of the
trench at the center of the mound were supplied with the notes. The profile of the west
face of the north-south trench indicated
that the builders had made a shallow excavation and piled earth, possibly from the
excavation, around its edges. The bone
fragments seem to have been found in this
shallow depression, and the bulk of the
burned earth was piled over the top. That
Orr's excavation merely passed through the
edge of the pit is evidenced by his profile
drawing of the east face of the trench. This
drawing showed a uniform, thick layer of
black earth across the area near the center
of the mound.

Further evidence was provided by the

was studied by the Iowa Archaeological
Survey, it consisted of 17 conical mounds
and an area enclosed by a circular embankment of earth. South of the Lane Farm
group, on the Hartley farm (northwest
quarter of the southwest quarter of Section
36, Township 100 North, Range 5 West),
was a rectangular earth enclosure accompanied by two conical mounds in fair state
of preservation and the remnants of two
other mounds. In 1882, when Colonel Norris visited the Lane Farm for the Bureau
of American Ethnology, he reported 90
mounds (84 conicals and 6 linears) in addition to the earth enclosure. Norris exca-

vated part of the circular enclosure, but his
conclusions as to its cultural origins are not
clear (Thomas, 1894, pp. 99-101).

This multi-component site had once been
the location of an Oneota village in late prehistoric

and early historic times. Orr exca-

vated 10 of the 17 mounds still existing and

trenched the Lane Farm circular enclosure.

He concluded that the enclosure had been
constructed during the course of the Oneota occupation.

It is

difficult to assess

the

evidence in favor of this conclusion. Oneota
material was found in and over the earth fill
of the embankment. Oneota cache pits cut
into the

embankment repeatedly. No ob-

jects indicating the possibility of Woodland

and Orr's account
was positively and convincingly presented
origin were discovered,

(Orr MS., 1936, vol. V, pp. 14-33). On the

was suspected

east-west profile taken in the center of the

other hand,

mound depicting a decided "dip" from east

Iowa
Archaeological Survey's operators, they
may not have acquired sufficient familiarity

to

west in the stratum of black material.

This interpretation of profiles was bolstered

by evidence from Wisconsin where such excavations surrounded by an extra embankment were found (McKern, 1931, pp. 252253).

it

that at this

early stage in the experience of the

with their materials to distinguish intrusive
features from those inclusive in sites, for
this work was carried out in the first summer of the excavations. Elsewhere in the

eastern United States, earth enclosures have

Lane Farm Mound Croup (fig. 27). The
Lane Farm mounds were located on the
south half of Section 36, Township 100
North, Range 5 West. At the time the site

been associated with Woodland occupations (Webb and Snow, 1945, pp. 16-17).

Woodland
Sites in

In Iowa, distributional evidence supports

Northeastern

Orr's conclusions, for enclosed areas have

Iowa
39

grave goods accompanied them.

The mound fill contained two grittempered, cordmarked potsherds, a Lane

Farm Cord-Impressed sherd, a small bone
fragment, a small triangular projectile
point, an Oneota potsherd, and two small
grit-tempered sherds (Orr MS., 1934, vol.
I, p.

28).

Mound 2. Type: conical; Diameter: 33
ft.; Height: 16 in. This mound was a confused hodgepodge. Although it appears to

have been of Woodland origin, later Oneota
peoples placed their own burials within it,

obscuring its original condition almost completely. On constructing the mound, the
floor seems to have been cleared of humus.

This floor was uneven, but no evidence of
burial pits or burial layers was noted. A cir-

cular heap of limestone fragments
Figure 28.

Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot,
3 (UMMA Neg.

Lane Farm Mound

No. 2541).

been found repeatedly associated with Oneota remains.* The information on the Lane
Farm Mound Group from the Iowa Archaeological Survey excavations is presented
below.

