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Collection Bares History of Indians in Racine CountyThe Dlow and in© narrow have Ion* fUlmM prairie land once roomed by the Poltawatomi Indians of Racine county, but a collection of aboriginal relics owned by Mrs. Bertha Leach of KanHanville indicates that the relt;hkin once flour-around the shores of Englelaic\Abundance of the arrowheads and^ it 1» # •WMlt;« UUVO LjJ ltlCitUULeach and now prised by his 77-year-old widow is believed to lndi-’cate that a large Indian settlement ©listed in that neighborhood before the Influx of American homesteaders. or that enemy tribes may have tought a long and bloody battle in the woods that lie near Highway 120 west of Union Grove.The collection, kept in a neut cabinet which sits In a corner of Mrs. Leach’s parlor, compilses at least 500 pieces, most of which were found In the Immediate vicinity. Many arrow heads were found during cultivation of the I.caeh fields, and other*, were found after diligent search.Of Local OriginThe stone implements. Including flint arrowheads unlt;l spearheads,bPftd** Of hofrhefw -*nrl »«•skin-scraping instruments, drills and ceremonial objects are nearly all of local origin. Other articles. Including stone pipes, arrows, and pottery include many obtained from other sections of the countiy.One well-made warclub and n long arrow were obtained at the Wounded Knee, battlefield whero the Sioux fought the whites for supremacy in South Dakota. An ornamentedhickory bow comes from Oklahoma and may 1+ of Cherokee or Creek design. Arrowheads, pottery and hand shaped atones of uncertain use are from th© Pacific coast. anlt;J one iron trade tomahawk Is a relic of the Seminole Indian war in Florida.There have been other signs of busy Indian life in the liable lake region. Borne years ago Richard Leach was commissioned to take measurements of a scries of grassy hummocks that were thought to be Indian burial mounds. Early sottlcis remember the year when Indian strugglera passed through the countryside following an eviction oidor from »ho rovnrnmA»tExcellent WorkMost of the arrow heuda, apcar- j heads and stone tools found near j Eagle lake are of evcel!'*nt work-! manship which indicates that the i Indian* of this region were skillful 1 in chipping flint. Varied sizes of -the arrowheads Indicate tli.it a wide » variety of game abounded hero before the county became settled. One arrowhead is made of obsidian, n i kind of stone not found here It is either a trace of an early maraud* ing party from another pait of the country or an indication that the Indians sometimes traded weapons 1 and other articles with wanduring tribes.Bleached lndidn bones have been found near Eagle lake. Richard • Leach once found a shattered In-c-lMill tin * % 2 *» ‘ ' v • i *• s ‘sent to a museum. A part of another skull Is in the Leach collec* tlon.Mrs. Leach docs not remember the Indians of ltacine county, but she Is a grand-daughter of Captain John Trowbridge who settled in Kansasville in 1836 when the Potta* wntomi tribe considered this neighborhood ' Its regular stampingground
Newspaper Details
Racine Independent News
Racine, Wisconsin, US
Fri, Sep 16, 1932
Page 5
Full Page
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Badgerlink
WI, USA 09 Oct 2017
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