From time to time the skeletons of an unknown race have been discovered in the different mounds mentioned, up and down the Mississippi River, the last discovery of the kind being made near Potosi, Wisconsin, a little over a week ago. A young man by the name of Patterson, brother-in-law to S.M. Langworthy, Esq., of this city was engaged with a number of men digging out the foundation of a saw mill, near the bank of the river. In digging out this, it became necessary to remove one of these mounds or tumuli. The workman had descended to the depth of about seven feet, when they unearthed two human skeletons, the bones of which were almost entire, and in a good state of preservation upon taking them out, an accurate measurement was made of the skeletons, which one of them was found to be seven and a half feet, and the other eight feet in length. The jaws of each were filled with double rows of teeth, while the cheek bones were very high and prominent. Under the bones a large collection of arrowheads and strange toys were found, which had evidently been buried with them.
Strange to state, the workman, instead of preserving these bones, carted them off into the road, and it feared that the great majority are now wasted. It is highly probable that other skeletons exist in the vicinity.
Mr. Langworthy, we understand, will soon visit that locality for the purpose of preserving the skeletons already found and pushing further and more persistent search for fresh discoveries.
The following list is predominately comprised of the Allegewi, Hopewell mound builders. The
greatest number of giant skeletons are found in the areas where the geometric earthworks are found in
Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky. Other accounts are in the traditional homelands of the
Sioux, Iroquois and Cherokee people.
A large skeleton in of itself can not be used to determine Allegewi remains from those of the Sioux,
Iroquois or Cherokee. They were a culturally homogeneous society that were intermarrying to a
degree that they should be classified as simply the Allegewi Hopewell. With this melting pot, they truly were the first Americans.
Arkansas
Idaho Daily Statesman, June 12, 1899
Food For The Credulous Remains of a Race of Giants Found in Arkansas-Human Skeletons Unearthed Eight and Ten Feet in Height-Strange and Unknown Pottery-Relics of a Former Age.
(From the Memphis Appeal)
The statements which we make below, and the facts detailed are so strange and almost incredible and so like the many …illegible…and canards that have appeared from time to time appeared in the press of Europe and America, that we premise them with the declaration that they are strictly true, and that we have not exaggerated what we have seen one iota. With this much as a preface we will proceed to our story:
Chickasawba, two miles west of Battlefield Point, in Arkansas, on the east bank of the lovely stream called Pemiscott Bayou, a tributary of the St. Francis river, stands an Indian mound, some twenty-five feet high and about an acre in area at the top. This mound is called Chickasawba, and from it the high and beautiful country surrounding it, some twelve square miles in area, derives its name Chickasawba. The mound derives its name from Chickasawba, a chief of the Shawnee tribe, who lived, died and was buried there. The chief was one of the last race of hunters who lived in that beautiful region, and who once peopled it quite thickly-for Indians we mean. From 1820 to 1831 he and his hunters assembled annually at …illegible…Point, then, as now, the principle shipping place of the surrounding country, and bartered off their furs, peltries, buffalo robes and honey to the white settlers and the trading boats on the river, receiving in return powder, shot, lead blankets…illegible. Aunt Kitty Williams, who now resides there, relates that Chickasawba would frequently bring in for sale at one time as much as twenty gallons of pure honey in deerskin bags slung to his back. He was always a firm friend of the whites, a man of gigantic stature and Herculean strength. In his nineteenth year he took a young wife, and by her had two children. In 1831 she died, and the old chief did not long survive her, dying in the same year, age ninety-three or four years. Mr. W. Fitzgerald, who moved to that country in 1822, says that up to the time of his death Chickasawba supplied him with game. He was buried at the foot of the mound on which he had lived, by his tribe, most of whom departed for the Nation immediately after performing his funeral rites. A few, however lingered there up to a late date, the last of them, we believe, being John East, who in 1860, at the breaking out of the war, joined Captain Chaily Bowen’s company of the late “so-called,” and fought the war through, as gallant a ‘reb,’ as any of them, coming back home in 1865 to return to the arts of peace. Chickasawba was perfectly honest, and best informed chief of his tribe. His contemporary chiefs were Long Knife, Sunshine, Corn Meal, Moonshine (Mike Brennan), &c. Mike Brennan and Quill buried him. He had a son, named John Pennscott. A number of years ago in making an excavation into or near Chickawba’s mound a portion of a Gigantic Human Skeleton was found.
The men who digging, becoming interested, unearthed the entire skeleton, and from measurements given us by reliable parties the frame of the man to who it belongs could not have been less than eight or nine feet in height. Under the skull, which easily slipped over the head of our informant (who, we will here state is one of our best citizens), resembling nothing in the way of Indian pottery which had before been seen by them. It was exactly the shape of the round-bodied, long necked carafes, or water decanters, a specimen of which may be seen on Gaston’s dining table. The material of which this vase was made was a peculiar kind of clay, and the workmanship was very fine. The belly or body of it was ornamented with figures or hieroglyphics, consisting of a correct delineation of human hands, parallel to each other, open, palms outward, and running up and down the vase, the wrist to the base, and the fingers towards the neck. On either side of these hands were tibiae or thigh bones, also correctly delineated, running around the vase. There were other things found with the skeleton, but this is all our informant remembers. Since that time wherever an excavation has been made in Chickasaba Country in the neighborhood of the mound.
