This material is also included in our full reprint of The Aborigines of Minnesota

What a Minnesota archaeologist once described to me as the holy grail of archaeological titles, The Aborigines of Minnesota is indeed a scarce and expensive reference.  The problem with the original is that it is a heavy ( 8 pounds! ), oversized ( 9-1/2" x 12-/14" ) volume and the binding has typically failed over the last 96 years.  An original in very good condition with intact binding will typically fetch between $750.00 - $1,000.00.

When we looked at reprinting this wonderful book, we decided to keep the original page size of 9-1/2" x 12-/14" but to break it into two parts to alleviate the binding and handling problems.  While working on part one it became clear that an extract could be prepared that would address the need for an archaeological atlas, or earthworks catalog  by county, of the state of Minnesota.  Extracting this 350 pages of the original 900 would also allow us to offer it at a reduced price.  As usual, all of the hand assembled, hand inserted foldouts (24) are present in their original size.   There are hundreds of earthworks described in this book some of which have disappeared as Minnesota became more developed over the years.  One of my favorites is the boulder outline of a buffalo which is pictured and described at the bottom of this page.

Earthwork locations are typically given by township and section descriptions such as the Eagle Lake mounds which are featured on the cover of our reprint.  This simplifies their location with the aid of a modern county atlas or a geological survey map available at public libraries or through the internet. 

Eagle Lake mounds, (a),  S. W. side, N. 1/2 S. W. 1/4, sec. 31, T. 34-27, about 25 ft. to 35 ft. above the lake. Group contains 40 small mounds, all circular except one, and crowded. One is curved and elongated. The largest is 40 ft. by 4 1/2 ft. Surveyed May 6, 1890.

Winchell described this Minnesota county atlas of earthworks as follows:

It has been the purpose of the following records to furnish as complete account of each county as the available data will permit. In the case of a few of the counties nothing is known of their aboriginal earthworks, although it is quite probable that such exist. The reader will be struck with the wide extent of these remains. Nearly every county has them, the only probable exception being in the area north of lake Superior. That area, however, has received the least attention, and it is not warrantable to infer from this lack of knowledge that the mound-builders did not occupy it. That region is rough, sometimes mountainous, and without roads and railroads. When it shall have been settled it may be that scattered evidences of the mound-builders will be found.

In this review of the mounds and embankments of the aborigines of the state, it has been found convenient to follow the order of the county reports in the final report on the Geological and Natural History Survey of the state, beginning in the southeastern corner and taking the counties in order westward across the state in tiers of two, thus:

This 9-1/2"" x 12-1/4",  350 page soft cover book is illustrated with 42 full page plates of engravings and photographs and contains 24 large foldouts    $29.95