PAP.^o^.'fgf' INVESTIGATIONS AT FORT STEVENSON — SMITH 197 



After the destruction of the building by fire, the cellar of the Store- 

 house had been filled, in part intentionally, probably to keep out 

 stock and children, with gravel, sand, earth, and large boulders, 

 and the area had been used for a dump. Much of the refuse ac- 

 cumulation found on excavation of the cellar was of recent origin, 

 and clearly from the period following 1897, during which the site 

 of the military post was in use as a farm. The only demarcation of 

 the fill in the cellar area was an irregular line between the building 

 debris and the later intentional fill. In some places this separation 

 was marked by the irregular line of debris derived from the original 

 earth-filled ceiling mentioned. This irregular line helped in separat- 

 ing older materials, beneath, from more recent materials, at a high- 

 er level. Of the objects encountered, only those that appeared to be 

 older were saved intact ; some of the more recent materials were also 

 collected, and were marked as "surface" collections. In the fill was 

 a large accumulation of farm rubbish of all kinds, particularly metal, 

 glass, and earthenware, and among this rubbish was a large mess- 

 kitchen range of Army style, that had survived probably at least 

 since the time of the use of the buildings of the fort by the Indian 

 school (pi. 49, h). The size of this range is such that it would 

 scarcely have been used in a farm kitchen. 



On the evidence of excavation, and from documentary record, 

 it is known that the Commissary Storehouse differed materially in 

 construction from other major buildings of the post in being bal- 

 loon framed rather than of the more typical adobe-brick and timber 

 design. Though no data are available concerning chimneys or their 

 placement, they must have been present, and doubtless resembled 

 those of other buildings. Concerning the timbers there is little evi- 

 dence aside from the inference that, as elsewhere, the heavier timbers 

 and flooring were of local cottonwood, the other lumber and millwork 

 having been obtained, as were the fired brick, by importing, probably 

 from St. Louis, Mo. 



The architectural design known as balloon framing is of special 

 interest, this one major building at Fort Stevenson having been made 

 in that style. This design, first employed, apparently, in American 

 architecture about 1850, and particuarly in the West, has now so long 

 been employed that the technical term itself has been nearly forgot- 

 ten, while the older style, known as braced framing, is now probably 

 extinct in American architecture (Gidieon, 1949, pp. 281-289; 

 Mathews, 1951, vol. 1, p. 67) . The major difference between the two 

 styles is in the dimensions of the timbers, and the way in which they 

 were used. The braced frame, represented elsewhere at Fort Steven- 

 son, employs heavier timbers (frequently 4 by 4 inches or 4 by 6 

 inches) fastened by mortising and pins; the balloon frame employs 

 lighter timbers (usually 2 inches by 4 inches) held together solely by 



