Historic Highways of America Volume I Part 3

Some of these remains are undoubtedly of no later age than the Indians whom the first whites knew; many of them are of far earlier times. It is now held by the most prominent archaeologists that there are works of the mound-building Indians which do not date back far from the time Columbus discovered America. Thus any work which gives evidence of having been in existence five hundred years may belong to the mound-building era. And throughout all these five hundred years there is hardly a time when there is not evidence of Indian occupation. So the line between the mound-building Indians and the later Indians, among whom the building of mounds was a lost art, is exceedingly hard to draw.

[Ill.u.s.tration: EARLY HIGHWAYS ON THE WATERSHEDS OF OHIO]

These quotations give some evidence that the builders of our earliest archaeological works were well acquainted with the high grounds. It is not apparent now that in any signal instance there exists evidence of a reliable character that any watershed was a highway; all we are seeking to show now is the very general fact that these people lived and moved and had their being often far inland on the heads of the little streams which never in historic times have served the purpose of navigation, and that here many of their works are found on the high grounds where it is sure all previous races have made their roads.

Now, it has been suggested already that lines of land travel have varied little since the time the buffalo and Indian marked out the best general courses across the continent. Mr. Benton said that the buffalo blazed the way for the railroad to the Pacific. In a general way this has been the rule throughout our history; the first routes chosen have often proved the best the tripod could find. Now it would be significant if it could be proved that there are numerous archaeological remains along these strategic lines of travel. This, probably, cannot be shown. There is, however, strong evidence that is worthy of consideration. Many of the early routes of travel converged on certain well-worn, strategic gaps in our mountain ranges. It is interesting to notice how many archaeological remains are found at these points. A few quotations from the _Catalogue of Prehistoric Works_ will be in point:

"Stone cairns in Rabun Gap" (Rabun county, Georgia).[49]

"Pictographs on large bowlders in Track Rock Gap" (Union county, Georgia).[50]

"Ancient fire-bed and refuse heap at Buffalo Gap (bones and pottery found here)" (Union county, Illinois).[51]

"Mound near c.u.mberland Gap" (Bell county, Kentucky).[52]

"Cairn at Indian Grave Gap on Green Mountain ... in the trail"

(Caldwell county, North Carolina).[53]

"Mound ... said to be ... toward Grandmother Gap" (Caldwell county, North Carolina).[54]

"Mound ... one mile southwest of Paint Gap post-office.... Cairn at Indian Grave Gap, in Walnut Mountain ... on south side of road from Marshall to Burnsville" (Madison county, North Carolina).[55]

"Cairn at Boone's Gap on Boone's Fork of Warriors Creek" (Wilkes county, North Carolina).[56]

"Cairns at Indian Grave Gap" (Blount county, Tennessee).[57]

"Cairns in the gap on the state line at Slick Rock trail" (Monroe county, Tennessee).[58]

"Mound 500 feet long, 250 feet wide, and 40 feet high ... 2-1/4 miles west of Rockfish Gap Tunnel" (Augusta county, Virginia).[59]

Some of these cairns do not, in all probability, date back to the mound-building era, but the mounds and other archaeological works probably do, giving the best reasons for believing that the earliest of Americans found the strategic paths of least resistance across our great divides.

But not only in the mountain pa.s.ses have our tripods placed their stern stamp of approval upon the ingenuity of the earliest pathfinders of America. In a host of instances our highways and railroads follow for many miles the general line of the routes of the buffalo and Indian on the high ground. This is particularly true of our roads of secondary importance, county roads, which in hundreds of instances follow the alignment of a pioneer road which was laid out on an Indian trail.

No one can examine the maps and diagrams of the archaeological works of central North America with this truth in mind without noticing how largely these works are found near to some present-day thoroughfare.

This is of significance. While it is true that works near such highways are perhaps more quickly discovered and easily approached, it is at the same time doubtful if any of importance have been ignored because they are at a distance from highways of approach. The relation of these works to neighboring roads has also been accidentally emphasized by the necessity of describing their position, which is often most easily done by a reference to adjacent roads. For all this due allowance must be made. At the same time this does not explain the fact that a significant fraction of these works lie along the general alignment of our present routes of travel and are in numerous instances touched by them. It need hardly be added that these roads were laid out with as much reference to the stars above them as to the ancient works near which they accidentally pa.s.s.

The following instances have a bearing on the question:

Two miles from Madison, Wisconsin, a line of mounds is found beside a highway to the city. The road pa.s.ses through one of the group and the remainder follow the road on high ground almost parallel with it.[60]

The road from Prairie du Chien (Wisconsin) to Eastman is paralleled by a long line of works. As previously noted (p. 69) this road follows the alignment of an old Indian trail.[61]

There are mounds on both sides of the Black River road near Hazen Corners, Wisconsin.[62]

In the archaeological map of Hazen Corners, Wisconsin, the works bear a significant relation to the junction of the three roads which meet there. Supposing the roads to be the prehistoric route of travel, it is seen that all the mounds lie just beside them, many even touching them, but in only one instance does a mound cross any of the three present roads. True, the roads may have destroyed some of the works, but of the effigy mounds, at least, it is sure that the figures are complete, or nearly so.[63]

It is to be noticed with reference to the effigy mounds that, to a person standing on the present highway the figures are "right side up."

