ARCHEOLOGICAL RECONNAISSANCE IN TEXAS 



AND NEVADA 



By M. W. STIRLING, 

 Chief, Bureau of American Ethnology 



An important area marginal to the well-known culture centers of 

 the pueblo section of the Southwest is the so-called Big Bend region 

 of Texas. During the latter half of July, 1930, the writer went to 

 Mar fa, Texas, for the purpose of examining a number of caves which 

 had been reported to the Bureau of American Ethnology from that 

 region. Through the kindness of Mr. L. F. Curl of the Department 

 of Agriculture, it was possible to visit all of the more promising locali- 

 ties within a radius of 30 miles from Marfa. Several caves containing 

 pictographs were examined in the vicinity of Limpia Canyon north 

 of Marfa, and on the Knight ranch 18 miles southwest of Valentine 

 a number of very interesting caves were examined and selected as sites 

 for excavation in the near future. 



Leaving Texas the writer proceeded to Deeth, Nevada, where in 

 company with Mr. William Murdock a number of caves and archeo- 

 logical sites were examined in the territory lying between the Ruby 

 and Jarbidge Mountains. On the west side of Marys River, about 10 

 miles north of Deeth, a low flat-topped hill about 75 yards wide and 

 200 yards long rises from the sagebrush plain. It is capped by a con- 

 glomerate rock which has been undercut by the river so as to form 

 a number of rock shelters, most of which are now almost entirely 

 filled with debris. Most of these are smoke-blackened and show abun- 

 dant evidences of habitation. About 10 yards below the largest of the 

 shelters is a large flowing spring. A test pit dug in the floor of this 

 cave revealed fragments of badly decayed matting, burned bones, 

 flint and obsidian rejects. The flat top of the hill is littered with arrow- 

 heads, flint implements and rejects. 



Several miles northwest of this site in the midst of a large bowl 

 of barren desert hills stands a giant geyser cone about 300 feet in 

 diameter. The Ute Indians of the region have the tradition that in the 

 old days captives were disposed of by throwing them down the crater 

 of this cone into the boiling water which still fills the throat of the 

 cave. The geyser is no longer active as the water has broken through 

 at the base, where a large hot spring now flows. 



i73 



