The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-25
FIREPLACE 10000 YEARS OLD
4 DISCOVERY IN THE BAD LANDS
or PLAINS LIFE LONG AGO.

Possibly the Oldest Traces Of Hu-
mans on This Globe-Iikely to Stir Up
| Debate Among the Archae0logists.
LINCOLN, Neb., Oct. ls.-What arc be-
lieved to be the most ancient evidences
Of Indian occupancy Of the plains Of the
| United States, and are indications Of the
existence of human life upon this sphere
anywhere from 10000 TO 10000 years ago.
have just been collected by A. Z. Sheldon,
an agent of the Nebraska State Historical
| Society. and are now In tho State museum
In this city.
Mr.. Sheldon spent nine weeks this sum-
mer in riding about the Sioux Indian reser-
walton at Chadron. gathering material
for life OF the great chief Red Cloud. At
the agency he received a hint that Ulysses
Farnham, an Indian boy, had found an
ancient Indian fireplace far up in tho Bad
to investigate the story. and found It true.
In Lost Dog Canon, some seventy miles
north of the Nebraska line. within few
miles of the spot at Wounded Knee Creek
where the Indians Of North America made
what IL very likely to be their last stand
against the white man, two Of these fire.
places were discovered.
Riding through the cahon one day. young
Farnham noticed a big black spot high
up on one OF the small buttes. He had
the curiosity to examine it and found evil
dences that 1t had once been a cooking
spot There were large masses Of char.
coal. burnt rock. ashes and other debris.
The boy casually mentioned this at home,
and 1t came to the ears Of DR.. Walker
agency physician at Pine Ridge, who set
the curious Mr.. Sheldon on the scent.
The find promises to make stir among
arch0ologists as soon as its value becomes
known. The question Ia: How many years
| ago was this fireplace In use? At that
| time 1t must have been on the ground. the
black dirt about it proving this. When
| found it was covered by from Ave to nine
| feet Of soil. definitely marked In seven or
eight strata which is evidence OF its burial.
| Immediately about the fireplace is q
| lighter soil filed with periwinkles. indi-
| eating the presence of water over the spot
at the time the soil deposit was made. The
| problem which arch@ologists will meet
here L.; Was this deposit made Immediately
the ar whea ths
spot OF great overflow? Nobody knows.
The next three or four strata are OF vary
| ing thicknesses OF butte clay, thinner. but
we'll marked. In the section Of the soil
| on exhibition 1t the museum distance
Of eight feet separates the lowest from the
l
1t has taken for these seven or eight
| strata to form over the abandoned fire.
| place, there must also be computed the
| number necessary to expose 1t at it's present
height above the lower level surrounding it,
| This latter was evidently by erosion The
question is: When, and how long did it takel
| I The curious formations Of the Bad Lands
have been the theme OF many interesting
articles Through a part OF them runs
the White River. This stream Is fed by
numerous little creeks-LOst Dog, Bear
in the Lodge, and others Of similar descrip-
the river these butte formations are found.
The mouth Of the cahon down which
| these small streams run widens ss 1t APP
| proaches the river until IL forms cir
cular basin dotted with these odd shaped.
rounded mounds Of earth. looking like
| giant toadstools, the lower parts having
| been washed by the water at some re-
mote period until they leave each with
a gigantic cap.
To add still further years TO this relic,
| the spot where it was made 10 sort OF
| tableland leading of one OF these buttes,
showing it to have been filled up after the
| original buttes were eroded. 1t Ia sup
posed that at one time this was land
locked basin, and that the action OF the
| water in seeking an outlet in times OF storm
caused these washings away.
At the bottom Of the canon which con-
tanned these old fireplaces, Immediately
below them. we're picked up Clipped hints.
bits OF pottery, and the bones OF ten or
twelve kinds of animals. The theory
is that these we're once a part Of the fire.
place, but the erosion occurring just where
It did separated them from their original
resting place and deposited them lower.
The presence Of the pottery 10 in itself
evidence that the place was used by tribe
that antedated the Sioux. The latter. 1t is
definitely known, have occupied the land
of the Dakotas for more than 200 years.
AS they did not make or use pottery, the
| fireplace was not one Of theirs, even II 1t
is not as old as the topsoil evidences indi-
cate. The Pawnees were the tribe furthest
north to use earthen vessels. The Sioux
disdained them.
Careful inquiry was made among the
ranchmen in the vicinity OF these buttes
as to what differences in their physical con-
formation have been noted. Men who have
been in the neighborhood for forty or fifty
years say that there is very little change
in their outward appearance. Taking this
evidence as q basis of calculation, 1t must
have been many centuries ago when the
| firepaces were i'll use.
Science has yet discovered no infallible
| rule Of time measurement az to the deposit
of soils, and only conjecture enters into
this problem. If the change In half a CEN
fury has been 30 slight AZ to be scarcely
noticeable, how many years or centuries
| did il REQUIRE to pile seven or eight strata
o soil upon the abandoned fireplace. and
then hv erosion to cut down through these
layer OF earth so as TO expose 1t again
| TO w?
Anywhere from 20 900 to so 900 years, says
| +. T., Blackman, arohBologist OF the State
Historical Society. Mr.. Blackman believes
that somewhere in the Western plains will
he secured the final evidence which will
sustain the claim Of science 10 the many
centuries Of age made for the earth. At
| A. lntt off, IriVan kAnHA9.