Mound 1. Type: conical; Diameter: 40
Height: 18 in. Two layers of burials

ft.;

Woodland
Complexes
40

were found to the south of the mound's center. The upper layer was located at approximately the natural level of the terrace and
consisted of three bundle burials in advanced stages of decomposition. A projectile point was found in association with
these bone bundles. The type was unspecified in the notes, and the point could not be
found in the collections. A small drawing
made by Orr on his ground plan of Mound 1
indicated that it may have been a cornernotched point. However, the drawing may
have been merely symbolic rather than a
true representation. The lower layer of burials consisted of five bone bundles and six
crushed skulls on a level about a foot lower
than that of the upper burial layer. No

was

found at the southwest corner of the excavation, 18 inches below the surface.
Seven burials were encountered. Of
these, five were extended and two were described as consisting of skull fragments
only. Oneota grave goods were associated
with one of the extended skeletons, consisting of a pot at the right knee, and a lump of
charcoal at the left humerus. No grave
goods were found in association with the
skull fragments. In the mound fill were 44
Oneota potsherds, four grit-tempered cordmarked sherds, one plain grit-tempered
sherd, and one Lane Farm Cord-Impressed
rimsherd in addition to numerous flint chips
and bone fragments.
In spite of the meager evidence on which
inferences concerning the origin of the burials could be based, it was concluded that the

four burials without grave goods may have
been Woodland. The circular pile of lime*Four earth enclosures in northern Allamakee
County are associated with Oneota remains.
The Blood Run enclosure in northwestern Iowa
also contains remains stemming from an Oneota occupation judging from statements made
in Keyes' notes on file with the State Historical
Society of Iowa.

stone fragments was a recurrent feature in
other mounds excavated, and served to
identify the mound as Woodland. An alter-

nate hypothesis would be to regard

of

all

the extended skeletons as Oneota in origin

and to consider the skull fragments as the
disturbed remains of the burials inclusive in
the

mound in its original state (Orr MS.,

1934, vol. I, pp. 31-32).

Mound 3. Type: conical; Diameter: 24
Height: 24 in. The topsoil had been removed in preparing a burial area. Toward
the north edge of the mound, at a point 45
ft.;

inches below its apex, was a concentration
of charcoal. In the same area, 60 inches be-

low the mound's apex, were fragments of
animal bones. Another charcoal concentration was found in the east edge of the
mound at a depth of 36 inches. A bundle
burial, located southwest of the mound's
center at a depth of 28 inches, was accompanied by a Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot
(fig. 28), the bowl of a pottery elbow pipe,
and a Snyder's Notched projectile point (fig.
29a, b). Also located southwest of the
mound's center, at a depth of 36 inches, was
a mussel shell (Orr MS., 1934, vol. I, p. 36).
This small vessel is grit tempered with a
surface hardness of 2.0 to 2.5. The color is
dark brown. The surface was smoothed and
rubbed somewhat after the decoration was

applied so that the techniques employed are

not too clear in the photograph (fig. 28).

Beginning at the outer lip edge there is a
series of short, closely spaced vertical cord

impressions extending 6 to 7 mm. down the
rim. Below this band are 4 parallel horizontal cord impressions and this band averages
about 1.0 cm. wide. Below the horizontal

band is the second series of short closely
spaced vertical cord impressions in a band
1.2 cm. wide.

Mound 11

(fig.

30).

Type: conical;

di-

mensions unspecified. The builders seem to
have made an excavation of undetermined
extent and form in the mound floor. There
were three layers of burials. The top layer

Pottery pipe bowl and Snyders
Notched point. Lane Farm Mound 3
(UMMA Neg. No. 2542).
Figure 29.

was located slightly below the natural surface of the terrace surrounding the mound.
It consisted of five bundles and one extended
burial. The extended burial was oriented
north-south, beneath which were the bones
of a bundle burial accompanied by two
crudely chipped

flint objects.

This bundle

constituted the second burial layer. Three

bundles of bones comprised the lowest
layer, two of which were located 12 inches
below the surface of the terrace. The remaining bundle was 25 inches below the

A large rectangular copper
accompanied one of the burials in the
upper layer (fig. 31a). A flint hammerstone
and flint debris were found in the mound
fill, and a stone altar on the mound floor
(Orr MS., 1936, vol. V, p. 8).
Mound 12. Type: conical; Diameter: 33
ft.; Height: 14 in. Evidently this mound had
been disturbed some time after its construction and the burial complex was confusing.
The disturbance may have resulted from
Oneota excavations as burials of Oneota
origin were discovered within the mound.
Burials 1, 2, and 6 were extended, and each
was accompanied by a bison scapula. All
three lay slightly below the level of the surrounding terrace surface. The bison scapula
accompanying Burial 1 was located over the
terrace surface.

celt

left femur. In the case of Burial 2,

ula lay beside the right leg.

the scap-

The scapula

Woodland
Sites in

with Burial 6 had been placed over the right

Northeastern

femur near the pelvis. Burials 3, 4, 5, and 7

Iowa
41

Perirr

r

FJre Pit

with ash lenses,

charcoal,

burned bones,

,^

Oneoto pottery

\

\

d

^
Figure 30.

