We are these? New pictures and a point found, today! 3-14-09

Charmin · Mar 11, 2009

Wells or grinding holes? Could this be a camp area? They are above the floodplain of a creek, on the northeast side. So, why would indians need a well this close to a creek? Did indians use them for cooking?
They seem a little deep for grind holes?!
We pulled some of the grass and dirt out and one of the holes was maybe 6 inches.
If someone could explain what these are I would really appreciate it. I think someone else on here has posted pictures of wells before?
Sorry if this is a stupid question, just remember I'm a newbie ::)

and trying to educate myself on all this stuff! Its very interesting to think how these people lived and the things they used in their every day life!
Thanks for looking~~~~sandcreek4

jamey · Mar 11, 2009

Re: We are these?

hi there im pretty sure they are just natuarl,seen some around here also jamey

SoIll · Mar 11, 2009

Re: We are these?

mortar hole for grinding. :thumbsup:

Charmin · Mar 11, 2009

Re: We are these?

jamey said:
hi there im pretty sure they are just natuarl,seen some around here also jamey

Thanks jamey--the reason why I asked is because we have found some flint and a couple of broken points near these rocks. There are 3 holes in one big flat rock and a little south of this big rock is another rock that has one hole in it. I just thought maybe this was a camp area? Maybe they are just natural :icon_scratch:

~~sandcreek4

SoIll said:
mortar hole for grinding.

Okay! That's kinda what I thought! Thank you SoIll~~~~kind regards, sandcreek4

RobKruzan · Mar 11, 2009

Re: We are these?

outhouse hole?

vibes · Mar 11, 2009

Re: We are these?

Looks like a cup-mark stone...and they are usually found in clusters.

Charmin · Mar 11, 2009

Re: We are these?

RobKruzan said:
outhouse hole?

YUK-GROSS--we dug the stuff out of it! :tongue3:

I hope that's not what it was--thanks, RobKruzan!

vibes said:
Looks like a cup-mark stone...and they are usually found in clusters.

Vibes--Would you explain "cup-mark stone"? sandcreek4

creek astronaut · Mar 13, 2009

Re: We are these?

how many holes were there?and how far apart are they from each other?did you bottom out when you cleaned them out?what is the diameter of the holes?the reason i ask all these qeustions,this is only a theory depending on what info you have-but it could possibly be post holes for a structure that was built by the ancients.just an idea.very interesting,thx fro posting.

Charmin · Mar 13, 2009

Re: We are these?

greg-rocks said:
how many holes were there?and how far apart are they from each other?did you bottom out when you cleaned them out?what is the diameter of the holes?the reason i ask all these qeustions,this is only a theory depending on what info you have-but it could possibly be post holes for a structure that was built by the ancients.just an idea.very interesting,thx fro posting.

The holes were about three feet apart in a triangular pattern, and each hole was in a separate rock. We dug the holes out and they went down about 6" to 8". That's why I wasn't sure if they were mortar holes, as this seemed a little deep for that?? That would be really cool if this was a "structure site"!! We'll try to go back and get some better measurements!! and thank you greg-rocks for your comments and ideas on this!! kind regards, sandcreek4

chong2 · Mar 14, 2009

Re: We are these?

100% mortars, they are also called indian wells, feel the inside, they will be smooth, they visited that spot alot to get that deep. GREAT AREA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :icon_sunny:

Produce Guy · Mar 14, 2009

Re: We are these?

They have several of these in BigBend Nat. Park in west Texas.

pippinwhitepaws · Mar 14, 2009

Re: We are these?

http://www.eugenecarsey.com/camp/alabamahills/grindingstones.htm
http://www.malleries.com/pre-columbian-aztech-matate-i-10489-s-89.html

jones791 · Mar 14, 2009

Re: We are these?

Those are definitely mortars. There are quite a few around the SW. You should be able to find points and tools in the area. If you find a metate make sure you look under the dirt. They usually buried the manos directly underneath the metates for future use.

Charmin · Mar 14, 2009

Re: We are these?

chong2 said:
100% mortars, they are also called indian wells, feel the inside, they will be smooth, they visited that spot alot to get that deep. GREAT AREA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks chong2--we went back to the site today and dug out the holes all the way to see how deep. Here's some pictures.
The area is FULL of flint chips! It is kinda a high ridge that runs along the creek on the East/Northeast side. My daughter found a pink projectile point today south of these rocks!!! She was so excited!! If anyone can ID the type, please let us know. As you can tell(from the picture of the point)it has been through a recent wild fire, which is good for us but not the land owner! Our area is really dry right now. It makes for good arrowhead hunting, though!! kind regards, sandcreek4

Produce Guy said:
They have several of these in BigBend Nat. Park in west Texas.

Produce Guy, do you have a link where we could see pictures of these kind of things in the National Park? Or I could just Google it--thanks for the info! sandcreek4

pippinwhitepaws said:
http://www.eugenecarsey.com/camp/alabamahills/grindingstones.htm
http://www.malleries.com/pre-columbian-aztech-matate-i-10489-s-89.html

Thanks for that info., pippinwhitepaws! regards, sandcreek4

jones791 said:
Those are definitely mortars. There are quite a few around the SW. You should be able to find points and tools in the area. If you find a metate make sure you look under the dirt. They usually buried the manos directly underneath the metates for future use.

Thanks, jones791! We did find lots of flint and my daughter found the one point right down the hill and to the south of these rocks. We didn't dig around the rocks, just removed the dirt from the holes. kind regards, sandcreek4

chong2 · Mar 15, 2009

told you so :wink:

i dunno about digging for mano's cause that rock is massive. it was probally a place they butchered, or a camp on thier travels. they would make new and fix thier tools. i bet some of your flakes might actually be scrapers or knives, see if they were worked on the edges at all. looks like you might have a graver too, the stone at the bottom pic with the tiny point sticking off. thats gonna be a great area for you all

Charmin · Mar 15, 2009

chong2 said:
told you so i dunno about digging for mano's cause that rock is massive. it was probally a place they butchered, or a camp on thier travels. they would make new and fix thier tools. i bet some of your flakes might actually be scrapers or knives, see if they were worked on the edges at all. looks like you might have a graver too, the stone at the bottom pic with the tiny point sticking off. thats gonna be a great area for you all

Yep, you were right, chong! We are going to check this site again after it rains--there is so much burnt grass and ashes from a fire that all the pieces we find are blackened. We're praying for RAIN :angel4: