Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-12-04
REMAINS OF OLD
VILLAGE FOUND
NEAR GLENDIVE
BONE SCRAPERS. KNIVES FRO
JECTILE FONTS. BEADS
ARE DISCOVERED


yECTILE FONTS. BEADS
ARE DISCOVERED
Back in the days when the deer and
buffalo roamed the plains Of eastern
Montana. the lands human habitation
consisted OF a nomadic race which
moved to the upper plateau from the
east to escape the wrath Of other
dan. N. d. area.
That this tribe, which settled near
where Glendive now stands, consisted
mainly Of Assinniboine and Crow In
dian ancestry, has been proven with
the discovery that a ceramic-using
race once dwelt on the banks of the
Yellowstone river.
Engaged in archaeological recon-
Nuisance during the summer Of 1887,
Oscar Lewis, then Of Glendive but now
q Billings resident, discovered the re-
mains OF an ancient village on a ranch
owned by Thomas J. Hagan Of Glen
dive
Lewis, a member Of the Montana
archaeological survey, made prelimi-
nary tests and carried on an investi-
CATION far enough to convince himself
the village might reveal facts which
would bring to light many unanswered
questions regarding the tribes which
dwelt on those rolling lowlands CEN
turtles ago.
He reported facts pertaining to the
discovery OF the survey and the late
Melville Sayre, then director, in
vestigated the site. His surface col
lections indicated facts of signifi-
cant nature would be revealed with
further work, and he Immediately
asked for and obtained permission
from the land owner to excavate.
Begun in April, 1888
Operations were begun in April, 1888
and were continued until the follow
ing year. The early part of the work
was supervised by Lewis until he was
transferred by the survey to Picto-
graph caves near Billings to continue
work started. He was relieved by
wahle Phelan, also a member Of the
archaeological survey, with head
quarters in Missoula.
Site of the ancient village, where
doubtlessly life and death, inter-
spersed with love, marriage, labor and
the everyday problems of human
GHlSlSIlCc WCllb Oll HULL ID AZ NSSo W.
day, lies on a high bluff formed by
the rivers northern bank terrace. The
bluff, about 100 feet in height, de-
clines abruptly to the river level. then
gradually falls away several hundred
feet to the present river channel.
A small arroyo which then, no doubt,
carried small intermittent stream
into the river, runs somewhat to the
north of the village. This originated
near the southern end of the site on
the west side, to extend northward,
then bends sharply eastward to the
river, thus bounding the village on
two sides while the edge Of the main
stream terrace defines third side.
Perhaps this ancient tribe, driven
then by the terrors of conflict much
as the present world, located their
village with an eye to the safety
formed by the wide streams.
Before excavations began, the site
was partly covered by wild grass COM
mon to that part of Montana. There
were little surface indications OF
human habitation of bygone decades
beyond a few potsherds, broken bones
and stone chips.
Near the northern end of the site
lay low, flat topped, almost in
discernible circular mound which ap-
peared to be of artificial construc-
ton.
Worked Rapidly
Members of the survey carried on
their work rapidly. A datum point was
selected at random and an area laid
off. AS excavations proceeded this
area was subdivided into 1O-foot
squares, and materials uncovered in
each square were recorded to allow an
exact picture OF the discovery site to
go down in the survey records.
The surface statum, from which
much of the preliminary materials
came, consisted of sandy humus and
averaged about a foot in thickness.
Underlying this was substratum
which varied from clay to coarse
gravel.
Most of the area excavated demon
strated Unfortunately scattered
bones and artifactS, somewhat re-
sembling typical camp site without
permanent habitation. However, sew
eral features came to light which ap-
peared to prove this site was more
than an internationally used camp site
for roaming tribes.
These we're the remains of one
mound previously described, and more
than 20 cache pits.
AS the occupants of one earth lodge
could have hardly been responsible
for all the bones and artifacts which
came to light with each spadeful OF
earth, it was decided other house sites
were probably overlooked in the gen.
eral excavation, or that the remains
of an extensive village site bordering
onto city size may lie in some nearby
area not yet excavated.
l6-Feet in Diameter
The single house site lay $50 feet
north-northwest of the datum point.
It was a circular pole and earth lodge
which averaged approximately 16 feet
in diameter. 1t underlaid the usual
sandy humus surface stratum, and its
floor was excavated to depth of five
inches in the clay silt below.
The house was almost perfectly cir
cyr1ar in construction and its general