Plan of burials, Lane Farm Mound 11.

have been extended, although they were fragmentary. Beneath the
few bones representing Burial 4 were eight
grit-tempered sherds. Beneath the bones of
also appear to

Burial 7 were the sherds of a grit-tempered

pot scattered over an area about 3 feet in

diameter (fig. 32). At the south end of the

two femurs of this skeleton were two Oneota potsherds, each of which had come from
a different pot.

Woodland

All of these burials were in the southeast

Complexes

quarter of the mound. In this same quarter

was a pile of limestone fragments with a
bison scapula beneath it. A mussel shell was
found in the south edge of the pile of rocks,
and on the north side was an Oneota pot.
In the southwest quarter of the mound were
three bnndle burials which were believed to
have been Woodland and part of the
mound's original content. They were found
at a depth of 33 to 34 inches below the
mound's apex; no grave goods accompanied
them. Orr believed that Burial 7, in the
southeast quarter of the mound, also might

have been a Woodland burial because it lay
at the same level as the bundle burials, and
on top of the grit-tempered potsherds. Burial

7

was very fragmentary, consisting of

portions of two skulls, a badly decayed hu-

merus, a radius, and the shafts of two femurs placed in rough approximation to their
proper anatomical positions. The skeletons

which could be assigned definitely to the
Oneota seem to have been more complete
and in better state of preservation (Orr MS.,
1934, vol. I, pp. 42-49).
The grit-tempered sherds of

Woodland

origin all were of the Lane Farm Cord-

Figure 31.

Copper "celts" or plaques, Lane

Farm, a. celt from Mound 11; b. from field
Neg. No. 12743).
near Mound 11

(UMMA

Sherds of a Lane Farm CordImpressed pot. Lane Farm Mound 12
(UMMA Neg. No, 12709).
Figure 32.

Impressed and Lane Farm Stamped types
(fig. 32). The rims were decorated as illustrated in figures 32 and 88d.

Mound 13 (fig. 33). Type: conical; Diameter: 35 ft.; Height: 10 in. This mound was

on the topsoil of the terrace,
and contained a pile of limestone rocks in
the burial area. The burials were in small

built directly

oval pits. Burial 1 was in a pit 8 inches deep,

36 inches long, and 18 inches wide. No grave

/

goods accompanied it. This pit and accompanying bone-bundle burial were located in
the southwest quarter of the mound. Burial
2, also a bundle burial, was in a pit 12 inches
deep, 40 inches long, and 14 inches wide. A
Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot was found

Woodland
Sites in

Northeastern

Iowa
43

in the pit (fig. 34). Burial 3, another bundle

No consistent orientation was noted for

burial, was found in a pit 28 inches deep, 40

the burial pits. The pit containing Burial 1

inches long, and 26 inches wide. In the pit

was oriented east-west. The pit for Burial 2
was oriented north-south, and the pit for
Burial 3 was oriented northeast-southwest

and in association with the bone bundle, was
another Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot (fig.
35). About a foot northwest of Burial 3 was
an additional Lane Farm Cord-Impressed
pot which had been placed on the mound

(Orr MS., 1934, vol. \, pp. 50-55).

Mound 16 (fig. 37). Type: conical; Diameter: 30 ft.; Height: 8 in. Orr noted that this

floor outside the burial pits (fig. 36). The pot

mound had been built on the topsoil, but in-

contained three clamshells.

dicated depths which would have placed the

Figure 33.

Plan of burials. Lane Farm Mound 13.

^—

F2

/
/

\

\

\

\

pTrime'^''

°f

Mound

Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot,
Lane Farm Mound 13 (UMMA Neg. No. 2546).
Figure 34.

10

II

12

Woodland

CM

Sites in

Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot.
Lane Farm Mound 13 (UMMA Neg.
No. 12741).

Figure 35.

Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot.
Lane Farm Mound 13 (UMMA Neg.
No. 12742).
Figure 36.

Northeastern

Iowa
45

SCALE
Figure 37.

Woodland
Complexes

Plan of burials. Lane Farm Mound 16.

burials somewhat below the terrace surface.

