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| Courtesy lookandlearn.com |
It's an interesting story and the article reporting the finding appeared in the Lorain Journal on October 15, 1940.
As the article notes, "Scenes of copper-skinned Indians offering a feast to the gods as they performed an ancient burial ritual were recreated by scientists with the unearthing of a large number of Indian skeletons on the Louis Frank farm, E. River-rd. near Vermilion.
"The latest excavations, made Sunday afternoon, yielded 13 skeletons, believed to be those of Erie Indians, buried more than 300 years ago. The excavation also turned up bits of pottery and other Indian relics.
"Earlier this summer, 34 skeletons were dug up at another point on the farm, which is approximately two miles south of W. Lake-rd on the Vermilion River.
"Bertram Kraus, Cleveland archaeologist, is head of the excavating party. Assisting him are Ray Vietzen, Elyria Indian relic collector, and William Worcester, also of Elyria.
"For more than three centuries, these remnants of a tribe whose history is clouded in obscurity have been hidden less than four feet below the surface. The discovery is expected to aid historians greatly in their study of the Eries.
"Also discovered in the burial ground was a fire pit, evidence that the Indians offered sacrifices before burial."
Here's the Page 3 continuation of the article, which also reveals that "a sizable Indian settlement was long ago located in the vicinity.
When we were on vacation in Gatlinburg a few years back, we went into a massive antique store. They had native artifacts labeled found by Raymond Vietzen. Also in what was the East Oberlin Flea Mkt across from old Carlisle drive in, a gentleman there had same type objects labeled from Robert Vietzen. Seems I recall an auction? Rae
ReplyDeleteDan - Great article and a good question about the burial remains.
ReplyDeleteI believe Col. Vietzen had some remains at his Indian Ridge Museum. His huge collection was dispersed at auction. Matt Nahorn has some of Vietzen's artifacts at the New Indian Ridge Museum. Matt is the local expert on Vietzen.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out, Dennis. Yes, Col. Vietzen did have skeletal remains at his Elyria Indian Ridge Museum. When the museum was closed and collection sold, the remains were reburied.
DeleteDan, you asked where the discovered skeletal remnants ended up. I don’t suppose the excavators & archealogists thought to leave these remains in situ as these had been for centuries and establish the burial grounds as an historical memorial. It occurs to me that kind of respectful consideration was not yet part of U.S. culture in the 1940s.
ReplyDeleteI bet at least some of them ended up with the "Ohio History Connection" in Columbus. They have a tendency to categorize such things as "culturally unidentifiable" which prevents them from being returned / repatriated to present-day tribes.
ReplyDeleteGood post on the Franks Site of Brownhelm. Col. Vietzen did have skeletal remains in his Elyria Indian Ridge Museum. When the museum closed and collection disbursed, the remains were reburied. The Franks Site was one of the largest Erie Indian village sites in the area, which encompassed some 80 acres of land. Much of the land now is owned by the MetroParks. Col. Vietzen worked as site supervisor for Oberlin College students and also worked there for some time, in the early 1940s. He subsequently authored 17 books on archaeology, many of which documented local sites and local work. He operated the Indian Ridge Museum in Elyria from 1930-1995, and was the last living individual associated with the founding of the Archaeological Society of Ohio. His wife, Ruth was the first female officer and worked right alongside him at the archaeological sites. If anyone wants to learn more, please feel free to visit www.newindianridgemuseum.com Thanks for covering this little-known bit of local prehistory.
ReplyDelete