To the Board of Directors of the Nebraska State Historical Society:
   I take pleasure in submitting my report as Librarian of the Nebraska State Historical Society, from May 1, 1907, to December 31, 1907.
   Perhaps the most important work done during this period was the cataloguing of a very large part of the 27,000 volumes in the library.
   Up to the 1st of last June the library had not been catalogued, organized, or classified except in a general way. The present Secretary and Library Committee were very anxious to have the library catalogued and put into such shape that the material could be used to better advantage. As it was, there was no way, outside the memory of those actively connected with the Society, of telling what material was on hand, or of locating things for those who came to use the library.
   When your Librarian assumed her duties, the 1st of May 1907, the Board had decided to secure an expert organizer and cataloguer for the summer, and do as much as possible toward cataloguing the whole library.
   Miss Anna M. Price of the Library School of the University of Illinois was employed as organizer, and on the tenth day of June the work of cataloguing began. Besides Miss Price and your Librarian, a young woman was secured to typewrite the cards, and during eight and one-half weeks of the summer one other assistant was employed,
   For financial and other reasons the library had not received as much attention as it needed, and was very dirty. Every book was taken from the shelves, the dust wiped off with damp cloths, and the shelves washed before the books were replaced.
   The work of cataloguing continued from June 10 to September 4, and during that time 22,000 titles were catalogued by the Dewey decimal system of classification. The card catalogue contains 10,000 typewritten cards, shelf list included.

   One room of the library is known as the Nebraska room. It contains all books pertaining to Nebraska, all books written by Nebraska people, and all books of western description and travel. Everything in this room was catalogued.
   In the other part of the library more than three-fourths of all the books on hand at that time were catalogued. With the exception of 525 volumes on agriculture the - 630's - cards were made for everything down to the 974's, which leaves the history by states yet to be done. This material was all arranged by itself and was in the best shape of any part of the library, so it was thought best to leave it, rather than other subjects, uncatalogued.
   Beside the 27,000 volumes already mentioned in the library, there were a large number of volumes stored in the vault for exchange purposes. They were mainly reports from the various state offices, and were being asked for on exchange account by libraries and historical societies. These books were not listed nor systematically arranged, so it was impossible to tell what was on hand. After the principal part of the cataloguing was finished September 4, these duplicates were carried from the vault, sorted, counted, listed, and arranged according to an alphabetical system. The list showed 11,962 volumes, chiefly publications of the state departments, and 6,800 volumes of the Society's own publications.
   Beside the duplicates in the vault, there is another room containing approximately 4,000 volumes for exchange. These are of a general nature, including public documents, departmental reports of various states, historical publications, etc., and a special list is being made of them.
   The storerooms at the capitol contain a large number of duplicates of state officers' reports, and the Historical Society obtained permission to take such of these as were needed for exchange purposes. In October the books were looked over and 2,353 volumes were added to the Society's duplicates. Many of these were early territorial laws, and senate and house journals, some of which were quite valuable.

   At the meeting of Secretaries of Historical Societies from the various Mississippi valley states in this city October 17 and 18, our exchange lists were gone over eagerly and carefully by the visiting secretaries, and arrangements were made to add a large number of books to the library without expense by exchanging duplicates with the other societies. The secretaries from Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Montana were especially anxious to exchange for Nebraska's full list of duplicates, and the secretary from Montana shipped 225 volumes to the library immediately on his return home. Others have since sent the library what they had for exchange, Kansas sending 962 volumes.
   The library was officially represented by the Librarian at the meeting of the Iowa and Nebraska Library Association, which was held in Omaha and Council Bluffs, October 8 to 11, 1907.
   On account of the financial limitations of the Society and an extra amount of money having been spent on the library during the cataloguing, it was decided best to dispense with the Librarian's services for the month of November.
   Several donations of valuable books and manuscripts have been made to the library during the period which this report covers, and a few persons have made loans either for a short period or for an indefinite length of time.
   During the months between May 1, 1907, and January 1, 1908, the Society sent out 900 books and pamphlets and received 1,400 in exchange.
   The volumes on hand January 1, 1908, are as follows:
   Catalogued in library 22,100

Respectfully submitted,        
MINNIE P. KNOTTS,     
   Librarian.   

