A current dig site and possibly a few future sites....
The first one is the current site. It measures 10x5x5. Quite small but has given up several points, blades, scrapers and burnt bones from small animals. This one is easy to access but can barely be seen from the valley floor. The entrance is concealed very well by trees and brush but suprisingly, very little roots are inside the shelter.
A nice point was extracted from the crevice on the lower left hand side, approx 10 feet inside. Nice hiding spot!
A crevice in the side of a cliff. It measures only 3.5 feet wide but is 50 feet high and 30 feet deep. Possible storage or cache area. There is a small drip line inside that might preclude it from being a liveable shelter, plus, it is just too narrow. Nothing noteworthy is visible in the drip line. Black staining on the left side wall appears to be natural but lacking sufficient light, I can't say for sure.
A large shelter that measures 150 feet in length (amphitheatre type), 25 feet in height and 20 feet in depth. No obvious past excavation. This one is easy to see from the valley floor but extremely difficult to access. The best access may be from the top.
A long narrow one, approx 50 feet long, 5 feet deep but only 3 feet high. Not likely a liveable shelter due to it's height but certainly could have been used for refuge. Photo was taken from the middle of the shelter making it appear much less than 50 feet in length. Very sandy floor with little rock debris.
Great post, I can't wait to see what comes out of those! The small shelter also may surprise you. I dug one years ago that I had to crawl on hands and knees in and found a couple points and some nice tools.
Way Cool!!! It sends shivers up and down my spine, and I'm beginning to drool. What a neat thing to know of and be able to dig-plore ! Good luck, thanks for the pics Lone Star
Ya, they all look great! The 3 ft high one could have been higher along time ago, but silted in and such. Or I bet they would use it just the same being 3 ft high, mainly a sleeping area. They would take advantage of anything to help out the odds.
Ya, they all look great! The 3 ft high one could have been higher along time ago, but silted in and such. Or I bet they would use it just the same being 3 ft high, mainly a sleeping area. They would take advantage of anything to help out the odds.
I agree hundreds of years of wind and leaves may have filled it in. Most shelters were used during the winter months as they gathered the nut harvest I have also seen where they would rock in the front and can imagine them building wind breaks. Looks like you are in to some really good ones. Is the sand from water or just the soil?
Good luck !!
Nice shelter pictures. They are great places to find artifacts. With the ground covered with snow here in Ohio, they make great places to look in the winter. Keith. Happy Holidays!!!
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Originally Posted by all_atv
