Page:Historic highways of America (Volume 1).djvu/102

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98
PATHS OF MOUND-BUILDING INDIANS

ways of the continent on these watersheds. These may be summed up as follows:

(1). The mound-building Indians, like the later Indians, were partial to interior locations; some of their greatest forts and most remarkable mounds are found beside our smaller streams.

(2). These works are scattered widely over such regions; if there was any communication it must have been on the watersheds, land travel here always having been most expeditious and practicable through all historic times.

(3). They were acquainted with some of our most famous mountain passes, showing that they were not ignorant of the law of least resistance; and, to a marked degree, their works are found beside, and in general alignment with, our modern roads—which to a great degree followed the ancient routes of the Indians which so invariably obeyed this law.

(4). The comparative study of the mound-building Indians' works proves that the migrations of that race did not follow even the larger streams by which they labored most extensively.