264 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 93 



thicker than the southern in this regard, which may indicate greater 

 anti(|uity. The second stratum of jointed yellow clay, cf^itaining some 

 masses of dumped ashes and charcoal, is apparently the remains of 

 the earth roof. It averages 10 inches (range 8-16 inches). The third 

 stratum is the floor of the old lodge with its accumulated debris, which 

 averages 12 inches (range 9-16 inches). The total depth of the original 

 excavation varies from 2^ to 4^ feet below the present ground surface. 

 Of the sites excavated, those in tiie north average i foot deeper 

 than those in the south, the two shallowest houses being in the extreme 

 southern part of the area worked. Whether this variation might be 

 due to environmental causes is an interesting point not discussed by 

 Sterns. 



The walls of 24 of the excavated lodges are straight and rectangular 

 in outline, having rounded corners. The length of the short wall aver- 

 ages 25 feet (range 16-34 feet) and of the long wall 28 feet (range 

 21-40 feet). Sterns discusses at some length the possibility of con- 

 scious orientation of these houses with the cardinal directions and 

 concludes that since a rectangular liuilding can be only 43° off from 

 true north, the general north and south alignment of these houses is 

 accidental rather than purjjoseful. He notes that the su])surface walls 

 of the lodges sloyie outward from the top about 10° from the vertical. 

 In two sites the walls had been burned brick-red. perhaps to make 

 them impervious to water. An entrance passage was present in about 

 half these sites, the others apparently having roof entrances with 

 ladders. The passageways noted ranged from 12 to 24 feet in length, 

 but with the exception of the shortest all were over 20 feet long. They 

 were 4 to 5 feet in width, and their direction and length was apparently 

 determined by the local contour of the ground. They appear to have 

 generally extended to the southeast, but no definite scheme was ob- 

 served. Since the passageways had little or no slo]:)e, their length 

 depended on the ground slope beyond the individual house. 



The floors in some cases appeared to have been burned prior to 

 occupation and, except for the areas around fireplaces and in corners, 

 were largely devoid of artifacts. Sterns noted very few ])ostholes. and 

 these, he says, would accord equally well with either the historic earth 

 lodges or with a gabled roof, their ])aucity favoring the latter explana- 

 tion. As in the work done by the Survey, it is here that the trenching 

 method employed by Sterns is weakest, and it remains to be deter- 

 mined whether complete excavation of such sites above the floor line 

 with sul)sequent careful shaving otT of the floor area might not reveal 

 the ])lan cjf post foundation employed. 



