THE CHRONOLOGT OF PLAINS CULTURE 1 5 I 



old buffalo and antelope drives are marked by boulders, 

 and occasionally there arc heaps of stones. Hut of far 

 greater impressiveness are the great "diggings" from 

 which came the stone for knives and arrow-heads. The 

 most extensive of these is known as the "Spanish 

 Diggings" in Converse County, Wyoming, but many 

 others of about equal magnitude are found in that part 

 of the State. Each of these covers many acres, one pit 

 after another from which were dug blocks of quartzite 

 and jasper, and around them heaps of broken blocks, 

 chips, and rejected forms. Tons and tons of this worked 

 over material lie heaped about as evidence of the anti- 

 quity and reality of pre-Columbian Plains culture. 

 Hence in this earlier period as well as in later historic 

 time, the Plains were occupied b} r stone age hunters. 



Unfortunately all of these interesting traces of the 

 pre-Columbian Plains Indians have not been studied 

 closely enough to tell us much about their age, but by 

 comparing the facts of Plains culture with those of the 

 surrounding parts of the continent and especially by 

 studying the cultures of the border Plains tribes some 

 conclusions as to the relative ages for a few culture 

 traits have been formed. These are presented in the 

 chronological table. 



The Horse Culture Period. The Indians of the 

 Plains lived a free life until long after the Civil War. 

 The European invasion of the New World brought him 

 the horse, an animal far superior to his dog. Just when 

 and how the horse came into his hands we do not know, 

 but most of the typical tribes seem to have been 



