A Wisconsin Variant of the Hoepwell Culture by W.C. McKern

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Wisonsin Variant of the Hopewell Culture cover

A Wisconsin Variant of the Hopewell Culture

Bulletin of the Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee, Volume 10, Number 2 June 10, 1931

W.C. McKern (1931)

Gustav's Library Vintage Reprint

As you probably already know, evidence of the Hopewell Culture has been found in other states besides Ohio. Some mounds excavated here in Davenport, Iowa and the McQuorquodale Mound of Southern Alabama are examples.

This book describes the excavations of the Shrake and Schwert Mound Groups as well as the Nicholls Mound in Wisconsin. The artifacts found are easily identifiable with the ones excavated in the classic Hopewell mound groups of Ohio and include copper, chipped and polished stone, silver, textiles, perforated bear teeth, pottery, shell, bone and obsidian

McKern discusses the discoveries that led to the study of these Hopewell sites:

In the fall of 1927, my attention was called to a discovery in Trempealeau County, of artifacts taken from a mound burial, which did not conform in type to the material traits of any previously classified Wisconsin culture. Mr. Ernest Bright, at that time a resident of Trempealeau, while digging below the floor of a mound of which the entire body had been removed for filling purposes, found a compound burial in a rectilinear pit. Four individuals had been interred in the flesh. Associated with the remains were eleven chalcedony projectile points, more than fifty tubular copper beads, two copper ear-spools and three bear canine teeth artificially perforated for purposes of attachment as ornaments. Near the burial the sherds of three broken pottery vessels were found. The pottery specimens were donated to the Milwaukee Public Museum. Enough remained of two of the vessels to permit complete restoration. The mound in which these finds occurred was one of a group situated just north of Perrot State Park on the property of the Shrake brothers.
The biconical perforations in the bear teeth, the copper ear-spools and the pottery specimens immediately suggested the culture known in Ohio as Hopewell. Shortly after receiving this information, the opportunity was offered to show the pottery specimens to H. C. Shetrone, who pronounced the sherds of one of the vessels to be unquestionably Hopewellian.
A review of Cyrus Thomas' account of mound explorations in Wisconsin previous to 1890 disclosed descriptions of similar Hope-well-like finds in Vernon and Crawford counties, south of Trempealeau on the banks of the Mississippi River. The Peabody Museum at Harvard University has a considerable portion of a pottery vessel of Hopewell type obtained by G. H. Squier from a mound at Trempealeau, probably one of the Perrot Group, and donated to that museum in 1884 (Plate XLI, Fig. 2). These data seem to have escaped the specific attention of Wisconsin students during the many years that have elapsed since the reports were made.

This 7" x 9" soft cover, facsimile reprint contains 145 pages including 60 full-page plates and 2 foldout maps. $16.95


CONTENTS
Introduction Geographical Foreword The Mississippi River Highway Archeological Peculiarities Purpose of Present Studies Sites and Methods of Investigation Acknowledgements Descriptions of Sites Shrake Mound Group II Nicholls Mound Schwert Mound Group Campsites Sites Previously Investigated Mounds Shape and Size Arrangement in Groups Materials and Construction Features in Mounds Burials	Copper Artifacts Silver Artifacts Chipped-stone Artifacts Polished-stone Artifacts Pearl Beads Textiles Bear Teeth Pottery Miscellaneous Features in Campsites Conclusions Culture Characteristics Culture Classification Relative Age Detailed Description of Mounds Shrake Mound Group Nicholls Mound Schwert Mound Group

