34O NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



THE OWASCO ALGONKIAN SITE 

 BY A. C. PARKER 



An early Indian village or camp site on the shores of Owasco lake, 

 near its present outlet, has been reported by several students of 

 archeology during the period of twenty years and considerable 

 quantity of material has been discovered in the vicinity. In the 

 spring of 1915, Mr E. H. Gohl of Auburn, by fortunate circum- 

 stance, discovered one of the large dump heaps of the village and 

 succeeded in unearthing several hundred fragments of pottery and 

 numerous stone implements. At the joint invitation of the Auburn 

 and Syracuse Electric Railway Company and Mr Gohl, this depart- 

 ment was enabled to make an examination of the site by excavation. 



An inspection of the site led to the conclusion that it was a small 

 village site. The ground which it covered was on one of the shore 

 or beach lines of Owasco lake, that had been laid down when the 

 lake was 20 or 30 feet higher than at present. The Indian site cov- 

 ered the slope at a point most convenient to access to the outlet, 

 which was undoubtedly a fishing place. 



Mr Gohl had opened up one refuse heap and had discovered the 

 fragments of two large pots which he succeeded in partially restor- 

 ing, when the operations of the Museum commenced. Excavations 

 covering a period of about three weeks resulted in obtaining some 

 two hundred fragments of pottery including rims, fragments of 

 about ten pipes and one complete pipe. The implements of chipped 

 flint were rare and nearly all of a triangular pattern, and the arrow- 

 heads are not notched. One ovate knife is of chalcedony. The 

 bone material consists of phalangeal cones of a type frequently 

 found on similar sites, bone awls, cylindrical beads and bone needles 

 and shuttles. One harpoon tip and two antler pitching tools or 

 pins were discovered. The stone material consists of metates, anvils, 

 hammerstones, notched sinkers and small scrapers. A large block of 

 chert was found in one section of the site and among the numerous 

 fragments scattered about it were several partially completed imple- 

 ments. The block w'as probably the source of an arrow-maker's 

 material. Two perforated stones were found, one a large discoid 

 bead and the other a fragment of an unfinished gorget. Unio shells 

 were numerous and there Were fragments of the bones of deer, 

 bear, wild turkey, raccoon and several varieties of fish. 



