﻿FIFTH 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  I908 
  55 
  

  

  Plattsburg. 
  At 
  Dresden, 
  Washington 
  co., 
  a 
  camp 
  site 
  was 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  and 
  excavated, 
  about 
  150 
  specimens 
  of 
  pottery 
  and 
  flints 
  

   being 
  collected. 
  

  

  In 
  June 
  investigations 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  Madison 
  and 
  Onondaga 
  

   counties. 
  Fifteen 
  sites 
  in 
  the 
  Pompey 
  group 
  were 
  examined 
  and 
  

   six 
  near 
  the 
  Madison-Onondaga 
  county 
  line. 
  All 
  of 
  the 
  sites 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  indicated 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  dug 
  into 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  

   during 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  50 
  years 
  and 
  the 
  specimens 
  that 
  were 
  

   found 
  have 
  been 
  scattered. 
  

  

  On 
  June 
  22 
  work 
  was 
  commenced 
  on 
  the 
  High 
  Banks 
  site 
  a 
  

   mile 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  from 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  on 
  the 
  Cattaraugus 
  creek 
  in 
  the 
  

   Cattaraugus 
  Reservation, 
  Erie 
  county. 
  The 
  High 
  Banks 
  site^ 
  is 
  

   an 
  interesting 
  one 
  archeologically 
  and 
  several 
  collectors 
  have 
  en- 
  

   deavored 
  to 
  lease 
  it 
  for 
  excavation. 
  It 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  a 
  natural 
  

   knoll 
  perched 
  upon 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  alluvial 
  bluff 
  that 
  overlooks 
  the 
  

   Cattaraugus 
  valley. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  spot 
  well 
  adapted 
  for 
  fortification 
  or 
  

   refuge. 
  At 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  bluff 
  are 
  copious 
  springs. 
  An 
  old 
  

   trail 
  runs 
  down 
  the 
  steep 
  bank 
  to 
  the 
  flood 
  plain 
  of 
  the 
  creek 
  but 
  

   at 
  its 
  lower 
  end 
  has 
  been 
  washed 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  stream. 
  A 
  swale 
  

   is 
  yet 
  visible 
  along 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  bluff 
  and 
  is 
  plainly 
  an 
  old 
  

   arm 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  now 
  2000 
  feet 
  to 
  the 
  southwest. 
  From 
  the 
  

   top 
  of 
  the 
  bluff 
  human 
  bones, 
  pottery 
  and 
  old 
  refuse 
  material 
  have 
  

   fallen 
  out 
  with 
  each 
  spring's 
  landslide 
  and 
  the 
  old 
  inhabitants 
  tell 
  

   of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  skeletons 
  which 
  rolled 
  down 
  the 
  bank 
  during 
  

   1 
  881 
  to 
  1885 
  when 
  a 
  rapid 
  current 
  from 
  the 
  creek 
  ran 
  through 
  

   the 
  swale 
  and 
  undercut 
  the 
  bank. 
  

  

  Excavation 
  soon 
  revealed 
  that 
  the 
  knoll 
  top 
  was 
  covered 
  only 
  by 
  

   a 
  village 
  soil 
  layer, 
  there 
  being 
  no 
  burials. 
  Postholes 
  were 
  dug- 
  

   over 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  five 
  acres 
  about 
  the 
  knoll 
  for 
  burials 
  but 
  none 
  

   could 
  be 
  discovered. 
  The 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  knoll 
  was 
  covered 
  by 
  five 
  

   large 
  refuse 
  heaps, 
  presumably 
  the 
  kitchen 
  refuse 
  of 
  as 
  many 
  

   lodges. 
  These 
  refuse 
  heaps 
  and 
  the 
  ground 
  about 
  them 
  were 
  ex- 
  

   cavated 
  with 
  great 
  care 
  and 
  more 
  than 
  600 
  good 
  specimens 
  taken 
  

   therefrom. 
  These 
  artifacts 
  are 
  familiar 
  types 
  of 
  pottery, 
  bone 
  and 
  

   antler 
  implements 
  and 
  ornaments, 
  polished 
  stone 
  objects, 
  chipped 
  

   stones, 
  cut 
  brass, 
  worked 
  iron, 
  shell 
  articles, 
  glass 
  beads 
  and 
  frag- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  European 
  pottery. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  articles 
  

  

  "^The 
  High 
  Banks 
  site 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Ruth 
  Stephen- 
  

   son. 
  Ruth 
  Stephenson 
  was 
  Red 
  Jacket's 
  stepdaughter 
  and 
  Red 
  Jacket's 
  

   bones 
  rested 
  in 
  her 
  house 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  before 
  their 
  reinterment 
  in 
  For- 
  

   est 
  Lawn, 
  Buffalo. 
  The 
  Indians 
  have 
  several 
  legends 
  about 
  the 
  site 
  and 
  

   still 
  regard 
  it 
  with 
  superstition. 
  

  

  