PLATES

XXXI. Fig. 1. Nicholls Mound before excavation. Fig. 2. Mounds 10-12, Schwert Group.
XXXII. Fig. 1. Caved-in remains of bark-covered shelter over Burial 2, Nicholls Mound. Fig. 2. Near view of bark in structure shown in Figure 1.
XXXIII. Fig. 1. Large notched quartzite blade and associated copper beads in situ, Nicholls Mound. Fig. 2. Near view of a copper plaque, copper celts, pearl beads and a chalcedony implement in situ, Burial 2, Nicholls Mound.
XXXIV. Fig. 1. General view of Burial 2, Nicholls Mound. Fig. 2. Near view of southeast corner of burial shown in Figure 1.
XXXV. Fig. 1. General view of inclusive burial, Mound 12, Schwert Group. Fig. 2. Group of extended individuals placed in a parallel position in burial shown in Figure 1.
XXXVI. Fig. 1. Intrusive burial in Mound 11, Schwert Group. Fig. 2. Large intrusive burial in Mound 7, Schwert Group.
XXXVII. Fig. 1. Skull and cranial part from Schwert Group burials, illustrating occipital deformation. Fig. 2. Small artifacts from mounds of the Schwert Group and adjacent campsites.
XXXVIII. Fig. 1. Vertical cross section of Nicholls Mound. Fig. 2. Polished stone artifacts from Trempealeau Lakes Group mounds.
XXXIX. Fig. 1. Embankments about burial pit, Mound 18, Schwert Group. Fig. 2. Embankments about burial pit, Mound 19, Schwert Group.
XL. Fig. 1. Compound pit burial, Mound 18, Schwert Group. Fig. 2. Copper celts and notched chalcedony blade in situ with bones of the burial shown in Figure 1.
XLI. Fig. 1. Burial pit, Mound 19, Schwert Group. Fig. 2. Pottery vessel from mound in Trempealeau County.
XLII. Pottery vessels from Trempealeau culture mounds, illustrating the rougher, common ware.
XLIII. Pottery rim sherds from Trempealeau culture mounds and campsites.
XLIV. Potsherds from Trempealeau mounds and campsites, illustrating types of body decoration.
XLV. Fig. 1. Sherds of a pottery vessel from Mound 39, Shrake Group II. Fig. 2. Small pottery vessel from burial in Mound 7, Schwert Group.
XLVI. Pottery vessel from burial in Mound 17, Schwert Group.
XLVII. Three pottery vessels from Trempealeau culture mounds in Vernon and Crawford counties.
XLVIII. Fig. 1. Pearl beads from Burial 2, Nicholls Mound. Fig. 2. Silver-on-wood buttons from the Nicholls Mound and Mound 18, Schwert Group.
XLIX. Fig. 1. Two views of bear canine from Burial 1, Mound 39, Shrake Group II. Fig. 2. Strung copper beads in situ with bones of burial in Mound 16, Schwert Group.
L. Fig. 1. Necklace of copper beads from burial in Mound 18, Schwert Group. Fig. 2. Conjoined copper tubes from inclusive burial, Mound 12, Schwert Group.
LI. Copper ornaments from Trempealeau Lakes Group mounds.
LII. Fig. 1. Front view, copper plaque of breastplate type, Burial 2, Nicholls Mound. Fig. 2. Back view of plaque shown in Figure 1, showing adhering textile remains.
LIII. Copper implements from Trempealeau Lakes Group mounds.
LIV. Copper artifacts from Trempealeau culture mounds in Vernon and Crawford counties.
LV. Notched implements of chalcedony and chert from the Trempealeau Lakes Group mounds.
LVI. Notched chalcedony and jasper implements from Trempealeau culture mounds in Vernon and Crawford counties.
LVII. Large notched implements of quartzite, chert and jasper from Trempealeau Lakes Group mounds.
LVIII. Knives and scrapers from Trempealeau Lakes Group mounds.
LIX. Obsidian artifacts from Trempealeau Lakes Group mounds.
LX. Obsidian artifacts from Trempealeau culture mounds in Vernon and Crawford counties.

MAPS

3. Trempealeau Bay Mound Groups.
4. Trempealeau Lakes Mound Group.

TEXT FIGURES

13. Cross-section diagram of Burial 2, Nicholls Mound.
14. Cross-section diagram of lens-shaped pockets of earth over Burial 2, Nicholls Mound.
15. Plan of burial in Mound 18, Schwert Group.
16. Diagram of weaving techniques employed in textiles.
17. Projection of decorative pattern on pottery vessel from Mound 17, Schwert Group.
18. Plan of Nicholls Mound, showing relative positions of features.
19. Plan of Mound 7, Schwert Group.
20. Plan of Mound 8, Schwert Group.
21. Plan of Mound 9, Schwert Group.
22. Plan of Mound 10, Schwert Group.
23. Plan of Mound 11, Schwert Group.
24. Plan of Mound 12, Schwert Group.
25. Plan of Mound 18, Schwert Group.
26. Plan of Mound 19, Schwert Group.

Copper Tubular Beads

Copper Objects - Ear Spools top row

Perforated Bear Claws

Copper Necklace in-situ

Pottery Vessel

Obsidian Blades

Sample Plate Illustrations - click on image to enlarge