Similar skeletons have been found, under the skull of every one were found similar funeral vases, almost exactly like the described. There are now in this city several of the vases and portions of the huge skeletons. One of the editors of the Appeal yesterday measured a thigh bone, which is fully three feet long. The thigh and shin bones, together with the bones of foot, stood up in proper position, in a physician’s office in this city, measured five feet in height, and show the body to which the leg belonged to have been from nine to ten feet in height. At Beaufort’s landing, near Barfield, in digging a deep ditch, a skeleton was dug up, the leg of which measured between five and six feet in length, and other bones in proportion. In a very few days we hope to be able to lay before our readers accurate measurement and descriptions of the portions of the skeletons now in the city and of the articles found in the graves.
Georgia
The Middlebury Kentucky News . December 30, 1930
SKELETONS OF GIANTS
Remarkable Relics of an Extinct Race Excavated in Georgia
Mr. J. B. Toomer received a letter from Mr. Hazelton, who is on a visit to Gainsville. The letter contained several beads made of bone, and gave an interesting account of the opening of a large Indian mound near that town by a committee of scientist from the Smithsonian Institute. After removing the dirt for some distance, a layer of large flag-stones was found, which had evidently been dressed by hand and showed that the men who quarried this rock understood their business. These stones were removed, when in a kind of vault beneath them, the skeleton of a giant, seven feet two inches was found. His hair was coarse and jet black and hung to the waist, the brow being ornamented with a copper crown. The skeleton was remarkably well preserved and taken from the vault intact. Near this skeleton were found the bodies of several children of various sizes. The remains of the latter were covered with beads, made of bone of some kind. Upon removing these, the bodies
were found to be inclosed in a net work made of straw and reeds, and beneath this was a covering of the skin of some animal. In fact, the bodies had been prepared somewhat after the manner of mummies, and will doubtless throw new light on the history of a people who reared these mounds. Upon the stones that covered the vault were carved inscriptions, and if deciphered will probably lift the veil that has enshrouded the history of the race of giants that undoubtedly at one time inhabited this continent. All the relics were carefully packed and forwarded to the Smithsonian Institute, and are said to be the most interesting collection ever found in America.
Illinois
American Antiquarian, April 1878
Lake County Illinois Mr. W.B. Gray, of Highland Park, also mentions the discovery of a skull in a mound near Fox Lake, in Lake County, Illinois. This skull is certainly very remarkable; the frontal lobe or arch seems to be entirely wanting; the large projecting eye-brows, deep set eye sockets, the low, receding forehead, and the long, narrow and flat shape of the crown rendered it a very animal-looking skull. If it was not a posthumous deformation it certainly is a remarkable skull and might well pass for the "missing link." It was found in a mound six feet below the surface, in company with thirteen other skeletons. The skeletons were found lying with their heads to the center and their feet arranged in a circle around this point.
History of Daviess County, Illinois 1879
The mounds on the bluff have nearly all been opened within the last two or three years by Louis A.
Rowly, Esq., Mr. W. M. Snyder and Mr. John Dowling, assisted by Sidney Hunkins and Dr. W. S.
Crawford. These gentlemen have taken much interest in these prehistoric structures, and have very
carefully investigated them. In all that have been opened the excavators have found in the centre a pit
that was evidently dug about two and a half feet below the original surface of the ground, about six feet
long and four feet wide, in the form of a parallelogram. The bottom and sides of this pit are of hard
clay. The bones in this pit indicate a race of gigantic stature, buried in a sitting posture around the sides
of the pit, with legs extending towards the centre.
History of Mifflin County, Ohio, 1880
South of this, on the banks of Peoria Lake, near the city of Peoria, Illinois, there were excavated a
few years ago by the Scientific Association of Peoria the contents of a very large, oval mound, and in it
were found three human skeletons, a man, a woman and a boy, all lying straight beside each other, the
boy asleep on the woman’s arm. The skeleton of the boy was about three feet long, but the man and
the woman had a stature of seven feet. The bones were decomposed rapidly on being exposed to the
air, except the skulls, which being of a harder texture had better withstood the tooth of time. Though
these figures were of immense stature, their immense skulls were fully in proportion to their frames,
and possessed of a frontal development of reasoning powers of immense size.
History of Logan County, Illinois, 1886 It is sometimes difficult to distinguish the place of sepulcher raised by the Mound Builders from the modern graves of the Indians. The tombs of the former were in general larger than those of the latter, and were used as receptacles for a great number of bodies, and contained relics of art, evincing a higher decree of civilization than that attained by the Indians.
The ancient earthworks of the Mound Builders have occasionally been appropriated as burial places by the Indians, but the skeletons of the latter may be distinguished from the osteological remains of the former by their greater stature.
