410 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.55. 



stratum somewhat sandy in places and about 5 or 6 feet thick. 

 Below this the clay becomes gravelly. There are no rocks in the soil, 

 which may be classed as lake shore alluvium covered with products 

 of organic action on soil resulting in loam. In this soil there had 

 been anciently dug perhaps 100 or more pits 14 feet in diameter and 

 5^ feet deep. Covering them were roofs of poles, boughs, and mud 

 supported on posts, and the sides were perhaps wattled. It is evi- 

 dent that at a former time human activities had disturbed the con- 

 tour of a large area by the removing and piling up of great quanti- 

 ties of earth. On the abandonment of this village, however, began 

 the leveling forces of forest growth, wind, frost, and rain acting in 

 concert to restore the surface to the smoothness which it presented 

 when seen in 1907. At this time all traces of the pit-dwellings were 

 obliterated, and they were only revealed, as mentioned, by the dis- 

 tribution of vegetation which grew higher in circular areas over the 

 tract. The completeness of the work of the natural agencies is a 

 matter for wonder. (See plate 28.) 



During the 11 years passed since the site was observed, the field, 

 lying without fence, had been so trampled by cattle and dug up by 

 prairie dogs that no signs of the pits were visible. Doubts even 

 arose as to the validity of the former conclusions. Fortunately, 

 however, the first excavations uncovered the side of a pit filled with 

 soft earth. 



Pit No. 1. — A trench was begun in made soil and prolonged until 

 undisturbed earth was encountered, and this was followed around on 

 the circumference of a circle 14 feet 7 inches in diameter. (PI. 29.) 

 The earth within this circle was then carefully removed and all arti- 

 facts, bones of animals, etc., sorted out during the process. Informa- 

 tion on the construction of the pit house soon was supplied by 

 charred remains of posts and burnt clay bearing impressions of roof 

 structure. The soil filling the pits is dark and rich, and contains 

 charcoal, ashes, bones of animals, hand stones, whetstones, cores, 

 bruising hammers, flakes, fragments of pottery, etc. 



A large grooved hammer was found. An irregular metate was 

 observed at the 4-foot-6-inch level, and this stone was probably raised 

 a foot from the floor. (PI. 30.) The metate was rude and not deeply 

 w^orn. Near the metate was encountered a smooth stone slab with 

 rounded corners and edges, probably a bread-mixing slab. A small 

 mortar, consisting of a cavity in an irregular stone, was taken out. 

 Two feet from the center of the pit and near the metate was a bed of 

 ashes, indicating the fireplace. A burial of an infant was found in 

 the west wall, accompanied with a roundel ground from a piece of 

 pottery and a fragment of a pottery vessel. Also on the west side, 

 at a depth of 8 feet, there occurred a vase with broad handle contain- 

 ing white potter's clay. (Fig. 32.) There was a large recess on 



