Thursday, August 4, 2016

1889 Document Describing the Locations of Indian Villages in DC

"The Aborigines of the District of Columbia and the Lower Potomac" was published in 1889 in Vol 2 of American Anthropologist.  (The title should link to a pdf of the 51 page article.)

It contains the following descriptions of where Natives lived in the area that was to become Washington, DC.

p. 242,
"The principal part of Nacotchtanke seems to have been about due east of the Capitol, for the fields at this point give greater evidence of occupation than at most others, though indications of Indian occupation are to be found at nearly all points of the valley. "

p. 243
"The other village sites located within the old District lines and designated on the map (see Plate V) are (i) " Red Bank," on the west bank of the Anacostia and southeast of the Reform School; (2) the Carroll place in Washington, north of Garfield Park and between First and Second streets S. E...."

Here's part of the map that is included in the 1889 article.  
(The main image for this blog is a simplified version of this map, source:

Development of the US Capital. Wash. GPA 1930 (71st Cong, 1st session, House Doc no. 35). This document is available at the Lib of Cong. It doesn't seem to discuss the Native History of the Capital.)



 Full citation:

 Mason, Otis T., McGee W J, Wilson Thomas, Proudfit S. V., Holmes W. H., Reynolds Elmer R., and Mooney James. "The Aborigines of the District of Columbia and the Lower Potomac - A Symposium, under the Direction of the Vice President of Section D." American Anthropologist 2, no. 3 (1889): 225-68. http://www.jstor.org/stable/658373

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