NO. 14 CADDO BURIAL SITE WALKER 3 



According to the accounts of the oldest inhabitants interviewed, no 

 mounds ever existed at this particular site, but about the year 1916 

 human bones were found protruding from the bank at this point, and 

 two skeletons were dug out by Prof. George Williamson, of the Louisi- 

 ana State Normal School at Natchitoches (fig. i. a). With the burials 

 were some pottery vessels and artifacts, which were sent to the Louisi- 

 ana State Museum in the Cabildo at New Orleans. One skeleton 

 lying at full length on the ])ack was remarkable for its extremely 

 flattened head. The pottery was found lying near the head. Robert 

 Glenk, curator of the Louisiana Museum, has kindly furnished the 

 photograph of this burial shown in plate I, figure 2. 



When the laborers working at the fish-hatchery site dug a trench 

 leading south from the road at the top of the bank, they discovered 

 another burial at a depth of about 6^ feet in the light-red sandy silt 

 deposited by many overflows. As these bones were unfortunately 

 crushed and thrown out of the trench before any thought was given 

 to their importance, it is impossible to state anything about the origi- 

 nal appearance of the burial. West of this trench, 450 to 500 feet 

 south of the river bank, a greater number of burials were found^ — • 

 fully 100, according to the account given by W. A. Casler, the superin- 

 tendent in charge of the work. He says they were all shallow in- 

 terments, none deeper than 3 feet below the original ground surface, 

 and all lying extended on their backs. Near the heads of many were 

 pottery vessels in the form of bowls and pots, both decorated and 

 plain, and in some cases glass and shell beads and metal objects as 

 well. Mr. Casler noticed that many of the skeletons had curiously 

 flattened skulls. Alost surprising of all was the finding of two horse 

 skeletons, each with a large earthen bowl placed near the head. The 

 bowls were of plain ware about a foot and a half in diameter and half 

 an inch thick. Very few stone or flint artifacts were found with any 

 of the burials. 



Through the cooperation of the superintendent and his assistants, 

 it was possible to visit the scene of the discovery before all the pre- 

 liminary work of scraping and plowing was completed, and thus to 

 uncover one burial virtually untouched. This skeleton (fig. i, b) was 

 found 100 feet south of the river bank, just beyond the road and 175 

 feet west of the central trench mentioned above. Covered by red sandy 

 silt it lay 2 feet below the surface on white sand in which a few frag- 

 ments of charcoal were present. The skeleton was that of a woman, 

 lying on the back, head northeast, and arms and hands at the sides. 

 The only objects associated with the burial were two vessels of plain 



