Near my former residence, in what is now the town of Lafayette, Chippewa County, on section eighteen township twenty-eight north, range eight west, was situated the largest, and only considerable ancient and artificial mound, or earth-work, that I have discovered in this valley. The land was claimed by George Mishler in 1850, and was included in his farm, being one of the first improvements on Wolf Prairie, and one-and-a-half miles south of Chippewa Falls. It was in plain sight of my first residence on that prairie, subsequently known as the Bolles farm, and I was curious to know more about it. It was about twelve yards in length, by five in width, and five or six feet high, above the surrounding prairie. Near its base was a depression of from one to two feet below the ordinary surface, indicating its construction by human agency. I had seen similar works in Illinois, and in the spring of 1837, made one, of a party who volunteer to assist in opening three, in the town of Rockwell, La Salle County. There were five of those mounds very nearly resembling the one above described, all within a stones throw of each other. The agent of the Rockwell Company, the Honorable Dixwell Lathrop, Walter Tyrell, and engineer engaged in the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and several of their assistants, myself and a few others composed the party to open and examine those ancient sepulchers of an extinct race. As the ground was frozen, considerable labor was required to remove the surface, but we were amply remunerated, and our curiosity gratified by the relics and remains disinterred from these tumuli. In all, human remains were found, some of gigantic stature, and every bone perfect, while others were much decayed, and well formed pottery vases containing beautiful shells, stone or flint arrow heads, chisels, curiously wrought stone images, etc. Surrounding these relics were evidences in many places of decayed textile fabrics, evidently of course material, also the skins of animals decomposed and mixed with clay soil that for unknown centuries had covered and pressed upon them. As no iron, copper, or lead was discovered; these works must have belonged entirely to the 'stone age,' and corresponded with the tumuli, found on the Rock River, Circleville, in Ohio, and many other localities in the west being undoubtedly depositories of the dead. But I was somewhat disappointed upon opening the first named mound, which was done in the spring of 1852, as not human remains were contained in it, only flint chisels or axes, arrow heads of the same material and very small shells, such as had in all probability once decorated the warriors, whose prowess was exhibited in drawing the bow, and directing these missiles of death. These were found in considerable quantities, buried more than three feet below the surface of the mound, and some of them were preserved for a long time with a view of their transmission to the State Historical Society, when there should be suitable facilities of communication. Some mineral specimens found near by, were also added but in moving to the - pinery and back during the winter, the collections were somehow scattered and lost. Why, or for what purpose these implements and trinkets were secreted here, deep buried in the earth, will forever remain mysteries. The presence of human remains would readily account for it is people in all ages, even civilized people have buried treasures and valuables in the tombs of their former possessors, but without them, it is not easy to conjecture the object of their accumulation and concealment. I have frequently passed over, and examined the 'Earth Works,' spoken of by Carver and Featherstonhaugh as vast, ancient fortifications, situated on the west bank of the Mississippi, between the village of Wabasha, and what use to be known as the grand Encampment, and must say that a great stretch of imagination is required to make anything more of them, than the formations of natures own handy work. And until further excavations shall disclose more convincing evidence of human agency in their construction, I shall be slow to accept their conclusions. INDIAN CUSTOMS During the winter of 1848, 9 and 50, my residence was in the pinewoods near the mouth of 'Bob's Creek' at the time a locality visited by the Chippewa Indians, several families of whom we established something like social intercourse, and learned something of their domestic and social usages that may be new and interesting to my readers. In February of our first winter's stay there, a young couple with their infant child, encamped across the river. The child was sick, and the mother frequently came to get medicine for it, of Mrs. Randall, who soon took an interest in the young mother's anxiety for her offspring, but soon discovered that not skill could save it, and after lingering a few weeks it died. The young couple seemed almost inconsolable, but after a few days, came and bid us good bye, and went on with others of their band up to the headwaters of the Chippewa River, and we saw no more of them until summer, when they came down the river, landed their canoe and hastened to our domicile. Mrs. Randall's interest was very soon fixed on the bereaved mother, who to her surprise, carried what she supposed to be and infant child, and with feminine and maternal curiosity to get a peep at it, when not a new and living baby presented itself, but an image of the dead one lost in the winter. How strong is a mother's love! What undying affection was exhibited by this untutored young mother! During all those weeks of toilsome march, and every moving weariness she had carried the image of her lost darling. It seemed to be her only consolation under bereavement to carry near her heart the likeness of her lost loved one. How we wished to tell her that her babe still lived, and that she should one day meet it in immoral embrace fast by the throne of God. This young mother said all good parents who lost children, carried with them similar memorials of their departed little ones. This image was carved in wood, and though very imperfect was still a tolerable representation of the infant we first saw with her. The woman and her husband were at our place when the Indian was hung at the Falls as heretofore related, and assured us we need not be alarmed, for no harm should befall us.

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