NO. 10 NEBRASKA ARCHEOLOGY — STRONG 2ig 



matrix have been rolled and worn smooth on their outer surface 

 through water action. They range in size from small pebbles up to 

 those a little larger than a man's fist. 



The bone fragments, such as were large enough for identification, 

 seemed to be mainly those of some species of bison. When compared 

 with the remains of the modern bison and those of the extinct Bison 

 occidcntalis, they most closely resembled the latter in form, size, and 

 degree of fossilization. Since no large or truly diagnostic parts were 

 recovered, the identification is probable rather than absolute. 



It may be added that the few artifacts recovered do not fit into 

 any of the Nebraska cultures so far as known at present. This may be 

 due to one of three causes : they may represent an earlier and hitherto 

 unrecognized cultural horizon ; they may merely be rejects left in the 

 old creek strata by Indian flint workers attracted by the flint nodules ; 

 or they may simply be too fragmentary for any such classification. 



Dr. Lugn, on the basis of an afternoon's examination of the creek 

 bed and the gravel deposit, decided that the latter was not of Pleisto- 

 cene age so far as its present position was concerned. Rather the 

 deposits had been washed down from above and been left in their 

 present position by later water action. The nodules of jasper had 

 likewise been carried down from the limestone ledges above. The 

 gravel itself might have come from original Pleistocene gravel beds 

 in the upper reaches of the creek, but if so, there are no such beds 

 exposed at the present time. The present creek has in the course of 

 time cut through the washed-in mantle of loess down to the older clay 

 and gravel beds. In so doing it has exposed the very old ledges of 

 Dakota sandstone above the site, but so far as our examination ex- 

 tended it has not exposed any of the undisturbed Pleistocene gravels. 

 The gravel deposit in which the artifacts and bones occur is there- 

 fore of the Recent period, but according to Dr. Lugn may still be 

 of considerable antiquity. The depth of the cut and the occurrence 

 of fossilized bones presumably of an extinct species argue for at least 

 a moderate antiquity. Since the Pleistocene gravel beds in the vicinity 

 are all covered at present with a thick mantle of loess, they cannot be 

 examined. It is probable that the artifacts and burned bones were 

 mixed in with the gravel during its period of redeposition. On the 

 other hand it is possible that the artifacts and bones were in the orig- 

 inal beds and were carried down along with the gravel itself. If this 

 should prove to be the case, the mixed deposits would be highly sig- 

 nificant. To judge from the unrolled condition of most of the bones 

 and of the flaked stone fragments, it seems more probable that they 

 are secondary additions to the gravel, although they occur all through 

 and not merely on top of the 3-foot stratum. 