   To the Honorable, The Board of Directors, Nebraska State Historical Society:

   The complete report of this department has been published in the Annual Report of the State Board of Agriculture from time to time. My first report will be found in the Annual Report of the State Board of Agriculture for 1902. This embraces a report for the last six months of 1901 and a report for 1902. In the same publication for 1904 will be found my (second and third) report for 1903 and 1904, My (fourth) report for 1905 will be found in the annual report of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture for 1905.
   It is hoped to have these reports gathered into a volume and published in the Nebraska State Historical Society series, but until such a volume is compiled it seems right that a brief summary be printed here.
   At a meeting of the executive board of the Nebraska State Historical Society in June, 1901, $300 was set apart to begin the work of this department. J. Sterling Morton, then President of the Society, gave his influence, and I may say that he was chiefly responsible for the start made at that time.
   This branch of the work was placed on a permanent footing at the January meeting in 1902. A salary of $800 per year was granted the archeologist, and the museum was placed under his direct charge. Fifty dollars a year was added to the salary of the archeologist in 1905.
   The east third of the state has been explored, and about fifty Indian village sites have been visited and described in the reports. Maps have been made of a few of the most important ones. Relics have been gathered from each site and stored for future study.

   By far the most interesting point of study in the state is found at Nehawka, where the aborigines quarried flint. This field has been explored and described in my reports.
   Very interesting remains were found along the Blue river. The Platte and its eastern branches abound in earthworks and village sites, and the whole Missouri front presents a difficult and interesting problem which will require time and careful study to untangle.
   The Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804 gave the earliest and most authentic description of this Missouri front, and a careful study of this expedition enabled me to locate each camp made in the state. Many of these have been visited, and the study of the Missouri front is well began.
   The Indian bibliography is growing slowly; when this is completed it will be a history and biography of every notable Indian mentioned in the literature of the state.
   The museum has grown during these five years. When I assumed charge there were but a few relics; part of the Whitcomb collection was here as well as about 150 numbers in the general catalogue. Now the catalogue shows ten large collections, which have been catalogued separately, as well as about 700 numbers in the regular catalogue. This will give you a conception of the amount of material which has been gathered into the museum during the last five years.
   The letter C. before the number shows that the article belongs to the J. R. Coffin collection. This collection consists of 115 numbers and is chiefly Pawnee material. Mr. Coffin lives at Genoa, Nebraska, and has known the Pawnees from boyhood. He speaks the Pawnee language, and was called "The Boy Chief," or "Per-iska Le-Shar-u."
   The Hopkins collection has the letter H. placed before the number. It consists of chipped and polished stone-work found along the Elkhorn river, as well its many other curious and interesting articles. There are 307 separate catalogue numbers, but this does not give an idea of the collection, as a

catalogue number often embraces a number of articles. One number has four thousand separate pieces of chipped flint. It is the best single collection of chipped stone implements we have.
   The B. Y. High collection has the letters B. Y. placed before the numbers, and contains 91 separate pieces, mostly of Santee beaded work. This collection represents more money than many of the larger collections, as the pieces are all very superior. It was procured at Niobrara and was selected as the best out of the quantity sold there by the Santees.
   The Cleveland collection has the letters H. C. before the numbers. It is material from the Philippine Islands, collected by Howard Cleveland, of Table Rock, while with the 3d Nebraska regiment. It has 88 numbers.
   The Searle collection was brought from the Philippines by C. H. Searle, of Plattsmouth, and has 202 numbers with the letter S. before each. It is much the same as the Cleveland collection, only larger, and it contains many very fine specimens.
   The Hemple collection is one made by Benjamin Hemple, of Plattsmouth. It is not catalogued separately, but, like the many small collections, is found in the general catalogue. It consists of guns, coins, and other interesting curios.
   A number of lectures have been given in various parts of the state which have been instrumental in bringing the people into closer touch with the Society. These lectures cost but the actual expense of railroad fare and entertainment, and we are glad to make arrangements to fill a number of dates each year.
   About 30 lantern slides have been made, showing some of the best museum specimens, and others will be made when the honorable board will grant us a lantern in which to use them.
   The literary work done in this department is no small item; a number of manuscripts are prepared, and we hope to arrange for their publication some time in the future.

