Number 6, Spring 1964
Elden Johnson, Editor
[6 pages, 3 figures]
Lloyd A. Wilford
The two burial sites described in this paper are located on the north edge of the Minnesota River valley in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The strip of land on which the sites are found was purchased by Mr. Lester Eck of Minneapolis in 1950, and in March of that year, Mrs. Eck advised the University that she planned to build a permanent residence at the edge of the bluff near the site of the burial mound and proposed that the mound be excavated before the construction. In addition, she informed me that some preliminary excavation on a lower terrace, near an older house, had disclosed human bones. In July and August of 1950, a University field crew under my direction excavated the mound and explored the burial area on the lower terrace.
The mound excavated on the Eck property was one of several formerly located in a line along the bluff edge. These mounds were surveyed by Theodore Lewis in the 19th century and are listed on page 249 [sic] Winchell's Aborigines of Minnesota (St. Paul, 1911.) The Eck mound was apparently mound 12, described by Lewis as 40 feet in diameter and 1-1/2 feet in height, and the only remaining mound of the group. The burial site located on a lower terrace had been reported previously and consisted of interrments [sic] in a natural knoll.
An area extending 13 ft. from the west wall of the house and 11 ft. from the south wall was staked as shown in Figure 1. Elevations were measured at five-foot intervals, after which the area was excavated. Burials were found in a limited area south of the west half of the house, and the ends of some bones were found belonging to a skeleton that was
under the house and was not uncovered. Two complete skeletons and one fairly complete skeleton was numbered, and some additional bones were found which are numbered as F2 and %3 in Figure 1.
Skeleton 23 was that of an adult male interred on its back, head west, thighs to the left, almost at right angles to the body, and legs tightly flexed on thighs. It is possible that the knees might originally have pointed upward, though this is not likely as they were only 7-1/2 inches below the surface. The lower bone was 1 ft. 3-1/2 inches below the surface. The skeleton was complete and the bones were well preserved. Some red ochre accompanied the burial, but there were no artifacts.
Skeleton 24 was the of a child about 10 years of age. It was a primary burial on the right side, head west. The thighs were to the right, nearly at right angles, and the legs were fully flexed on the thighs. The arms were flexed with hands toward the chin, as were those of Skeleton 23. The top of the skull was 10 inches below the surface, and the base of the burial was only five inches lower. Immediately above the pelvis was a skull fragment, and at the left elbow was part of maxillary bone with some teeth in place. Both the skull fragment and maxilla were bones of a young child (or children), and did not belong to skeleton 24. Above the right ear of skeleton 24 were two perforated dog (or wolf) teeth, doubtless an ear ornament, but there was no corresponding ornament under the skull.
Nearly three feet south of skeleton 24 were skull fragments of a child, labelled F2. Between them and the knees of skeleton 24 were two large clam shells.
Skeleton 25 what that of a young child whose bones, though badly preserved, clearly indicated the manner of burial. It was buried on the right side, head west, legs flexed on thighs, and arms flexed with hands toward chin. The skull was 6 inches below the surface.
Between skeleton 23 and 25 was a jumble of broken bones including skull fragments, which was labelled F3. The highest bone was 8 inches below the surface. They occurred in the area from which the Ecks had taken several bones and are believed to have been only the remainder of a larger number of bones previously there. Associated with the bones was a large size notched projectile point. Skeleton 23 was left in place as an exhibit and Mr. Eck build [sic] a low wall arround [sic] it, and covered it with glass. The projectile point was given to Mr. and Mrs. Eck.
The three undisrubed [sic] burials had some common traits. All were primary burials on back or side, with head west. The feet were drawn up toward the pelvis with the lower extremities at right angles to the body. The arms were thighly [sic] flexed with hands near the chin. Artifacts were rare, but not lacking.
In the absence of any pottery it is difficult to determine the relationships of the culture represented by the burials. The knoll in which the burials were made is a natural elevation and not an artificial tumulus. The adult bones were well preserved both the projectile point is not of a recent type [sic].
