out the town of "Neapolis" (on paper), erected a sawmill, and applied for the capital of the territory, as the location met the requirements of the resolution.

The raft of lumber which was sawed from the timber was wrecked on its way to market. The general assembly, in the fifth session, patched up the difficulties and the capita! remained at Omaha. Nothing seems to be known of this bold venture except the site of the would-be capital and metropolis, Neapolis. It is a beautiful spot, and one can not help but regret the adverse influences which made it but a tradition. A mile south of the little town of Linwood in Butler -county is a ruin of an Indian village. I visited this field June 21, 1906, and secured a number of relics. The village was evidently burned, as the soil is plentifully intermixed with charcoal; so much so that one is at a loss to account for such an abundance from the burning of the village. Pieces of cedar posts are plowed out from year to year, and these, being well preserved, indicate that this site is not so old as tradition in the vicinity seems to imply. The land is owned by J. B. Tichacek, who came here in the '70s; he says that a sod wall nearly three feet high enclosed forty acres which was thickly covered with lodge circles. He has graded down the wall and filled the circles until the ground is nearly level.

Not a scrap of pottery can I find on the site and not a single flint chip. A number of rust-eaten iron arrow points were found and some pieces of metal. These all show contact with whites. One very interesting specimen was found a small image of a horse moulded in clay and burned very hard; it is not two inches long, but is a very good representation of a horse. This is probably the most valuable and interesting thing left on this site. I think the tribe which lived here had trouble. I think they lived here not longer than ten years, and probably no longer than five. If the village contained over a thousand circles, as Mr. Tichacek seems to think it did, the tribe must have been quite numer

ous and may have been driven away from this place very soon after the village was built. I am confident the Pawnees were the builders of the village. It is certain the village was built long after the Indians had learned to depend on the white man for his weapons and utensils.

Immediately west of this village ruin, and situated on a bench twenty feet or more above the bottom-land where this ruined site just described is found, is the site of an ancient stone age village. The two villages are side by side, and by a casual observer might be taken for the same village site. This ancient site yields abundance of potsherds and chipped flints. The lodge circles are in a pasture covered with brush and small trees, so very little could be learned of its extent. This site was built, occupied, and abandoned long before contact with the whites. It belongs to the class of ancient villages strewn along the Platte on both sides, but is some years older than the sites near Genoa and Fullerton. Some day we will know just who built these villages and approximately the date of occupancy.

South of Linwood some six or eight miles, not far from the banks of Skull creek, is an Indian burying ground, and eight miles farther up the Platte, near the head of a large island and not far from where Shinn's ferry once plied the waters, is another cemetery. While all the points of evidence are more or less of interest and yield a certain amount of information, nothing can be definitely determined until the greater number of these ancient villages and sepultures have been examined and studied. Relics are being gathered and conditions noted which will all contribute to a certain and definite knowledge.

N. J. Anderson, of Wahoo, very kindly sent the museum a photograph of a pile of Indian bones dug out of the mound at Ithaca which I saw in 1900; a number of relics were found which showed that the Indians buried here were supplied with utensils and arms almost wholly by the white men.

Two years ago I learned of a large collection of costumes and curios belonging to Mr. D. Charles Bristol, of Homer, Nebraska. Arrangements were made to visit Homer a year ago, but the conditions would not permit. July 10 I started on an extended trip; I visited Homer and saw part of the collection belonging to Mr. Bristol. I was convinced that this collection is the most valuable and best authenticated collection in the West, and immediately began to negotiate to have it removed to the Historical Society museum.

After getting the negotiations started, I visited Sioux City for a day. There I saw a number of people interested in early history and archeology. Hon. C. R. Marks, a pioneer and historian, presented specimens of pottery from "Broken Kettle" mound near Sioux City.