   With this brief résumé of the previous reports, I herewith present my (fifth) annual report for 1906:

   The beginning of the year, from January 1 to April I was devoted to arranging material in the museum and to arranging and listing the library. The daily care of the rooms was no small part of the work, and little was accomplished beyond routine work during this time.
   The Academy of Sciences asked me to prepare a paper on aboriginal pottery for their meeting February 2 and 3, 1906.
   February 23 I was called to Swedeburg, a little town in Saunders county, to deliver a lecture.
   During the past two years little has been done in the way of securing large collections for the museum. The already crowded condition seemed to justify inactivity until such a time as the legislature should see fit to grant us more commodious quarters, but there are a number of collections in the state which demand immediate attention if we ever expect to secure them, and I was determined to secure collections and care for them as best we could until more space was secured.
   To this end I visited Florence, April 5, and investigated the W. F. Parker collection with the agent of the estate. June 6 I spent two hours in the Parker museum. There are few things of historical value to Nebraska in the collection. It is interesting, but Nebraska is not well represented in it, and the whole collection is going to ruin from lack of care. There is no catalogue and the moths are doing much damage in the valuable rugs and costumes.
   The safe which is in the Parker museum was the one used by the bank of Florence and is a valuable Nebraska relic. An old bass drum which the Mormons used at the "winter quarters" is also of interest historically, but most of the pieces are from other countries, and as they lack labels are of no value to science.

   May 25 I gave a talk at the Prescott school on Indian customs, and later a talk at the city library along the same line.
   A new town was dedicated on the new line of the Great Northern at Lesharu, and I was asked to give a talk on the old Pawnee village site near by.
   While on the trip to investigate the Parker collection I went with R. F. Gilder to view some of the earthworks he had discovered north of Florence, and stopped to see the place where the "Learned Spear" was found. This spear is seven inches long and three inches wide. It is a very artistic piece of chipping from agatized wood. Originally it was brown in color, but one side is eroded to a bluish white. It is very different from any spear found in the state and evidently was not made by the Otoes who formerly owned the land. It will take the evidence of a specialist to determine how long this material must be exposed to the elements to change the color as this is changed. There is no evidence of a grave at the point where it was found and it seems to have been in the drift or in the loess soil.
   While on this trip we saw the great lodge circle in the top of a hill overlooking the Missouri river. This circle is over 60 feet in diameter and fully six feet deep in the center; it is one of the largest I have seen. Many bits of flint and ancient pottery near prove it to be old. Mr. Gilder showed me many evidences of aborigines north of Florence, which convinced me that the archeological condition in that vicinity is very complicated. In fact the whole Missouri front is a very complicated study. It is in this field that the "Nebraska Loess Man" was discovered. The geologists are better qualified to handle the situation in regard to this find, as it is purely a geological question. There is no doubt but the bones found are human bones, and the only question involved is the age of the bones; this must be determined by the age of the undisturbed geological formation in which they were found.

   June 20th I visited the home of W. J. Harmon in company with J. J. Hawthorne of Fremont. Mr. Harmon owns the land upon which an ancient Indian village site is situated. This site, which I have named the "Harmon Site," is on section 28, township 17 north, range 8 east. It is situated on a high bluff overlooking the Platte river. Near the point of the bluff may be seen a number of lodge circles and mounds similar to the mound houses on the Burkett site.
   No implements showing contact with whites were found, a number of specimens of pottery of ancient design were picked up there, as well as broken flints of a gray color and some brown specimens.
   This site was doubtless contemporaneous with the Ithaca site, as the debris is similar, although the Ithaca site yielded a few relics showing contact with the whites. The Harmon site covers an area of about three or four acres and was the home of some small band of aborigines for a number of years. The mounds have not been disturbed, and a cross-section of them may yield more evidence of the people. This site is one of many in Saunders county, and in fact all along the Platte. The proof of the identity of one will settle the identity of all, as they all bear a close resemblance to each other. The supposition that these villages are Pawnee may be established as a fact, but at present writing the study has not gone far enough to prove it beyond doubt.
   About a mile farther up the river and quite near its banks, is the site of the once famous "Neapolis."
   Tradition has this to say of this place:
   The "rump" legislature of 1857-58, which adjourned from Omaha to Florence, January 8, 1858, passed a resolution locating the capital of the territory at a point which should be sixty miles west of the Missouri river and within six miles of the Platte river north or south. An enterprising company from Plattsmouth discovered a valuable body of timber on the Platte river and immediately "jumped" the claim and laid

