Archaeological atlas of Michigan [by] Wilbert B. Hinsdale...

GENESEE-HOUGHTON

an Indian burying ground. There were as many, if not more,
sites near the lakes in Blair and Green Lake townships. The point
of land between Elk and Round lakes was well dotted by mounds
and other burial places and villages. The point of the peninsula
near Old Mission was occupied by a village, a burying ground, and
a group of mounds.
A trail from Saginaw and Detroit terminated at Elk Lake; one
from Cadillac terminated at the head of the bay. Other trails led
south, but their terminals cannot be ascertained.
SITES IDENTIFIED
Villages ----------- 8
Burying grounds -_ 6
Mounds ---------- 55

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

TOWNSHIPS
Peninsula 8.
Acme 9.
Long Lake 10.
Garfield 11.
East Bay 12.
Whitewater 13.
Green Lake

Blair
Union
Grant
Mayfield
Paradise
Fife Lake

HOUGHTON COUNTY
(Map 16)
Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon counties should be
considered together. Many of the notes upon Keweenaw County
need not be repeated here, although they are equally applicable.
Numerous pits were found along the north shore of Portage Lake.
Another group was near Pike River southwest of Chassell.
According to -the report of Charles Whittlesey, connected
with the United States Geological Survey, Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, April, 1862, referring to Portage Lake Region, "signs of ancient excavations occur near the lake level and,
what is remarkable, are not in the rock but in the sand and boulder
drift." His map and charts indicate that the "ancient mine pits"
bore "with the mineral range, across the mineral range and in the
drift gravel," and were on the southern parts of Sections 25, 26,
27, T. 55 N., R. 34 W., which lands are occupied now by part of
the city of Hancock. "The veins of this part of the range have a
direction different from those described on Point Keweenaw."
From the pit-holes the Indians collected pieces of water-rolled
or drift copper and from the rock fissures they obtained it in a
form more convenient for manipulation into flat objects like
spears, arrows and knife blades.
The writer has inspected much of the copper district, seeking
especially traces of Indian mining, and has been struck at many
points with the marks of early white prospectors trailing the Indians who had preceded them perhaps hundreds of years before.
At numerous places outcrops presented unquestionable evidence of
the work of Indian copper collectors. The edge of the rock
showed that it had been battered and that usually a little seam of
copper had been teased into view. Around these places were lying many stones which had been used as mauls in battering
away the stony matrices. Many of the mauls were grooved
and all showed severe use. Near by were drill holes and signs of
blasting by white operators. Undoubtedly the prospectors sought
the places where the Indians had worked, thinking it worth while
to make a random test blast.
At the portage where the ship canal has been dug, a large
number of Indian implements, many of them made of copper,

GRATIOT COUNTY
(Map 8)
The maps do not show many Indian sites, owing, no doubt, to
the lack of careful observation or the failure to record them by
those who came into the country when they could still be seen.
Upon the Pine River, two villages are marked; there is one upon
the Maple at the south boundary. Six mounds stood in a cluster in
the northeast part of Sumner Township.
SITES IDENTIFIED
Villages -----------3
Burying grounds 2
Mounds -----------8

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

TOWNSHIPS
Seville 9. New Haven
Pine River 10. Newark
Bethany 11. North Star
Wheeler 12. Hamilton
Sumner 13. North Shade
Arcada 14. Fulton
Emerson 15. Washington
Lafayette 16. Elba

HILLSDALE COUNTY
(Map 5)
It has been reported that mounds were still discernible at
an early date in every township of the county. But, unfortunately, there are no data to indicate the situations of many of them.
From accounts and the proof at hand, Hillsdale County must have
had a permanent Indian population of several hundred.
More for historical than archaeological reasons, Squawfield,
upon the southern border of Pittsford Township, deserves special
mention. In 18 3 9, the time when the Indians were removed by
the government from that part of the state, it was the headquarters of Bawbeese, the noted Potawatomi chief.
SITES IDENTIFIED
Villages -----------8
Burying grounds 2
Mounds --------- -19
Dance circle ------- 1

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

TOWNSHIPS
Litchfield 10.
Scipio 11.
Moscow 12.
Somerset 13.
Allen 14.
Fayette 15.
Hillsdale 16.
Adams 17.
Wheatland 18.

Reading
Cambria
Jefferson
Pittsford
Camden
Woodbridge
Ransom
Amboy
Wright

FIG. 7. Mass of float copper, with outline suggestive
of a human profile. Width 32 inches, length 42
inches, weight 483 pounds

were unearthed. The inference must not be made that all the
copper used by the Indians was extracted from the rocks. Nearly
fifty pounds of copper nuggets were picked up during a half-day's

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