In the case of the animal figures, if the road runs to the left of a figure that figure is found to be lying on its right side; if the road runs on the right the figure is found to be lying on its left side; the feet are toward the road. In the case of birds, either the head or the tail is toward the present highway.[64]

A line of mounds lies on high ground on the northeast bank of the Mississippi river, near Battle Island, Vernon county, Wisconsin. The road to De Soto is on the same bank and lies parallel with them throughout their length.[65]

A remarkable line of mounds and effigies lies near Ca.s.sville, Grant county, Wisconsin. A road runs exactly parallel with them. The mounds lie on the west and the effigies on the east. The animals lie in a correct position to be viewed from the road.[66]

Between the Round Pond mounds (Union county, Illinois), which are so near together that "one appears partially to overlap the other," runs a roadway.[67]

A roadway cuts through the ancient works on the Boulware place, Clark county, Missouri; the alignment of the road and the series of works is nearly the same.[68]

The Rich Woods works, Stoddard county, Missouri, lie on a long, sandy ridge; "the general course is almost directly north and south." The road to Dexter runs near them, touching one, in the same north and south direction the entire length.[69]

The Knapp mounds, Pulaski county, Arkansas, "the most interesting group in the state," are surrounded by a wall of earth. A roadway pa.s.ses through the entire semicircle formed by this surrounding wall, and pa.s.ses between or at the base of the mounds contained within it.[70]

A road runs through the entire length of the ancient stone work near Bourneville, Ross county, Ohio.[71]

A state road (Lebanon to Chillicothe) crosses over Fort Ancient. At the spot where this road ascends to the fort, the embankments of the latter are found to be increased in height and solidity, showing that this point was most easy of ascent--probably the very spot where the ancient road was made.[72]

A road pa.s.ses through the entire length of the North Fork works (Ross county, Ohio).[73]

A road pa.s.ses through the entire length of ancient work, Ross county, Ohio.[74]

Two roads cut ancient work in Fayette county, Kentucky.[75]

Ancient work is cut in two by road from Chillicothe to Richmondale, Liberty towns.h.i.+p, Ross county, Ohio.[76]

The state road pa.s.ses through the great Graded Way in Pike county, Ohio, one of the most famous works in the United States. It is surely significant that a modern road should pa.s.s so near the very track which evidently was a highway in prehistoric times.[77]

Such are the conspicuous examples of ancient works that are now found to be on the alignment of modern routes of travel. In two singularly significant instances--in the Graded Way in Pike county, Ohio, and at Fort Ancient, Warren county, Ohio--there is no doubt that the modern road pa.s.ses over the very track of the road used by the mound-builders.

These two famous works, with the exception of the Serpent Mound probably the most famous in all the Central West, are near no stream of water which is not frozen in the winter and nearly dry in the summer. There can be no reasonable doubt that their builders used the routes on the watersheds.

As was said at the beginning, it does not seem wise to attempt to speculate on the probable routes by which these early tribes found their way to and fro between their works within the interior of the country.

That they did so pa.s.s it seems difficult to doubt. That those early ways were along the watersheds, higher or lower, we may well believe, since for the races that have occupied the land since their time these watersheds have been the routes of travel--and will be until aerial navigation is a.s.sured.

That these earliest Americans had roads of one description or another, there is sufficient evidence. About their great works there were graded ways of ascent, up which the materials used in construction were hauled or borne. Now and then we find mention of some sort of roads which may seem to have been of a less local nature, but so far as highways of war and commerce are concerned there is no evidence which can be admitted into this treatise.

It will not be of disadvantage, however, to give a brief catalogue of such roads and ways as seem of most importance in the _Catalogue of Prehistoric Works_ previously quoted:

MANITOBA, DOMINION OF CANADA: "Calf Mountain" (Tete de Boeuf), a mound 95 feet in diameter and 15 feet high, with a graded roadway 2 feet high, running southwest from it 154 feet; about 60 miles north of Pembina.[78]

JEFFERSON COUNTY, GEORGIA: Remains of large cemeteries and a broad trail leading to Old Town, 8 miles from Louisville, on the eastern side of the Ogeechee.[79]

LOWNDES COUNTY, GEORGIA: Ruins of an "old town" within a few miles of Troupville, "with roads discernible, which are wide and straight."[80]

FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA: Camping grounds and traces of old trails in Secs. 34 and 36, T. 13 N., R. 13 E.[81]

FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA: Traces of camp sites and old trails are observable on Sec. 31, T. 10 N., R. 1 W.; Sec. 33, T. 10 N., R. 2 W.; Sec. 10, T. 12 N., R. 13 E.[82]

UNION COUNTY, INDIANA: Traces of camp sites and old trails are observable on Secs. 8 and 11, T. 11 N., R. 2 W.; Secs. 34 and 36, T. 13 N., R. 13 E.; and Sec. 7, T. 14 N., R. 14 E.[83]

MADISON COUNTY, LOUISIANA: Group of earthworks, consisting of seven large and regular mounds and an elevated roadway, half a mile in length, on the right bank of Walnut Bayou, 7 miles from the Mississippi river.[84]