Ancient Mound Grains

Utah Historical Quarterly

Volume IX, 1941, Numbers 1-4

ANCIENT MOUND GRAINS

By Dr. Wm. J. Snow - Brigham Young University

It is a fact well attested by archaelogists and historians alike that when Spain began her colonization in the New World, there were no horses, cows, pigs, or chickens in all North or South America. In fact, the only domesticated animals of any kind were the Llama and Alpaca in Peru, and the dog which was a companion of the Indian everywhere. Moreover, none of the ordinary grains was to be found—none native to America. Wheat, barley, oats, rye, horses, sheep, cattle, pigs and chickens and numerous other species of flora and fauna were contributions of the Spaniards to America during their first century of colonial achievements in this newfound world.

In presenting these facts the writer of this brief survey has been challenged on various occasions and on different counts. Some students have been disturbed to find that no horses were in use here when the Spaniards came. Others have maintained that wheat is indigenous to America and that a sample had been found near Payson and carefully cultivated, and that from this sample came the Kofod wheat known in some sections as Ancient Mound wheat.

In support of this latter contention, correspondence is submitted from the Deseret Farmer, Salt Lake City, Utah, December 8, 1906, (p. 14.)

HISTORY OF THE KOFOD WHEAT

For three years Mr. J. W. Paxman of Nephi, has been endeavoring to get a history of the Kofod wheat, the wheat that has excelled all others up to date for the dry farms of Juab County. While calling at this office during the week Mr. Paxman left the following letter which is self explanatory and which gives a satisfactory history of the wheat in question. The Utah Arid Farm Company used this wheat on their farm last year and the Los Angeles buyers wrote after the receipt of the first car that it was the best wheat they had ever received from this section. It will be observed that the correct spelling is Kofod and not Kofoid, as given heretofore:

Manti, Utah, Nov. 11, 1906.

J. W. Paxman, Nephi, Utah.

Dear Sir:

As per your request of some time ago, I have traced the origin of the Kofod dry land wheat, and I herewith give it to you:

A signed statement of Amasa Potter of Payson, Utah, a copy of which I send herewith, is self explanatory, and is as follows:

"Payson, Oct. 19, 1906."

Mr. John C. Witbeck, Sir:

As you have asked me the origin of the celebrated dry land wheat that is proving so effectual on dry land, I will here give you its origin:—In the year 1870, the undersigned was exploring ancient mounds in Utah County near Payson, and in one of those mounds I found a large building with five rooms in it and in the corner of one of those rooms I found two skeletons of ancient people, one was 6 feet tall, the other 5Yi feet, and at the head of those skeletons I found many articles of ancient work and among other things was a stone box containing a small quantity of wheat, and in opening the box, the grain, all but a little, was dust, but there was a little that seemed bright. I took it home and planted it in a box and in a few days it germinated and came up. I transplanted it in my garden and it grew up and ripened. I saw that it was a new kind of wheat. I saved it all and planted it next spring and raised a bushel and a half of wheat. I sent a small sample to Washington, they tried it and sent me a report as being the best wheat that they had tried. I sent samples all over Utah County, and it proved to be the best dry land wheat that they had ever tried, and a great yielder. There was about 60 grains in a head, and 50 stalks from one grain's planting and weighed 65 lbs. to the bushel. I find it very much mixed with other wheat in this county, but it can be picked out and got pure. At Washington they call it Ancient mound wheat.

Yours truly, "AMASA POTTER."

In conversation with Mr. Potter a couple of weeks ago, he stated to me that he let Orwell Simons of Payson, Utah, now deceased, have some of this wheat, and that Mr. Simons later let Peter Winward of Payson, Utah, have some of the wheat.

About the year 1875, I procured some of this wheat, about eight bushels from the said Peter Winward, and the same year I took it to Levan, Utah; and about that time I let Hans C. Kofod of Levan, Utah, have some of the wheat and from which he got the start of what is locally called the Kofod wheat.

I trust that this will be of interest and profit to you in preserving a record of this excellent wheat, I am,

Respectfully, JOHN C. WITBECK.

Bulletin 1074, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Nov. 8, 1922, has this to say:

"Kofod Wheat—History—An interesting but probably mythical story regarding the origin of Kofod wheat was published in the Deseret Farmer in 1906. * * * the fact that wheat usually loses its viability after ten or fifteen years, makes this story extremely improbable.