out the town of "Neapolis" (on paper), erected a sawmill, and applied for the capital of the territory, as the location met the requirements of the resolution.
   The raft of lumber which was sawed from the timber was wrecked on its way to market. The general assembly, in the fifth session, patched up the difficulties and the capital remained at Omaha. Nothing seems to be known of this bold venture except the site of the would-be capital and metropolis, Neapolis. It is a beautiful spot, and one can not help but regret the adverse influences which made it but a tradition.
   A mile south of the little town of Linwood in Butler county is a ruin of an Indian village. I visited this field June 21, 1906, and secured a number of relics. The village was evidently burned, as the soil is plentifully intermixed with charcoal; so much so that one is at a loss to account for such an abundance from the burning of the village. Pieces of cedar posts are plowed out from year to year, and these, being well preserved, indicate that this site is not so old as tradition in the vicinity seems to imply. The land is owned by J. B. Tichacek, who came here in the '70s; he says that a sod wall nearly three feet high enclosed forty acres which was thickly covered with lodge circles. He has graded down the wall and tilled the circles until the ground is nearly level.
   Not a scrap of pottery can I find on the site and not a single flint chip. A number of rust-eaten iron arrow points were found and some pieces of metal. These all show contact with whites. One very interesting specimen was found - a small image of a horse moulded in clay and burned very bard; it is not two inches long, but is a very good representation of a horse. This is probably the most valuable and interesting thing left on this site. I think the tribe which lived here had trouble. I think they lived here not longer than ten years, and probably no longer than five. If the village contained over a thousand circles, as Mr. Tichacek seems to think it did, the tribe must have been quite numer-

ous and may have been driven away from this place very soon after the village was built. I am confident the Pawnees were the builders of the village. It is certain the village was built long after the Indians had learned to depend on the white man for his weapons and utensils.
   Immediately west of this village ruin, and situated on a bench twenty feet or more above the bottomland where this ruined site just described is found, is the site of an ancient stone age village. The two villages are side by side; and by a casual observer might be taken for the same village site. This ancient site yields abundance of potsherds and chipped flints. The lodge circles are in a pasture covered with brush and small trees, so very little could be learned of its extent. This site was built, occupied, and abandoned long before contact with the whites. It belongs to the class of ancient villages strewn along the Platte on both sides, but is some years older than the sites near Genoa and Fullerton. Some day we will know just who built these villages and approximately the date of occupancy.
   South of Linwood some six or eight miles, not far from the banks of Skull creek, is an Indian burying ground, and eight miles farther up the Platte, near the head of a large island and not far from where Shinn's ferry once plied the waters, is another cemetery. While all the points of evidence are more or less of interest and yield a certain amount of information, nothing can be definitely determined until the greater number of these ancient villages and sepultures have been examined and studied. Relics are being gathered and conditions noted which will all contribute to a certain and definite knowledge.
   N. J. Anderson, of Wahoo, very kindly sent the museum a photograph of a pile of Indian bones dug out of the mound at Ithaca which I saw in 1900; a number of relics were found which showed that the Indians buried here were supplied with utensils and arms almost wholly by the white men.

   Two years ago I learned of a large collection of costumes and curios belonging to Mr. D. Charles Bristol, of Homer, Nebraska. Arrangements were made to visit Homer a year ago, but the conditions would not permit. July 10 I started on an extended trip; I visited Homer and saw part of the collection belonging to Mr. Bristol. I was convinced that this collection is the most valuable and best authenticated collection in the West, and immediately began to negotiate to have it removed to the Historical Society museum.
   After getting the negotiations started, I visited Sioux City for a day. There I saw a number of people interested in early history and archeology. Hon. C. R. Marks, a pioneer and historian, presented specimens of pottery from "Broken Kettle" mound near Sioux City.
   From Sioux City I went to Coleridge in Cedar county, to visit the original home of the boulder which the class of 1892 placed on the University campus. This boulder was discovered by Professor Aughey, of the University of Nebraska, in the year 1869. It is a granite drift boulder of several tons weight. Upon the face of this boulder is the imprint of a foot, evidently cut or worn into the rock by blunt tools; the whole top surface is covered with hieroglyphics, or curious marks evidently made in the same way. I have long desired to visit the spot from which this boulder was removed. I explored the country from Sioux City to Coleridge by stopping over one train in various small towns; I stopped at Waterbury, at Allen, and at Laurel, as well as at Wakefield. At Waterbury I explored to Allen and took the train there for Laurel. Nothing of particular note was discovered; a few mounds and a chance small camp site here and there were brought to my attention by settlers, but along this railroad Indian ruins are scarce.
   From Coleridge I drove about four miles to the farm where this rock once rested. The cavity can still be seen, as the hilltop is covered with drift pebbles. About three acres of ground on the top of this hill have never been disturbed, which gave me a splendid chance to study the situation.