12th Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution,
1890-1891
Dunleith Illinois
No. 5, the largest of the group was carefully examined. Two feet below the surface, near the apex, was a skeleton, doubtless an intrusive Indian burial...Near the original surface, 10 or 12 feet from the center, on the lower side, lying at full length on its back, was one of the largest skeletons discovered by the Bureau agents, the length as proved by actual measurement being between 7 and 8 feet. It was clearly traceable, but crumbled to pieces immediately after removal from the hard earth in which it was encased.
12th Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
1890-1891
Pike County, Illinois
The other, situated on the point of a commanding bluff, was also conical in form, 50 feet in diameter and about 8 feet high. The outer layer consisted of sandy soil, 2 feet thick, filled with slightly decayed skeletons, probably Indians of intrusive burials. The earth of the main portion of this mound was a very fine yellowish sand which shoveled like ashes and was everywhere,to a depth of 2 to 4 feet, as full of human skeletons as could be stowed away in it, even to two three tiers. Among these were a number of bones not together as skeletons, but mingled in confusion and probably from scaffolds or other localities. Except one, which was rather more than 7 feet long, these skeletons appeared to be of medium size and many of them much decayed.
Iowa State Reporter, September 10, 1891
SKELETONS OF GIANTS
Hundreds of Skulls Found-Interesting Discoveries in the Burial Mounds at Carthage, Ill.
CARTHGAGE, ILL., Sept. 4-Assisted by students, Profs. Dysanger, Hail, Segler and O'Hara, of Carthage college, on Wednesday opened the Sweeney burial mound on the farm of Cyrus Felt, northeast of this city. At first a covering of stone was encountered, all of the red limestone variety . Most of these stones on being removed crumbled away into sand. Under them were found immense quantities of bones, many skulls and several pieces of flint. Some pieces of pottery so badly decayed and broken as to be unrecognizable were found also. Measurements were taken of several skulls. One measured 7 ¾ inches across the parietal bone, another 6 inches. Three femur bones were found measuring 9 inches in length, some that measured 17 ½ inches in length and others measuring from 12 to 14 inches. One measured 3 inches across the lower end of the femur bone. Dr. Veatch says the bones indicate that the men must have been from 8 to 7 feet tall at least. One jawbone was secured that contained a perfect row of teeth which evidently belonged to a middle-aged person.
Upon digging a few feet farther down another layer of rocks was discovered, and upon removing these several skeletons, perfect in form, lay all huddled together as if they had fallen in battle. Some of the skeletons were preserved almost entire, although most of the bones would crumble away upon being exposed to the air. It is believed that fully 500 corpses were buried here, as basketful after basketful of bones were taken out, while the mound is literally full of them. The skulls were all filled with a peculiarly soft and very black loam, different from the surrounding earth.
Daily Review, March 15, 1901
Bones Of A Giant Allton Ills., March 15-Workman who were digging on the farm of Z. B. Job at East Alton, yesterday unearthed the skeleton of a man of gigantic stature. The bones had been in the ground many years, and when touched by the workmen crumbled away, but the skull remained intact, and was brought to Alton to be exhibited. The skull is very large and the jawbone is of unusual size. The ground where the skeleton was found had not been disturbed in many years, and there was a mound at the place, which was being leveled off.
Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Lake County, 1902 Of the early history of the region which now embraces Lake County but little can be written. The Mound Builders had occupied it and passed away, leaving no written language and but little even as tradition...These mounds were quite numerous...Excavations...have revealed the crumbling bones of a mighty race. Samual Miller, who has resided in the county since 1835, is authority for the statement that one skeleton which he assisted in unearthing was a trifle more than eight feet in length, the skull being correspondingly large, while many other skeletons measured at least seven f
eet.
The American Antiquarian, Volume 13 We now refer to the discovery which we made in connection with the great serpent effigy near Quincy, Illinois. The serpent is a massive effigy, which conforms to the bluff throughout its entire length. It folds are brought out very forcibly by four conical burial mounds located near the center of the ridge, midway between the head and tail of the serpent. The mounds contained many bodies, none of them remarkable except the one which was cremated at the base of the mound. This was a large body. It was lying on its back, and partially burned. The bones, however, were preserved, and what was the most singular about the case, on the very center of the body, near the secret parts, a skeleton of a serpent was coiled up, as if there was an intention to make it significant. The hands were folded over the body just below this skeleton. The body had it feet to the east, and its face was turned upward, as if to look toward the sun.
American Antiquarian, 1905
Sacrificial mounds- Excavations at Chillicothe, Illinois A previous exploration had resulted in the discovery of numerous remains, but at three feet below these a well preserved skeleton was found lying on its back, with the head pointing southwest. The form was large, the jaws massive, and the teeth perfect. At the feet lay the bones of an infant, and the skeleton, when living, was probably a female and a mother.
The Nephilim Chronicles: Fallen Angels in the Ohio Valley Page 30
