Indiana History
EARLY NATIVE AMERICAN BURIAL MOUNDS AND FISH WEIRS, AND SACRED STONES IN WABASH COUNTY, INDIANA
Map showing the location of early Native American burial mounds and earthworks in Wabash County, Indiana.
Get the directions to all of these sites. 85 burial mounds and earthworks from the enigmatic mound builder culture, photographed and directions provided in Indiana. 222 burial mound and earthwork sites in Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Michigan. America's best travel guide to the Indian mounds and earthworks in the Ohio Valley.
“Tales of the Old Days” by W.E. Billings
At some point, about a half mile southwest of Round Lake, this trail was joined by another from the wets, and together they continued in a northeastern direction to the south edge of the tamarack swamp north of Laketon. Here the trail apparently swung west around the swamp and continued northeast along the ridge that can be seen about a half mile east of the Ogdon Road. Near the edge of the tamarack swamp, at 2668 feet north of the Eel River, there were two mounds visible. The near one, about 100 feet northwest of this point, was described as “five or six feet high, unfinished.” The upland in this area, north of Laketon, was described as “level 2nd rate”. The timber was white and black oak with undergrowth of sassafras and vines. This was the first mention of sassafras.
Ancient fish weir constructed by the mound builder culture to catch eels. The date of construction could be as early as 1500 B.C. and as late as 1200 A.D. Burial mounds that once existed near this site give the probability of an early origin of this Indiana treasure.
Geology and Natural Resources 17th Annual Report,1891
A few small mounds are said to exist in the southern part of the county. One mile west of Roann near the north bank of the Eel River, on the farm at Mr. Silas E. Shoemaker, is an extensive burial place of the Miami Indians, and bones are frequently exposed in plowing the land. On the farm of Mr. R.G. Arnold in Pleasant Township, Section 12, TGP. 29, Range 5 East, there is a mound having an elevation of sixty feet above Silver Creek, which the Indians used as a burial place. The mound consists of gray gravel to the bed of the stream. Mr. Arnold says that in cultivating the burial place soon after it was cleared the plow turned out pipes, arrowheads, peelers, and parts of human bones, but they were carried away years ago by relic hunters.
NOTE: Nothing remains of this mound.
A series of sacred stone bowls also existed on the Wabash and Mississenewa Rivers. One bowl was described as being within the city of Wabash. Another bowl can still be seen on the Wabash River.
Stone bowls were not fro function, but part of some kind of ceremony that was related to the Earth Mother.
Another stone bowl, where the sacred nature of this site is revealed because of the adjacent spring that flows in to the bowl. The proximity of burial mounds to the other sacred or spirit stones is evidence that all of these works were constructed by the mound building culture.
Close to the previous stone bowl is this stone enclosure that surrounds a 4 foot depression. Its construction is a mystery.
Along the stone wall of the enclosure is a series of sacred stones, indicated by the white stone that has a bowl carved in the top. There is no other site like this, but the stone bowl indicates that it too, was constructed by the mound builders culture.
Indiana History: Mounds State Park Earthwork Complex
Indiana History: Mounds State Park Earthwork Complex
