Minnesota geological survey report, 1879: Artificial mounds were noted at the northwest side of Lake Brewster in the south part of section 29, Glencoe. They are much scattered — probably numbering 15 or 20. … Another similar group of aboriginal mounds from 1 1/2 to 2 feet high was seen in the southeast part of section 34 in north Hutchinson, about 3 miles east of the village.
Hutchinson Leader, 1927: There appears to be a difference of opinion among authorities as to tangible proof of the existence of the strange people known as the Mound Builders in the county. No stone axes or hammers or other weapons or tools belonging to prehistoric times have been found here (near the vicinity of the mounds). … So now when an occasional arrowhead is picked up, it is probable that it is a relic of the Sioux (not prehistoric mound builders).
It’s always interesting to uncover a historic mystery, of which there are many. On a national scale, mysteries revolve around events and people such as the infamous D.B. Cooper, or the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Locally, however, there is a longstanding mystery that involves the presence of ancient humans occupying the region, namely, the mysterious Mound Builders.
For decades, historians have debated the existence of Mound Builders in McLeod County. We, of course, know that Native Americans were present in the area as early as a millennia ago, but evidence of semi-permanent inhabitation by ancient humans is unclear except for the somewhat questionable raised mounds of earth in Helen Township, Glencoe, and north of Hutchinson. If, indeed, the mounds are the work of human hands, they would predate any artifact in the McLeod County Museum and would lend evidence to the far reaches of an ancient civilization that existed in America more than 2,000 years ago.
We call them the Mound Builders, humans that left behind raised mounds varying in size and circular shape. Some were shaped into crude effigies resembling serpents and other animals. Sprawling through the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys, these simple earthworks have captivated the imagination of Americans since the dawn of the Early Modern Era. When white explorers first encountered them, some of which were rather elaborate, they deduced that the tribes occupying those areas did not possess the numbers, nor the public works systems, to carry out such feats, meaning they must have been built at an earlier time by a society that no longer existed. In part, they were correct.
Though descendants of the Mound Builders may have lived among the local tribes, the construction of the mounds came at the hands of an ancient civilization that existed two millennia prior. Most of the mounds in Minnesota, and possibly those of question in McLeod County, were built during the Middle Woodland period 100 B.C.-500 A.D. They were created by societies within the Hopewell tradition — the term used to describe a period in which ancient Native American societies shared common cultural aspects. Contrary to popular belief, most Hopewell societies were not nomadic, but rather lived in permanent villages — one of which was a city of more than 40,000 inhabitants called Cahokia.
Cahokia was situated along the Ohio River and was the epicenter of trade and cultural influence in the central portion of North America. The city saw its zenith during the end of the Middle Woodland period, but evidence suggests that it had been occupied as early as 1200 B.C. From Cahokia, trade caravans traveled the tributaries of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. In fact, the system of trade may have been so advanced that it reached the coast as oceanic relics have been found at Hopewell sites.
Though mounds exist in McLeod County, there is question if they were truly made by humans. The mounds are few and short. Most known mounds measure a minimum of 5 or 6 feet tall, some built as tall as 20 feet or more. In addition, Hopewell culture artifacts are typically found within the vicinity of the mounds, of which none have gone on record as being discovered in McLeod County.
On the other hand, evidence exists that ancient humans traveled along the Crow River to mound sites in nearby counties as mounds, burial sites and artifacts that pre-date the arrival of more contemporary native societies have been found. With that in mind, there’s little doubt that mound building people, at a minimum, traveled through the area, lending credence to the theory that the supposed mounds of McLeod County are authentic.
Though thousands of years have passed, the footprints of ancient humans are still etched into portions of our landscape. As our time passes, theirs stands still as a testament to their existence. Are the raised pieces of earth in McLeod County part of this ancient history? For now, we don’t have definitive proof.
One thing that is for certain, however, as dedicated history enthusiasts, we’ll never stop looking for that answer.
