170 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 93 



The sharp elevations occur on the narrow ridge itself, whereas the 

 house pits are located either between the " mounds " or on the spurs of 

 the ridge which jut out in an easterly direction. There are in all proba- 

 bility other house pits on nearby spurs or ridges which have not yet 

 been located. A considerable portion of the site is on the farm of Mr. 

 Saunders, who kindly permitted us to excavate. The general location 

 of the Saunders site near the mouth of the Elkhorn River, three- 

 fourths of a mile north of the Douglas-Sarpy County line and about 

 3 miles southeast of Yutan, is approximately indicated on the sketch 

 map (fig. 23). The entire ridge here is well wooded and attractive, 

 with a fine view over the combined Elkhorn and Platte Valleys. 



" MOUND " I 



When we arrived. Mr. Bishop and Dr. Gilder were digging in one of 

 the central elevations, which for purposes of convenience we may 

 designate as "mound" i. This was oval in form, being about 15 

 feet from north to south and 6 feet from east to west. Its greatest 

 height above the adjacent ridge was between 2 and 3 feet, and it 

 formed a noticeable rise. Mr. Bishop had found the site the week 

 before and had previously removed two or three skulls which must 

 have been just below the sod line. Further excavation in the center 

 line near the north exposed a mass of human bones at a depth of 

 only 18 inches. When cleared, this mass was found to cover a space 

 only 3 feet from north to south and 4 feet from east to west. In 

 depth the greatest concentration occurred at about 2 feet and below 

 3 feet 6 inches the soil was without mixture of any sort. There were 

 four skulls, 2 complete mandibles (one very large and U-shaped), 

 and a considerable number of long bones, ribs, pelvic bones, etc. The 

 bones were a rich brown color and although badly broken, were of 

 fairly firm texture. Pieces of male, female, and immature skeletons 

 were noted. A few of the vertebrae and ribs showed signs of align- 

 ment, but in general no articulation of parts was indicated. 



Intermixed with and also below the bones were a number of pot- 

 sherds (including a few rim fragments) of the Nebraska culture 

 ceramic type, all of which were almost identical with those from the 

 Gates site. One flat knife blade of chipped stone (type?) had pre- 

 viously been found by Mr. Bishop. There were also fragments of 

 burned stone and flint chips in the mixed area. The skulls and bones 

 were taken for study by Dr. Poynter. There were no other bones 

 below this deposit nor on any side so far as our excavations were 

 extended. However, only about one-third of the " mound " was 



