194 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Boll. 176 



almost entirely obscured, prior to excavation, by a dense growth of 

 vegetation — largely lush grass with relatively few weeds — and no part 

 of the original construction, such as exposed stones of the footing, 

 was visible (pi. 42, a). Only a prominent depression at the rear of 

 the site of the East Wing of the building served to mark the actual 

 location of any part of the whole (fig. 15) . This depression, clearly the 

 remains of a cellar, was, as a matter of fact, one of the most prominent 

 surface features of the whole site of Fort Stevenson. 



Without any surface indication of the original building lines at 

 this site, excavation was begun by trenching at the supposed location of 

 the front line of the original structure, following the plan of 1879, 

 and at the outer rear corners (i.e., southeast and southwest) of the East 

 and West Wings shown on the plan. Clear evidence of the original 

 location of the building on this site was obtained only when a depth ot 

 more than a foot had been reached. Portions of the remains of the 

 original footings were then encountered along the line of the front wall 

 footing and at the rear outer corners mentioned (pi. 42, a). These 

 portions of the footings consisted of but single large rocks in rough 

 alinement, but seldom in contact with each other — the remnants of the 

 masonry of the footings after most of the stones had been removed for 

 use elsewhere, at some time after the destruction of the building. So 

 much of the masonry had been removed that in portions of its course 

 the only evidence that there had once been a footing in this position 

 was the disturbed soil in the refilled trench originally made to accom- 

 modate the masonry. Little could be learned of the original appear- 

 ance of the masonry here, but the almost complete lack of lime-mortar 

 fragments suggested that the masonry in this case, as elsewhere about 

 the post, had in part been laid dry, without mortar. Though little 

 evidence had been preserved concerning the footing for this building, 

 there is no reason to suppose that it differed in any way from those of 

 other buildings, even though the building proper was in this instance 

 of a different style. 



At the site of the masonry footings at the southwest corner of the 

 West Wing, much the same condition was found (fig. 15) . Only traces 

 of the original stone masonry, in scattered stones and the disturbed, 

 refilled trench, provided information to verify the dimensions 

 of the building as given in the report and plan. At the site of the 

 cellar at the rear of the East Wing, no stone or other masonry of any 

 kind was found until the excavation had reached nearly the floor level 

 of the original cellar. At this point, the remaining masonry, of the 

 cellar walls, was of common red fired brick. The brick used were of 

 the same type as that previously found used elsewhere only for 

 chimneys. Only the east half of the cellar area was excavated, because 

 of the size of the unit (fig. 18; pis. 42, 43). 



