Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1933-08-10
Butte GeeIogist Finds
Many Rare Specimens

BUTTE, August. Especial
Evidences of buffalo slaughters 81
ancient that they are not even re
corded in Indian legends. wers
found recently by Professor H. VI
Sayre of Montana School of Mine:
who has returned from a I.40l
mile exploration trip through the
northern, eastern, and central parts
OF Montana.
MANY thousands OF buffalo must
have been killed over j long period
of time by Indians in a strip about
two miles southeast OF the present
site Of Hinsdale in Valley County"
Professor Sayre says. Half a mile
from the Milk River al a spot
where the prairie drops abrouptlt
for about so fl. is a layer Of buffalo
bones three feet thick and eighteen
feet wide. These bones were the
remains of buffalo that were
remains Of buffalo that We're
trampled so badly as 10 be unfit
for food when The Indians dToYe
them into the Trap
Just when these siaughters &C
Cured or the identity Of the In
dian tribes has not been deteTmin-
ed Professor SaYre says The Mines
professor spent two weeks on his
extensive trip searching for eriden-
ces Of Indian life before the com
ing Of the white man. Chief among
the finds he made is a gigantic
stone hammer weighing more than
20 pounds and which could not
have been welded by a man of or
binary strength. Other relics he
brought back include bones OF
various animals taken from camp
fire sites used by the Indians. and
Grips of various kinds or rock from
arrow and spearhead factories
OF these long-vanished hunters
The Butte man also investigated
one Of the mysteries OF the north
ern plains - hundreds OF circles
from s to Is feet in diameter made
out Of stones ranging TO several
hundreds Of pounds and left ny
Indians who seem TO have vanish
ed from Montana Tribal legends
of the Blackfeet refer to these an
Gent tribesmen as THE people who
lived without fire" One theory for
the formation of these stone circles
Is that they were used 10 hold
down the edges of the Indians
teepees.
Several smaller stone circles In
many of these large circles were
once thought TO be f~ireplaces. How
ever. Professor Sayre was unable
to find any evidence of fire An
other part OF the Butte mans IN
y~estigation concerned long rows OF
rocks from III TO three feet high
which extend sometimes 10 a mile
in length which are supposed 10
have been built by some people for
an unknown reason.
One OF the most interesting
events Of his trip. Professor Sayre
said, was the finding of evidences
Of countless fires and Teasing near
the buffalo trap. InnumeTable fires
over a long period Of time we're
built there. With Fred " Gillette
OF Hinsdale. Professor Sayre found
charcoal and bones at a depth OF
three feet all over a large area
How long this place was used Tor
fires cannot be estimated at pres
ent, he said.
Thirty miles south OF Big TIM
Der the Mines professor explored a
huge limestone cave with Stuart
Nicholson OF Mcleod. In this cave
the two men found many Indian
p%aintaings. The paintings are red.
very crude, and OF an indetermin-
ate age. Charred sticks and bones
were also found In the cav which
Is located on a ridge opposite Mt
Contact. North OF Big Timber. al
the foot OF the Crazy Mountains an
arrowhead factory ca the regu-
lar Sioux buffalo hunting trail was
explored.
Professor Sayre spent several
days at the Kempton ranch near
Terry where he found Indian camp
sites of unknown age. He plans to
return to that vicinity in the fu-
ture to make further explorations
Investigations will also be carried
on In the Dillon to Armstead, Ma
olson valley. and Helena to Town
send regions.