274 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 189 



The datum stake was arbitrarily designated as NIOOO, ElOOO, thus 

 confining the entire site to the northeast quadrant of the grid, with 

 the zero point 1,000 feet south and 1,000 feet west of the prunary 

 datum. All points on the grid are given as coordinates, first north 

 from the east- west zero line, then east from the north-south line, i.e., 

 N700, E800. 



Stakes were set at convenient intervals for the purpose of laying 

 out excavation units. The only such unit not planned in this way was 

 Feature 3, smce work on it had begun before the grid was established. 

 Several excavation units consisted of 5.0-foot and 10.0-foot squares. 

 These were designated by the position of the grid point in the south- 

 east corner of the square. 



For vertical recording, the top of the primary datum stake was ar- 

 bitrarily assigned an elevation of 100.0 feet and all other elevations 

 were related to this point. Elevations were systematically recorded 

 at the top of each grid stake and at the ground surface next to it 

 via stadia rod and transit. The provenience of artifacts and other 

 material of special significance was recorded by means of two horizon- 

 tal coordinates on the grid and a vertical measurement taken from 

 the ground level nearest the find or from a datum line based on a 

 grid stake. All obviously recent materials from at or near the sur- 

 face, unidentifiable fragments of unworked bone, stones, and small 

 undecorated sherds, were discarded. In each case, however, a note 

 was made of the quantity and level in which they appeared. 



After the sod was removed from an area to be excavated, the mider- 

 lying fill was skimmed with shovels so that architectural or other fea- 

 tures might be seen as soon as they appeared. Trowels were used 

 to scrape a clean floor at the end of each level and also to profile the 

 trench and pit walls. In a few instances, where little or no cultural 

 material was apparent, 0.5-foot increments were removed by spading. 

 Except Feature 3, which was dug by natural levels, all excavation 

 units were divided into 0.5-foot vertical intervals. Profiles in all 

 excavation units were scraped clean and the stratigraphy noted. 



Earth pillars were left to support the grid stakes, and in Feature 

 4, the southeastern bastion, north-south and east- west balks remained 

 after excavation. In most cases, the trenches and pits were excavated 

 to a depth of 4.0 feet below surface, well into the gray silt or loess 

 that underlies the site (see below) . 



STKATIGKAPHY 



A uniform stratigraphic sequence was found throughout the site. 

 Three distinctive units were present : 



Zonel — surface to 0.4-0.8 foot is composed of dark brown, moist humus con- 

 taining many small rootlets. Aboriginal material occurred in this de- 

 posit, together with an abundance of modern refuse. 



