This cemetery burial list is one in the Warren L. Van Dine sponsored project of collecting names of the dead in Hancock County, Illinois for the use of the American people.

This introduction is being put on paper May 19, 1971.  The writer is Warren L. Van Dine

The writer has never been to this burying ground and had never heard of it till the attached description of it was called to his attention for office of the Hancock County historical Society in the Carthage, Illinois Court House.

As far as is known this brief description of it from the Historic Sites lost for Rocky Run Township is the only one ever made by anyone.

Rocky Run Township is sparsely populated rural corner of the county with which very few people of the county have much if any acquaintance.  Of the 22,000 people living in the county at the time of the 1970 national census is probably safe to say at least 21,007 ever set foot in Rocky Run Township and that they never will.

It is an area devastated in part from time to time by Mississippi River floods.

The newspapers of the tri-state area here (Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri) have been filled with accounts through the last hundred years of sites of ? machines to confine the upper Mississippi at this point to save the lives and property of Rocky run people.

Such as the 1944 flood.  Although that spurring the people of Rocky run Township battle the MY River to a standstill, patrolling the Levee day and night.  State militia were even moved into the county to help them.

(quoting of the 1968 Hancock County, Illinois history, page 513):

"This concerted effort was of no avail, and it 12:15  Sunday morning, May 28, the "Mighty One" had its way.  At the side of the old break on the Walter Dross farm, the river burst through the levee with the roar like that of an oncoming train, etc."

National dove media like Time magazine have even taken notice of these Rocky Run towns of floods on occasion.

Not even the dead can rest in peace in such a place as this.

The Morganthaler farm where this Indian cemetery is is one close into the flood area by the river and it is mentioned in flood account.

These dead here may no longer be here are all of them.  Some flood like the 1851 One may have swept them to the Gulf of Mexico, but whoever they are no one now living or who has lived during the 150 years of the white settlements here has any idea who they work or when they walked across the earth.  No one ever will.  It is assumed they were simple red children of the great father who resided here in some remote time, maybe 500 years ago, maybe a thousand.

Only God Almighty knows their story