30 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES [Proc. 4th Ser. 



The middens of the region are also of interest and many 

 show great age. Many have old forests growing on them 

 that must exceed 500 years in growth-rings of the larger trees. 

 One of these is a very large midden on the right bank of the 

 north arm of the Fraser, a few miles up from its present 

 mouth. Also extensive midden remains stretch along an 

 abandoned bank of the river for a distance of one-fourth 

 mile some 400 yards back from the present river. In ex- 

 tensiveness and volume these middens average in depth from 

 five to 15 feet and cover over five acres in area. They are 

 mostly decaying clam shells, intermingled with enormous 

 quantities of ashes, heat-fractured stones, a few implements, 

 and other refuse material. This entire midden heap shows 

 unmistakable evidence of extreme age and was undoubt- 

 edly formed more than 1,000 years ago by the predecessors 

 of the present Salish tribes. 



Besides the above midden heaps, I found kitchen material 

 at Hammond on the Fraser and at many other places inland. 

 Also, while doing geological research work in the region, I 

 was surprised to find extensive midden heaps in the thick 

 underbrush and timber miles from any water, as in the vicin- 

 ity of Boundary Bay and Point Roberts. These were all of 

 the old type and evidently had been made when the waters 

 of Georgian Bay extended farther inland. Considering the 

 slow recession of this bay in a geological way, and also con- 

 sidering the age of the forests now growing on these mid- 

 dens, they must have been the kitchen refuse of Indians who 

 lived in the region not less than 2,000 years ago. 



Besides the inland middens, the shores of the estuaries, 

 bays and islands, and, in fact, continuous to and throughout 

 the Puget Sound region, are literally covered with midden 

 material. Often they stretch almost continuously for miles. 

 These are more recent and are easily distinguished from the 

 older middens above. 



In conclusion, with reference to the middens, the ancient 

 middens are mostly inland , that is, away from the present 

 shore line. The shells of these heaps are in a state of 

 decay and are intermingled with immense quantities of ashes, 

 calcined and broken stones. They are also of considerable 

 thickness, exceeding 20 feet in some instances. They also 



