ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN MISSOURI 19 



where no damage would be inflicted on crops. A north-south base- 

 line 150 feet long was laid out, parallel to and 5 feet west of the east 

 fence. The south end of the line, beginning 10 feet inside the south 

 yard fence, was designated "0." The line was then divided into 5- 

 foot units, consecutively numbered from the south 0, 5, 10, 15, 

 20. . . the numbers serving as designations for the 5-foot squares 

 immediately west of the line. In other words, each square was labeled 

 according to the number on the stake in its southeast corner. Units 

 in tlie second row of 5-foot squares west of the base line were given 

 similar numbers to which were added Wl, W2, W3 . . . , depending 

 on the location of their southeast corner 5, 10, 15. ... feet west of 

 the base. To the east, the designations were similar except that El, 

 E2, E3 . . . were used. Thus in figure 3 pit 13 is located in square 

 45, pit 1 in square 145W2, and pit 15 in square 95E12. In the ab- 

 sence of definable archeological units, such as houses, this purely 

 arbitrary and mechanical system once its essentials were grasped 

 appeared as simple and satisfactory as any. 



Within each 5-foot square the soil was carefully troweled out until 

 the dark mixed deposit gave way to clean hard subsoil. Sherds, 

 flints, animal bones for identification, and other relatively abundant 

 remains were sacked up and labeled according to unit and depth. 

 Since no regular stratification lines were discerned, arbitrary 9-inch 

 layers were used in segregating such materials. That is to say, in 

 the field catalog, sherds are listed as coming from the 0-9 inch, 9-18 

 inch, 18-27 inch, etc., level in a given unit. These depths began at 

 the surface and read down. Less conunon objects of bone, stone, etc., 

 restorable vessels, and special features were recorded more closely 

 by giving exact depth underground as well as their distance and 

 direction from two corner stakes in a specified square. 



The total area thus excavated included just under 2,800 square 

 feet. A 150-foot profile of the deposit was obtained along the base- 

 line, after which the excavations were widened along those portions 

 that appeared most promising. Several pits were opened, and a 

 relatively prolific midden layer was worked at the north end of the 

 chicken yard immediately northwest of the Great Lakes Pipeline Co. 

 right-of-way. At the south end of the baseline trench the yield was 

 low until square 45 was reached. Then came a 65-foot strip disclos- 

 ing pits, beyond which the yield diminished again until near the 

 north end. From here west remains were more plentiful. The 

 abundance of pits between squares 85 and 120 led to widening of 

 the cut, and finally to the opening of an area 20 feet wide and 60 

 feet long just east of and outside the chicken yard. This cut was 

 carried through a low rise or midden already mentioned elsewhere. 

 In depth the excavation varied from 1 foot at the south end of the 