The floor varied in depth below the ter-

Judging from Orr's description, I believe
the builders had made an excavation of some

race surface from 14 to 18 inches. Near the

extent in preparation for placement of the

edge of the mound in the southwest quarter
of the excavation was a pile of limestone

burials. The remains of an intrusive pit

fragments. Near the center of the

were found in the southwest quarter of the

lay three long bone fragments with a few

mound. This pit contained charcoal, clamshells, fish bones, flint chips, flint cores, and
Oneota sherds.

grit-tempered potsherds. A bundle of long

mound

bones was found a little more than 5 feet
south of the mound's center. A short cylin-

drical copper bead accompanied the bundle.

Another bone bundle lay slightly less than
by

5 feet east of the bundle accompanied

the copper bead. Six short cylindical copper

beads, a small triangular projectile point, a

corner-notched point, and a contracting-

stemmed point were
third bundle.

associated with this

A fourth bundle burial lay

along the edge of the mound in the extreme
northeast quarter of the excavation.

No

grave goods were associated with it. About
5 feet

west of the fourth bundle was a

crushed grit-tempered pot of the Lane Farm

Cord-Impressed type (fig. 38). A pottery elbow pipe stem was found near the center of
the mound west of the three longbone fragments listed above. The sherds found in the
burial area were of Lane Farm Cord-ImFigure 39.

Lane Farm Cord-Impressed pot.
Lane Farm Mound 16 (UMMA Neg. No. 2545).

Figure 38.

New Galena and Hog Back Mound groups.
illage Site

\

Woodland
Sites in

Northeastern

Iowa
47

Figure 40.

Levsen Stamped pot.

New Galena Mound 1.

pressed and Lane Farm Stamped types.

second

pile

of

A

limestone fragments was

noted in the northeast quarter of the mound
(Orr MS., 1934, vol. I, pp. 56-57).

Mound 7. Type: conical; Diameter: 40 ft.;
Height: 8 in. Eight potsherds were found in
the mound fill. Of these, one was a Madison
Cord-Impressed rim and another was classed
as Spring Hollow Cordmarked. The remainder were unclassified (Orr MS., 1936, vol. V,
p. 6).

Mound 10. Type: conical; dimensions unTwo poorly preserved bundle bur-

specified.

and an extended skeleton were found.
A bison scapula lay beside the right femur
of the extended skeleton. Sherds of Oneota
pottery were found around the skeleton. At
a depth of 24 inches in the southeast quarter
of the mound was a well-made, elongate
ovoid knife. An additional 24 Oneota sherds
were found in the mound fill (Orr MS.,
ials

1936, vol. V, p. 7).

Mound 17. Type: conical; dimensions un-

oriented northeast-

burials according to an estimate

Orr pre-

sented in his notes. However, the photo-

graphs accompanying the notes indicate the
possibility that there were more, since parts

of at least six skulls can be seen. A complete

grit-tempered pot was found at about the

middle of the mass of bone bundles (fig. 40).
Near the pot were two copper hemispheres
2.5 and 2.1 cm. long with perforations near
their rims set diametrically opposite each

other (fig. 41c, d). In the mound fill the excavators found a flat-based triangular knife

made of gray chalcedony. This artifact is 4

the topsoil of the terrace. It contained noth-

ovoid, lanceolate blade of a type commonly

ing but a pile of limestone and sandstone

found in Oneota sites of the locality. This
found so near the surface of the mound, was probably intrusive.
The pot found with the burials is short,
squat, and has a rounded base. The lip is
sharply everted and notched with a cordwrapped stick. The upper rim flares markedly. Below the rim, the neck is straight.

Neio Galena Mound Croup. This group was
2, Township 99 North,
Range 6 West, along the Upper Iowa River
(fig. 39). When Orr mapped the mound
group in 1904, it contained 32 conical

quarter of Section

48

The pit,

southwest, may have contained five bundle

inches long and 1 V2 inches wide at the base.
Near the surface of the mound was a large,

located on the south half of the northeast

Woodland

inches deep.

specified. This mound was built directly on

fragments (ibid., p. 6).

Complexes

mounds. The Iowa Archaeological Survey
excavated five mounds in the group in 1934;
in 1936, they returned to the site and excavated an additional nine mounds.
Mound 1. Type: conical; Diameter: 48
ft.; Height: 30 in. The builders had excavated a pit 4 feet wide, 5 feet long and 31

object, having been

merging gradually into a slight shoulder.
Diameters at the orifice and shoulder appear
to be about equal.

femur, and by the right knee was an
Oneota pot. Beside the left ankle was a cache
left

of 14 small triangular projectile points.