   This spot is one and a half miles from flowing water. According to old settlers who have explored the surrounding country carefully, it is eight miles to the nearest site of a ruin left by Indians, and that is very insignificant. The surrounding country for five miles in all directions seems very deficient in relics of this departed race. I inquired diligently of everyone, but failed to find even an account of an arrow head or a stone ax being discovered in the surrounding country. I was in the vicinity three days, and instead of finding a rich field of relics near where this rock was discovered, I found none.
   The barren hilltop is covered with small drift pebbles. After critically examining over five hundred of these I am convinced that none of them were used in making the marks left on this boulder. There are no worn or beaten paths leading up to the place where the rock once rested; there is no indication that other rocks had been worn to bits in cutting the characters. In fact, the soil near is free from any pebbles save waterworn, rounded pebbles like those covering the entire hill. One is forced to the conclusion that the work of cutting this rock must have been done elsewhere. The study is not complete, and I doubt whether conclusive evidence can ever be found to settle the problem. It has taken infinite labor to cut these characters into the granite; they are not scratches, but the marks are three-fourths of an inch wide and in some places half an inch deep. The cutting has been done in the same manner as grooves are put in granite mauls or axes. I have interested some of the people near, and if anything is found which will throw light on this problem it will be reported.
   August 20 I made another trip to Homer, and after some discussion of details it was arranged to have the "Omaha Charlie" collection placed in the Nebraska State Historical Society fireproof rooms.
   It is worthy of mention in this connection that Mr. M. A. Bancroft, of the Homer Free Press, assisted very much in

arranging the details for Mr. Bristol, and the Society appreciates his kind offices and careful business tact in this matter. Mr. F. B. Buckwalter also assisted in cataloguing the collection.
   The following is the contract signed by Mr. D. Chas. Bristol and wife as owners of the collection and the officers of the Historical Society as trustees of the collection:

   "This agreement made this first day of September, A. D. 1906, by and between D. Charles Bristol, of Homer, Nebraska, and the Nebraska State Historical Society of Lincoln, Nebraska, witnesseth:
   "That D. Charles Bristol, of Homer, Nebraska, hereby places in the custody of said Nebraska State Historical Society a collection of rare and curious articles, Indian costumes, Indian weapons, ornaments, and handiwork, for safekeeping and care, to be held by said Historical Society until such time as he shall demand them returned to him [see catalogue attached].
   "That for and in consideration of the above described loan the Nebraska State Historical Society agrees:
   "First, to keep the said collection safely in the fireproof rooms of the said Society at Lincoln, Nebraska, as long as said D. Charles Bristol may desire it so kept, and to care for the collection in the best manner possible.
   "Second, to catalogue and label the collection and each piece thereof as the 'D. Charles Bristol Collection,' and keep same on free exhibition at Lincoln, Nebraska, and to print a catalogue as soon as possible after receiving said collection, and to furnish said D. Charles Bristol as many copies of said catalogue as he may desire - not to exceed 100 copies.
   "Third, the Nebraska State Historical Society further agrees, in consideration of the above described loan of said collection, to bear all expense of labeling, cataloguing, printing of catalogue, and transporting of collection from Homer, Nebraska, to Lincoln, Nebraska, and in addition thereto the entire expense of caring for and maintaining said collection on exhibition in aforesaid fireproof museum of said Society at Lincoln; and if the collection shall remain in the custody of the Society for two years or more the Society agrees to

pay cost of transporting the collection back to Homer, Nebraska, should the said D. Charles Bristol demand the return of the collection.
   "It is further agreed and understood by and between both parties that the said D. Charles Bristol collection shall remain intact and be kept and called one collection, and not be scattered. It shall be held in trust by the said Historical Society for D. Charles Bristol and his heirs until such a time as the said D. Charles Bristol shall demand its, return. Upon the death of D. Charles Bristol it shall be held in trust for the legal heirs of the said D. Charles Bristol until such a time as they (the legal heirs) shall agree in writing to sell the entire collection to some person or institution where it can be maintained as a whole to be known as the 'D. Charles Bristol Collection.' At such a time the Nebraska State Historical Society shall have the first right to purchase the collection at the price offered; but if the said Nebraska State Historical Society can not or will not purchase the entire collection, then the Nebraska State Historical Society shall turn over the said D. Charles Bristol collection, each piece and every part of said collection, in good condition, and without question to the legitimate purchaser of the same, free of cost.

