pip. Na^?]""* McNARY RESERVOIR — SHINER 193 



On the channel side and near the downstream end of the island 

 there is a small exposure of basalt bedrock. Otherwise, the island 

 appears to be built up from a large gravel bar with a topsoil of river 

 sand and aeolian deposits. Actually, the whole island is a flat terrace. 

 Recent cultivation has taken place near the central part of the island, 

 but the rest is covered with sage {Artemisia tridentata) , grasses, and 

 weeds. There has been much wind erosion, and duning is well devel- 

 oped in several places. Along the main river channel the bank slopes 

 steeply to the water's edge. The shingled beach is composed of river 

 gravel, well sorted by the current. 



The site itself is located about 600 yards from the downstream end 

 of the island, and is on the side facmg the main channel. Nineteen 

 well-preserved house pits and several discontinuous midden areas are 

 scattered along the top of the bank for a distance of 850 feet. The 

 house pits are divided into 2 groups, with 14 pits situated at the down- 

 stream end of the site and 5 pits at the upstream end (map 4) . In the 

 intervening space of 275 feet there was a small amount of midden 

 debris but no trace of architecture. A close examination of the area 

 led to the conclusion that it was all one site. 



Some trash had been scattered about on the surface, but there are 

 indications that most of it probably went over the bank toward the 

 river. This pattern was recognized from the results of a great many 

 small test pits which were excavated in a grid pattern over the length 

 and breadth of the site. They revealed that the maximum depth of 

 trash on the terrace was slightly more than 1 foot. The deepest pene- 

 trations into the terrace were the houses themselves, which ranged 

 from 2^2 to 3 feet. The shingle beach extended up to witliin a few 

 feet (3 to 6) of the level of the terrace and clearly showed that any 

 over-the-bank dump would be swept away by the spring floods. 



ARCHITECTURE 



House pit 14 was oval shaped, 40 feet long and 30 feet wide, accord- 

 ing to surface measurements (pi. 37, 6) . Like the majority of houses 

 in the McNary area, the long axis was parallel to the river as well as 

 to the prevailing wind. 



The first floor encountered was found at a depth of less than 1 foot 

 below the surface (fig. 28). It was a clearly defined saucer-shaped 

 area of charcoal and ashes, with a fire depression in the center. Un- 

 fortunately, however, it did not extend to the extremities of the house, 

 but was confined to an area approximately 15 feet in diameter. As 

 near as could be determined, the floor followed the surface contours 

 of the house pit. 



The remnant of an earlier floor was 2i^ feet below the surface and 

 roughly at the center of the house. It was from 6 to 7 feet in diam- 



