Riverside City History
Local Discoveries

For many Riverside residents, ancient Native American civilizations are found not only in books but in their back yards. Forty-five years ago, a young couple, Norman and Irene Jones, discovered their dream acreage in the hills overlooking downtown Riverside. The land then was a wooded ridge east of Gateway and north of 9 Highway. Compared to their apartment in Kansas City, Ks. it was heaven. So in his free time Norman began digging a foundation with a borrowed tractor. It wasn't long before they experienced history firsthand. "Mett Shippee was watching me dig the foundation," Norman Jones recalled of the famous area archeologist. "Right then we uncovered the remains of an Indian. There was an arrow still in the back of his head. He had been buried sitting up." Shippee took the remains to Park College.

The Joneses quickly became aware of the odd mounds that dotted their 20 acres. Not surprisingly, the area became known as Indian Hills and a subdivision today bears that name. The couple also learned that Native American remains are literally a "multi-layered" phenomena in Riverside. "Shippee said the man I uncovered was approximately 200 years or older. He was not the same as the Hopewells, which were much older." (Many of the small mounds, which dot the Jones' property, are Hopewell.)

Jones noted that research by Shippee and others has uncovered more artifacts and the findings are fascinating. "They found a lot of lead," he noted. "That indicates a steady communication with southeast Missouri."

Norman continues, "The history here really makes Riverside unusual. That's something you'd never expect."

NEXT»