This Indian village was in the center of communication on the west, like Bowmanville on the north and Blue Island on the south. These three villages undoubtedly were more open to foriegn tribes and received more visitors, being located on main thoroughfares. Weapons and implements of the Stone Age were found all along the gravel ridge here and up and down the river. Traveling west of here it was customary to take either trail I, or trail J, on account of the marsh west of the river. We take it for granted that gen. Scott understood this point when his army encamped "On the Desplaines River in August, 1832," (Blanchard' Hist. Illinois p.65.)
In regard to the first opening of these mounds Mr. Wm. Haas says, this occoured the year before the Chicago fire, my father says parties representing the Woods museum were here then. The second opening of mounds in the Haas Park (about 250 feet north of Twelfth St.) occoured when the Park was changed into Forest Home Cemetery 1890, at that time the "leaping wolf" broach, the copper kettle, some of the silver broaches, several stone axes and many arrowhead were found buried with Indian skeletons.
The announcement of the find July 31, 1903, was therefore the third discovery in the same group. This mound being nearest to the probable portage landing of the river. To replenish their supply of gravel for the walks in the cemetery the company ordered two feet of the black soil scraped off the ridge and there, in two seperate mounds, five Indian skeletons were exposed. Buried with them, among the usual stone weapons, were such articles as are known to have been obtained by "good" or wealthy Indians from French traders as shown by the word "Montreal" stamped upon silver ornaments.
As usual cache holes were found in close proximity to the mounds. It should be stated here that at the Park Ridge mounds a large number of such holes were filled up by Mr. Lempke. The cache holes at Glen View and at the Summit were located in similar positions.
In this find were steel hunting and carving knives, Iron tomahawks, small brass kettles, pot hooks and chain and a number of silver ornaments consisting of broaches, breast plates, buckles, beads and crosses. We give the list of stone weapons as shown. President Haas says, what we have was found upon our own ground. Twenty one stone axes, six celts, one war club, two spearheads, eight large flat arrow points, one drill shaped arrowhead, two drill points, fifty arrowheads, one small stone pipe, copper nuggets and a skull which may prove to be of mound builder origin.
The main trail follows the river down on the east side where below 22nd St. between the trail and the river, there was an Indian camp and mound belonging to the Indian village of Riverside & Lyons. This Indian mound was erroneously reported about thirty years ago as being found west of the Desplaines river, the fact remains that north of Riverside all the mounds discovered were upon the east bank. Small as this camp was, the flint points found here are "very savage and foreign" which is also true of the Riverside village.