The pot is approximately 3V2 inches high,

The rectangular pit contained 22 bundle

and about 5 inches in diameter at the mouth.

burials. The skulls had been placed in rows

In addition to cord-wrapped-stick notches

at both ends of the pit. The bundles of long

on the lip, there were horizontal cord-

bones were stacked in front of each of the

wrapped-stick impressions around the neck

skulls.

below a zone of stick or reed punctates. The
cord-wrapped-stick impressions on the neck

and 7.3 cm. long, were found in this
mass of bones (fig. 41a, b). Under one of

tended to be placed in vertical zones evenly

the skulls was a "nest" of six grit-tempered

spaced around the vessel. Just below the
widest part of the body was a series of

lections from the excavation. Orr described

ellipses

Two perforated bear canine teeth,

7.0

sherds. These could not be located in the col-

whose long axes were placed hori-

them as pieces of a thick-walled vessel tem-

A horizontal incised line encircled

pered with crushed granite. He also observed

zontally.

the pot, dividing the ellipses into equal

that the sherds were so soft that they were

halves. The zones thus described within the

difficult to save (ibid., p. 6).

ellipses were alternately plain or filled with

Mound 4. Type: conical; Diameter: 50 ft.;

vertical to oblique cord-wrapped-stick im-

Height: 24 in. The mound contained seven

On the exterior of the ellipses,

extended skeletons on a floor cleared of hu-

opposite the plain areas on the interior of

mus. No other inclusions were mentioned,
but among the objects in the Keyes Collection were fragments of a crude limestone

pressions.

these figures, the

body was covered with

cord-wrapped stick

vertical

impressions.

Opposite the cord-wrapped-stick filled
areas within the ellipses, the body was plain.
This pot resembled no other found else-

where in the northeastern Iowa, with the
exception of fragments of a pot found in
Mound 4 of this same mound group (fig.
42). Orr considered the mound to have been
of Hopewellian origin (Orr MS., 1934, vol.
I,

Figure 41.
Perforated bear canines and copper
hemispheres, New Galena Mound 1.

(UMMA Neg, No. 12708).

pp. 5-6).

Mound 2. Type: conical; Diameter: 40 ft.;
Height: 24 in. This mound was built on a
floor cleared of

humus. A single extended

skeleton was found 1 foot below the natural
surface of the surrounding terrace. There

were no grave goods, and nothing was found
in the mound fill (Orr MS., 1934, vol. I, p. 6).
Mound 3. Type: conical; Diameter: 40 ft.;
Height 24 in. Orr noted a rectangular burial
pit 5 feet wide, 8 feet long, and 36 inches
:

deep, oriented northeast-southwest. Intrusive in the mound fill was an extended One-

ota skeleton with head to the west. Near the
left

shoulder was a small deposit of

flakes.

flint

An Oneota knife was found at the
49

tempered vessel said to have come from
Mound 4. The hp of the pot is rounded and
plain, and 7.0 mm. wide. The rim is 1.1 cm.
thick. On the exterior rim below the lip are
vertical elongate punctates. Immediately beneath these is an incised line poorly drawn
with a rounded point. At least four such
horizontal lines were incised around the
neck of the pot. The spaces between these
lines are filled with a horizontal row of circular punctates 4.0 mm. wide with a hollow cylinder which are spaced at regular
intervals around the neck (fig. 42a— e). The
entire surfaces of body sherds from this vessel were covered with similar punctates
applied in no discernible arrangement or order (fig. 42f-g). The sherds were very soft
and friable and had a surface hardness of
2.0 (Orr MS., 1934, vol. I, p. 6).
Mound 8. Type: conical; Diameter: 32 ft.;
Height: 18 in. This mound contained only
fragments of bone in what appeared to have
been two levels. The notes did not state
Figure 42.

burial type, but examination of photographs

of the bones in situ indicated bone bundles
(ibid., p. 6).

Mound 15. Type: conical; Diameter: 24
Height: 24 in. No construction features

ft.;

were mentioned in the notes. A single fragmentary bundle burial was found 24 inches
below the surface. Orr's description did not
specify what this measurement represented,
that is, whether this was a depth below the
surface of the mound, or below the estimated original terrace surface. A chippedstone celt (or adze) and a scraper were
found 6 inches below the original terrace
surface as estimated by Orr. Three pits were
excavated along the margin of the mound.
One had been filled with black earth. The
contents of the second pit were not described. The third contained limestone frag-

ments, charcoal, Oneota pottery, and black
It was assumed that all three pits
were of Oneota origin (Orr MS., 1936, vol.

earth.

