NO. lO 



NEBRASKA ARCHEOLOGY STRONG 



75 



Excavation by trenchinj^ in the manner previously outlined dis- 

 closed the remains of an earth lodge in the form of a rounded square 

 with the four walls closely oriented to the four points of the compass 

 (fig. 5). Two entrance passageways led from the center of the east 

 and west walls, respectively. The walls were approximately 30 feet in 

 length and the outer boundaries of the house were marked by 27 

 burned posts or post molds. The fireplace, slightly more than 3 feet 

 in diameter, was located in the center of the north-and-south axis of 

 the house but about 3 feet west of the true center. Two large cache 

 pits were located in the northwest and southwest corners of the house 

 and some 10 smaller caches and " pocket " caches were also noted. 

 In several cases it was impossible to tell whether a post mold or a 

 pocket cache was represented by these subfloor excavations, and only 

 where vertical charcoal or wood was encountered did we designate 

 it as a post. The distinction between definite posts, pocket caches, and 

 indeterminate subfloor excavations has been indicated (fig. 5). A 



Fig. 6. — Cross-section of house i, Lost Creek. Hachures indicate unexcavated soil. 



typical cross-section of the house mound is also shown (fig. 6), the 

 outlines of the two largest cache pits appearing in this diagram. The 

 diagram also illustrates the relative depths of the main soil strata to be 

 distinguished, and indicates rather well the manner in which the floor 

 line has been broken down in places by the long-continued activity 

 of rodents, insects, roots, and other disturbing agencies. 



Our excavations indicated that the upper foot of soil was barren 

 of artifacts or human debris, except where these had been brought 

 up by the burrowing of rodents. This layer consisted of a light yellow 

 sandy loam and had evidently been deposited over the site subsequent 

 to its abandonment. Below this to the depth of approximately 3 feet 

 (from the surface) the soil was darker and mixed with charcoal, ash, 

 and human detritus. The old floor line was indicated by a very waver- 

 ing black line, hard-packed in places, and marked by a somewhat greater 

 concentration of charcoal, artifacts, and debris. In the central por- 

 tions of the mound the depth of this floor line averaged 30 inches, 

 decreasing slightly in depth toward the edges of the mound. 



