Cyrus Thomas held many different positions including deputy county clerk, postmaster, a minister and practiced law before he settled upon anthropology. In 1858, he helped establish the Illinois Natural History Society; in 1869 he became Curator and Commissioner for Entomology and Ichthyology. He also helped create the Southern Illinois Normal College and found the College's Natural History Museum. While working for the Smithsonian Institution in the Bureau of American Ethnology from 1881-1910, Thomas published articles about Mesoamerican writing systems, did extensive field surveys and excavated mounds. His published findings in various bulletins is used to this day as sources for information on Mound Explorations.
Cyrus Thomas also wrote Introduction to the Study of North American Archeology in which he states his belief that the Native Americans and their ancestors had built the mounds he was excavating and were, therefore, not a lost race. Excavations of prehistoric mounds conducted from 1881-1890, first by Mr. Wills de Haas and later by Thomas led to his 1894 publication Report on the Mound Explorations of the Bureau of Ethnology, which contained evidence that the mounds were built by Native Americans.
Cyrus Thomas collaborated with W.J. McGee on later works. McGee had worked for the Smithsonian but was forced to leave because of his views on Native Americans. " Two books that they wrote include The Indians of North America in Historic Times (1903), and Prehistoric North America (1905). Both of these works were part of the History of North America series.
<http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6558/paper1.html>
<http://www.siu.edu/~anthro/muller/Thomas/Thomas.html>
<http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6558/mystery.html>
Written by Students in an Introduction to Anthropology Class, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota 2003.
Edited by Marcy L. Voelker, 2007