V, p. 74).

Sherds of pot from New Galena Mound 4 (UMMA Neg. No. 12707).

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Woodland
Complexes

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Woodland
Sites in

Northeastern

Iowa

67

The artifacts recovered from the excava-

the terrace surface, at which depth the un-

tion of Trench C are presented in table 7.

derlying rock formation was encountered.

Level I extended from the surface to a depth

Artifacts and pottery were found in all but

of 18 inches, and Level II and 18 to 62 inches.

the lowest inches of the two pits.

Trench A may have been excavated as a
unit. No data on distribution of artifacts by
levels was given. The artifacts from this
trench included two Oneota sherds, four
plain body sherds, one Madison CordImpressed body sherd, one Spring Hollow
Incised sherd, one sherd with punch-anddrag decoration (fig. 48e), and one plain,
badly leached sherd with cord-wrappedstick decoration applied in zig-zag design.

Trench B contained one Madison CordImpressed body sherd, two plain sherds, one
thick, crude sherd (probably Marion Thick),
and an unclassified sherd. In the section east
of Burial 140 were one large Oneota rimsherd, two plain grit-tempered sherds, one
Lane Farm Stamped sherd, eight Madison
Cord-Impressed body sherds, one Madison
Cord-Impressed neck sherd, one Marion
Thick body sherd, and one Spring Hollow
Plain rimsherd. In the section with Burial

140 were six fragments of a small Oneota
pot, seven Madison Cord-Impressed body
sherds, two plain grit-tempered sherds, and
one cord-wrapped-stick, zig-zag line deco-

types as possible. The earth was removed in

arbitrary 4-inch levels and was sifted

through a Vi -inch mesh screen. The material
collected from one 4-inch level was segregated from that collected from other levels.
In both Levels IV and V (12 to 16 inches and
16 to 20 inches, respectively) burned sandstone and limestone rocks covered extensive
areas. Little charcoal and no split or burned

bones were associated with these rocks, but
judging from their arrangement, they appeared to represent remains of fireplaces.
Pottery was found from the surface to the
bottom of the excavation. Most fragments
were small, ranging from about V-i inch to
an inch square. Most of these fragments
could not be classified. Flint chips were
found in moderate quantities throughout the
deposits, but few stone artifacts were found.
As the tests were limited in area, the excavations did not result in the duplication of

west. The outlines of all the previous excavations, both those made by Orr and those

cord-wrapped-stick or bar punctate sherds

made by collectors, were easily discernible.

were found. Their positions relative to the
other styles were not clarified. The single
Madison Cord-Impressed rim found in Test
I, between the depths of 28 and 32 inches.

In October, 1955,

I

obtained permission

of the owner of the Elephant, Earl Beard-

more, of Waukon, to make limited archae-

on the site. Since 1934 when
Iowa Archaeological Survey excavated
the site, the terrace has been reduced in size
by widening the county roads along the
two sides of the terrace base. On several
weekends in October and November two
test pits were excavated, one on the east
side of Orr's Trench A and another on the
ological tests

the

Woodland

much information on vertical

distribution of pottery and stone artifact

by Orr. The tests
were disappointing in that they did not indicate the relationships of some types as had
been hoped at the outset of the work. Only
general conclusions could be drawn from
the results, and because of the small size of
the sample these should be used with reservations. Madison Cord-Impressed and Oneota pottery seem to be characteristic of the
upper 16 to 18 inches of the deposits, and
Spring Hollow Incised sherds were more
common in the middle and lower levels. This
paralleled the information derived from
Orr's work. In the 1955 tests none of the

rated sherd.

Complexes

In excavating the two tests, the intent was
to obtain as

This facilitated selection of undisturbed
areas. The 1955 tests were 6 feet square and
each extended to a depth of 36 inches below

all the pottery types found

was lying in an open rodent burrow. The
burrow originated outside the area tested
and descended diagonally through the lowest four levels of the pit.

The results of the tests are summarized in
tables 8 and 9. The depth of the several 4-

Level III, 8 to 12 inches; Level IV, 12 to 16
inches; Level V, 16 to 20 inches; Level VI,

20 to 24

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Aiowa_oklahoma%3A5a49ce370be3fb2c. Public record. Not legal advice.