   September 10 I went to Homer and packed the collection, making a catalogue of the same at the time. I gave, as near as Mr. Bristol can remember, the history of each piece.

   While at Homer I explored the surrounding country as much as time would permit, and Mr. M. A. Bancroft has volunteered to aid in the study of that vicinity. Mr. Bancroft is a wide-awake, hustling newspaper man and he has succeeded in learning a few facts about the Omaha village which was once at the mouth of Omaha creek, a few miles east of where Homer now stands. The site of this village has gone into the river, but many mounds are scattered along the bluffs around Homer. Part of the history of this village is to be found in books.
   I erected a tablet on the farm of Mr. T. C. Baird where a ledge of rock is covered with Indian pictographs. These should be photographed.
   September 24 I visited the home of J. W. Ingles at Pleasant Hill in Saline county. Mr. Ingles came to Pleasant Hill when the Indians wandered through Saline county and has been in the mercantile business ever since. He has gathered a number of interesting and curious things, which he has loaned to the Historical Society for safe-keeping. No small part of this collection is a number of U. S. silver and bronze coins which will grow more valuable as time goes on. Two gold quarter-dollars are found in the collection, as well as a number of Indian relics. The smaller donations to the museum will be found in the catalogue of the museum.
   The latter part of 1906 was spent in arranging the new collections brought in, and in placing the "Omaha Charlie" collection in the cases. E. E. BLACKMAN, Archeologist.

   January 1, 1907.

   To the Honorable Executive Board, Nebraska State Historical Society:
   The first part of the year was spent in rearranging the museum to make a place for the collections which have re-

cently been added; a complete catalog of the museum was prepared in brief and is submitted as part of this report.

   May 1, I visited Cairo, Nebraska, to investigate a mound which had recently been opened near there. The account of this mound may be found in the Cairo Record of April 26, 1907, and need not be repeated here.
   The grave is on a high bluff known as Kyne's Bluff which overlooks Sweet creek, near its junction with the South Loup river.
   I am of the opinion that this lone burial was made during hunting expedition and that the warrior was buried about 1870 or 1873. The implements and dress show him to have lived long after contact with the whites. His pipestem was found, but in the excavation they missed his pipe, which is probably there yet. I brought the bones and the other relics with me and have them in the museum.
   It is not common for the modern Indian to bury even the prominent warriors five feet deep. I am of the opinion that part of that depth was made by the wind; I noticed that the bluff is composed of a light loose soil mixed with sand. In places it is nearly all sand. The wind seems to build the points of bluffs higher by blowing the light soil and sand into drifts a few inches back of the prominent face of the bluff and directly on top of it. There are a number or well-defined surface lines to be seen when the edge of the bluff is cut with a spade. This may be caused by an upward current of air carrying the loose particles up the face of the bluff when the wind blows directly against it.
   The whole surrounding country is more or less "sand-hills" and by a study of the formation of these hills one can account for the remains of this Indian being five feet deep when he was probably buried three feet deep. There is an ideal camp ground for hunting parties near this grave, but no signs of a permanent home.