"Synonym—Koffoid. This is the name under which this wheat has been grown and referred to in previous publications of the United States Department of Agriculture, and by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station until 1919. The name was changed to Kofod, upon learning the correct spelling of Mr. Kofod's name."

Mr. J. A. Clark, Agronomist in charge of western wheat investigations of the U. S. Bureau of Plant Industry, states in a letter to the author that the first sample of this variety of wheat was received from the Nephi Substation in 1907.

While the Paxman-Witbeck-Potter story sounds like good history, and the doubt of the United States Department of Agriculture authorities appears well founded, the following story, from the Beaver Press of October 3, 1940, by W. B. Liebscher, may support the former, and indicates that the viability of grains may differ with different grains and with climatic or other conditions:

"The original Guarge Mound on the property of Mr. Tom Smith, constituting an acre of ground immediately south of the Smith home, was never really explored thoroughly.

"But when the government stepped in and with Mr. Smith began an intense excavation job, many amazing discoveries were brought to light. Among the many curios and relics found were: pipes, crude arrows, bone needles, bone heads with holes drilled in them and pottery jugs filled with corn which were sealed with gum and dirt. Perhaps the surprise of the conquest was the finding of an old Indian remains, parcelled in a gaudy colored basket and resting in a vault, who's spirit had long gone to the Happy Hunting Grounds—the Indian's Heaven.

"Reflecting over the possibilities of the corn in the containers producing in great quantities, Mr. Smith set right to work, experimenting with a few handsful of the seed, sowing this each year. That was over thirteen years ago. Today, Mr. Smith raises eighty bushels of corn to the acre yearly from it,

"The beauty of this corn is that it cannot be duplicated. It is an extremely early corn with a naturally high curiosity value. It is called Flint Corn. Mounds of a lesser degree of importance have been uncovered in Parowan, yielding black and white kernelled corn.

"Strangely enough on the Smith farm natural markers of wild morning glory may be found wherever there is evidence of the mound's location; these beautiful flowers growing in thickly populated bunches. Much has been done to exterminate this obnoxious weed. Indeed it has prevailed at a depth of eighteen inches.

"It is probable that the Indian tribes planted the wild morning glory for either its food worth or the pleasure of seeing the flower itself.

"The success of Mr. Smith's corn experimentation then is an outstanding achievement in itself. What better corn can anywhere be found than that which grows at an average of 680 kernels to the cob?

"Yearly Mr. Smith plants nothing but his discovered corn, selecting the best cobs over and over again. It is said that one year he supplied our entire valley with silage corn, having raised 60 to 80 tons to the acre."

As to the antiquity of these grains, purportedly found in ancient caches in Utah, there is little or no evidence that would serve to date them. But it is worth mentioning in this connection, that Father Escalante found corn in Utah in 1776. When near the present Kanarraville, Utah, he wrote October 12, 1776 (The Catholic Church in Utah, by W. R. Harris, p. 199):

"We showed him, (the Indian), a grain of corn, and he said that he had seen how they cultivated it, and that on a ranch that we would come to some other day, they had a little of this seed that they brought from where it was sown. We tried diligently to have him tell us what people they were who had sowed the corn, and of other things of which he had but a confused knowledge."—

(p. 200) October 13, 1776, (near Pintura, Utah "* * We arrived at the ranch spoken of above * * They had some very good nuts, dates and some small bags of corn * * We proposed to them that if one of the three would accompany us to those who sowed the corn, we would pay him well."

(p. 201) (Near Toquerville, Utah.) "The Indians who live in this vicinity * * are scantily dressed, subsist on seeds and herbs, hares, pine-nuts in season, and on dates. They plant corn, but from appearances, gather but little."

(p. 202) (Near Hurricane, Utah.) "October 15, 1776. * * Here we found a well made basket filled with ears of corn and husks. Near to this place was a small field, and on the bank of the river were three small gardens, with their ditches for irrigating; the cribs of corn that had been gathered this year, were still in good condition * * From here we went down the river, and on the banks of either side were large settlements peopled, as we supposed, by these Indians who planted the corn and squashes, and who, in their own language, are called Parrusi."