A square area, 50 feet on a side was staked about mound #12, and elevations taken at ten-foot intervals. The contours are shown in Figure 2. The highest point of the mound, at the point of 30E, was 3.79 ft. above datum. This was 2.79 ft. above the one-foot contour line, which fairly represented the base of the mound. As mentioned earlier, Lewis gave the height of the mound as 2-1/2 feet.
A circle with a diameter of 20 ft. was drawn about the stake at 30N - 30E which was close to the center of the circle described by the three-foot contour line. The area within the twenty-foot circle was excavated by six-inch levels, with the base of the highest level set at 2.5 ft. above datum. Five levels were excavated; the base of the lowest was at 0.5 ft. above datum and was clearly in the subsoil. The mound fill had a mixed appearance, not due to lensing, but from prior disturbance. Scattered fragments of human bone were found throughout the third and fourth levels. Two artifacts, a broken end scraper and the base of broken knife, were also found in the mound fill.
Near the base of Level IV at the south end of the excavation were found some scattered fragments of human bone. At the west end of the group was part of the left femur, badly gnawed. On the north side were ten small skull fragments, the largest of which was part of a frontal bone. South and southeast of the skull fragments were part of a femur head, part of the shaft of an ulna which had been gnawed, 2 small fragments of an innominate, one containing much of the acetabulum, 12 unidentified fragments from the shafts of long bones, a left astragalus and some rib fragments. The group was numbered skeleton #26. From the complete lack of ordering of the bones, the group was concluded to have been disturbed by earlier excavations and thrown back onto their excavation.
South of the preceding were found the proximal ends of paired femora at the edge of the excavated circle. The excavation was therefore extended tot he south in previously undisturbed mound fill and two burial were exposed. The first, numbered skeleton 27, consisted of the paired femora with the left femur in an extended position. The right femur was badly gnawed. One and a half feet west of the knee were portions of both parietals attached to it; and 5 small skull fragments. If the leg bones truly represented an extended burial with head to the north, it is probable that the earlier excavators had removed all of the bones above the legs, leaving the latter in place. The skull fragments were entirely out of position relative to the leg bones and were believed not to have been part of skeleton #27.
The distal end of the tibia of skeleton #27 lay across a typical bundle burial consisting of a group of long bones, piled parallel, with the axis in a NW - SE direction. This was labelled skeleton #28. The bones were strong and firm but had been broken before interment and most of the long bones lacked epiphyses. Present were two femurs, a right and a left, probably paired; 4 tibii belonging to three to three individuals; paired fibulae, complete except for the proximal ends; a right humerus lacking a head; the proximal right and left ends and the distal right and left ends of ulnae, suggesting pair, except that the broken parts were too long to comprise only two ulnae; part of the right ilium; much of right scapula; most of a mandible; and 10 rib fragments. At the southeastern end of the pile
was a complete occipital bone, with small parts of both parietal bones and the mastoid processes of the temporal bones attached to it. Although contact between these bones and the bones from the frontal area (near Skeleton #27) could not be made, there were no duplication of skull parts and it is very likely that all the skull fragments were parts of one skull. The teeth from mandible and maxillae exhibited only moderate wear and the skill is judge to have belong to a young child.
The lower bones of both skeletons 27 and 28 were at the same level, 0.95 above datum, and it is believed that this was the original ground level. Not a great deal of information was salvaged from the mound, but it may be concluded that bones of individuals exposed for some time after death, and bodies of one or more recently dead individuals were both laid on the group and a mound erected over them. This is a very common trait of Minnesota mounds, particularly those of the Late Woodland period. The same burial types are found in mounds of the Middle Woodland period, but burial is more often in sub-mound pits than on the surface.
The artifacts are of no value in identifying the culture of the builders of the mound. The broken end scraper is little more than the rounded cutting edge. The dorsal face is flattened by secondary flaking from the sides. The second artifact is presumably the basal portion of a small leaf-shaped knife, the base of which is slightly convex. No potsherds were found.
Figure 1. Burial Area on Eck Estate. [map]
Figure 2. Mound on Eck Estate. Numbered Areas 26, 27, 28 are Burials. Scale for Both Figures: 1 inch = 10 feet. Contour Interval One Foot. [map]
Figure 3. Location of Eck Estate. [map]