   I made a trip to Weeping Water during May. I wished to find the flint outcropping in the bluffs near there and get a more definite knowledge of the mound just east of that town. The flint I failed to find, and the tops of the hills east of town skirting the Weeping Water valley show camp sites on nearly every level spot. Chipped flints and potsherds are to be found in many fields, showing that this stream was a well-traveled highway. The nature of the chips of flint lead me to believe that the highway led from the Nehawka quarries to the village sites on the Platte river.
   There is a well-defined line of camp sites leading from the Platte river near Ashland to the Blue river near Beatrice, by way of Indian creek and Salt creek, and this Weeping Water trip convinced me that the same kind of a trail doubtless joined it not far from Ashland.
   While at Weeping Water I secured an old grain cradle once used by Louis Giberson, who settled near Greenwood in an early day; he was a noted cradler and could put more grain in the windrow than any of his neighbors. This cradle was the one he used in this state. It was presented by his wife, Mrs. Giberson.
   June 4 I delivered a lantern lecture before the York county teachers. While in York I called on C. C. Cobb, a merchant of that place who has gathered a fine collection of interesting material from all parts of the world. This he has tastefully displayed in a room built for it, which is 17 by 34 feet. His coin collection is especially fine, and his collection of musical instruments can not be duplicated in the West. We hope. that he will think favorably of placing his collection in the Nebraska State Historical Society museum in time.
   Johnson Brothers, dealers in shoes, purchased a fine lot of Indian costumes, moccasins, war-clubs, and beaded work when they lived near the Rosebud agency. This is all made with sinew and is a good representative collection of the work done at the Rosebud agency twenty years ago. You will find a complete catalog of this collection as part of this report. I packed the entire collection June 5 and shipped it to Lincoln. 22

   To make room for this collection a new case was constructed 4 by 5 feet and 7 feet high. Johnson Brothers value this collection at $800. It is a nice addition to our museum; and is placed as a loan.
   On June 15, I accompanied Prof. Harlan I. Smith, of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and Robt. F. Gilder of the World-Herald, on an exploring trip north of Florence to visit the place where the "Nebraska Loess Man" was found.
   The trip was only a brief review of the excavation made and no new points were discovered save that at the depth of four et from the surface bits of bone were found in the side of the wall of earth left in excavating; these bits of bone have the appearance of being gnawed by gophers.
   Not far from these bits of bone, and in apparently undisturbed loess soil I found a small chip of whitish pink flint, very sharp and no larger than a gold dollar. This, to me, is an important find and carries more weight, as evidence, than anything else I have seen from that field. If this specimen of flint was used by the loess man, this same loess man must have visited the home of this flint or he must have trafficked with those who did visit the original quarry.
   If I mistake not this flint is the same as that brought north by the Pawnees about 1400 A. D. A number of bits of gray flint were found in the excavation which are certainly from the Nehawka quarry. This proves little, as the Nehawka quarry is not far away and primitive man used flint; the nodules crop out at Nehawka and this loess man may have found his flint on the surface. Perfect implements will be found in some future excavation, and when they are found much may be learned from them. Until the perfect implements are found, the best evidence to be obtained is found in the flint chips mingled with the bones of this loess man. It is possible that these bits of flint are from the intrusive burial, or more properly the burial. (The bones of the loess man are supposed to be buried by nature at the time the Ioess was de-

posited.) The line of demarkation between the remains buried by man and those covered by nature can not be distinguished without cutting a new cross-section - at least I could not see it. The true age of the loess man can be approximately determined by the perfect implements if they can be found; and some light may be thrown on the subject by the flint chips if we can be sure these chips are contemporaneous. The walls of the excavation have certainly every appearance of being undisturbed loess soil.

   Tuesday, July 23, 1907, I started for Genoa to cut a cross-section through one of the mound houses on the Burkett site. The mound houses there are from 30 to 100 feet in diameter and from 2 to 4 feet high; they are highest in the center and slope in all directions. The surface is thickly strewn with broken flints, potsherds, and bones. These bones seem to be buffalo, deer, and dog bones, but a few bits of bone have been found on the surface which are unmistakably human bones. A number of bone scrapers, awls, etc., have been found on the surface as well as many perfect scrapers and a few perfect arrows, spears, and flint knives. Every hut ruin in the state is circular in form, most of them having a low place in the center and a ring of earth slightly raised around the outer edge. There is usually a fireplace in the center, and charcoal, ashes, and burned soil are found by digging in the lowest spot in the center. The mound house ruins on the Burkett site are so different from other ruins in the state that a cross-section was necessary to study them.
   Mr. E. M. Starr, who has lived on the place for a number of years, says he has taken a human skeleton out of three of these mound houses, but the bones are scattered and lost; he says a perfect human skull was taken out of one.
   I cross-sectioned the largest one of these mound houses. I dug a trench 2 1/2 feet wide, beginning at the outer edge of the mound fifty feet from the center and running due west to

© 2000, 2001 Pam Rietsch, T&C Miller