From Sioux City I went to Coleridge in Cedar county, to visit the original home of the boulder which the class of 1892 placed on the University campus. This boulder was discovered by Professor Aughey, of the University of Nebraska, in the year 1869. It is a granite drift boulder of several tons weight. Upon the face of this boulder is the imprint of a foot, evidently cut or worn into the rock by blunt tools; the whole top surface is covered with hieroglyphics, or curious marks evidently made in the same way. I have long desired to visit the spot from which this boulder was removed. I explored the country from Sioux City to Coleridge by stopping over one train in various small towns; I stopped at Waterbury, at Allen, and at Laurel, as well as at Wakefield. At Waterbury I explored to Allen and took the train there for Laurel. Nothing of particular note was discovered; a few mounds and a chance small camp site here and there were brought to my attention by settlers, but along this railroad Indian ruins are scarce.

From Coleridge I drove about four miles to the farm where this rock once rested. The cavity can still be seen, as the hilltop is covered with drift pebbles. About three acres of ground on the top of this hill have never been disturbed, which gave me a splendid chance to study the situation.

This spot is one and a half miles from flowing water. According to old settlers who have explored the surrounding country carefully, it is eight miles to the nearest site of a ruin left by Indians, and that is very insignificant. The surrounding country for five miles in all directions seems very deficient in relics of this departed race. I inquired diligently of everyone, but failed to find even an account of an arrow head or a stone ax being discovered in the surrounding country. I was in the vicinity three days, and instead of finding a rich field of relics near where this rock was discovered, I found none.

The barren hilltop is covered with small drift pebbles. After critically examining over five hundred of these I am convinced that none of them were used in making the marks left on this boulder. There are no worn or beaten paths leading up to the place where the rock once rested; there is no indication that other rocks had been worn to bits in cutting the characters. In fact, the soil near is free from any pebbles save waterworn, rounded pebbles like those covering the entire hill. One is forced to the conclusion that the work of cutting this rock must have been done elsewhere. The study is not complete, and I doubt whether conclusive evidence can ever be found to settle the problem. It has taken infinite labor to cut these characters into the granite; they are not scratches, but the marks are three-fourths of an inch wide and in some places half an inch deep. The cutting has been done in the same manner as grooves are put in granite mauls or axes. I have interested some of the people near, and if anything is found which will throw light on this problem it will be reported.

August 20 I made another trip to Homer, and after some discussion of details it was arranged to have the "Omaha Charlie" collection placed in the Nebraska State Historical Society fireproof rooms.

It is worthy of mention in this connection that Mr. M. A. Bancroft, of the Homer Free Press, assisted very much in

arranging the details for Mr. Bristol, and the Society appreciates his kind offices and careful business tact in this matter. Mr. F. B. Buckwalter also assisted in cataloguing the collection.

The following is the contract signed by Mr. D. Chas. Bristol and wife as owners of the collection and the officers of the Historical Society as trustees of the collection :

AGREEMENT.

"This agreement made this first day of September, A.D. 1906, by and between D. Charles Bristol, of Homer, Nebraska, and the Nebraska State Historical Society of Lincoln, Nebraska, witnesseth:

"That D. Charles Bristol, of Homer, Nebraska, hereby places in the custody of said Nebraska State Historical Society a collection of rare and curious articles, Indian costumes, Indian weapons, ornaments, and handiwork, for safekeeping and care, to be held by said Historical Society until such time as he shall demand them returned to him [see catalogue attached].

"That for and in consideration of the above described loan the Nebraska State Historical Society agrees:

"First, to keep the said collection safely in the fireproof rooms of the said Society at Lincoln, Nebraska, as long as said D. Charles Bristol may desire it so kept, and to care for the collection in the best manner possible.

"Second, to catalogue and label the collection and each piece thereof as the 'D. Charles Bristol Collection,' and keep same on free exhibition at Lincoln, Nebraska, and to print a catalogue as soon as possible after receiving said collection, and to furnish said D. Charles Bristol as many copies of said catalogue as he may desire-not to exceed 100 copies.

"Third, the Nebraska State Historical Society further agrees, in consideration of the above described loan of said collection, to bear all expense of labeling, cataloguing, printing of catalogue, and transporting of collection from Homer, Nebraska, to Lincoln, Nebraska, and in addition thereto the entire expense of caring for and maintaining said collection on exhibition in aforesaid fireproof museum of said Society at Lincoln; and if the collection shall remain in the custody of the Society for two years or more the Society agrees to