BIG EDDY SITE LECTURE Yesterday, Sept., 7th, 2005, I attended a meeting of the Missouri Archaeological Society (Ozark Chapter) in the main Springfield, Greene, County Library. The program was a talk on the Big Eddy Site by Dr. Neal H. Lopinot of the Center of Archaeological Research at Missouri State University (their new name that just went into effect last Sunday). Springfield is just 40 miles or so north of our WAS Hq., here, south of Hollister (close to the Mo/Ark line). The Big Eddy Site is located on the Sac River northwest of us in the Stockton Lake area in the foothills of the Ozarks. Jack H. Ray, the Director of the dig had been scheduled to give the talk but couldn't make it and Lopinot filled in. The Big Eddy Site is a major paleo site in America. Some Clovis point slides were shown. One of the points was found by a collector nearby. They also have found some Scotts Bluff....and also Graham Cave Points. This was nostalgia time for your writer having helped excavate Graham Cave, between Columbia and St. Louis, just north of the Missouri River. They also found some long slender Dalton Points at big Eddy. A number of San Patrice Points, a very ancient point type, were found as well. They have found some evidence that just might be pre-Clovis. They found a large anvil stone that had been broken as well as some flakes. The site is located on a "right angle" an unusual turn of the Sac - on the inside of the angle - and opposite is the "Big Eddy." They have a lot of topsoil there...looks like four feet or so, but don't quote me. And below the darker topsoil there is much more deep deposit in which they excavate. One of the problems is that when the Engineers turn loose some water from Stockton Dam, there is quite a bit of erosion. The Mo. Dept. of Natural Resources contributed research funds for a survey used to explore banks of the stream (they floated for several days). Collectors, of course, also like to explore these banks. Boy, those deep banks look tantalizing....lots of excavation possibilities. Of course, am sure they will need funds. They have had some good contributions. National Geographic helped much, and by the way, the site will be in next month's magazine (Oct. if I have this right). The site is of national significance. A number of pros from around the country have visited. Vance Haynes Emeritus Regents Prof., Univ of Arizona was flown in by the Center. He is one of the famed icons in American archaeology. Three geoarchaeologists from different universities visited. They employed the "Giddinger Hydraulic Core device (not an augur)". "This makes a 2" hole." They also use heavy equipment. "Must know when to go fast or slow." They take lots of "stable carbon isotope samples," They "also collect flotation samples...can pick up .03 mm in diameter, tiny bits of nut shells, etc." Al Lemmon welded a bucket carrier on front of a small off road vehicle. They "use laser transit to shoot in..." They carefully study every bit of flint. Lopinot, a flint-knapper studies how flakes fall to ground as old knapper works away. He says there is much integrity (with material in place - in situ). A big map of the midwest showing quarry locations was fascinating. One main source was from the White River area in southwest MO. and an area on the lower White R....and area in central Kansas...and still another in southeastern Oklahoma. Some chert fragments from the Reeds Spring, Mo. area were shown. As I recall, while talking with Don Dickson as he was excavating in a deep pit along Lake TaneyComo near Branson (on old White R. just below dam on south side of stream) doing some salvage work in preparation for the southern half of the Ozark Mtn. Highroad...that he found some Reeds Spring Flint there. It's fascinating how these Sherlock Holmes archaeologists track the ancients around America through their stone projectile points...using the design of the point and types of material from various quarries. The ancients knew where all the good flint quarries were...and we're talking here thousands of years ago! The Big Eddy archaeologists conducted an interesting experiment. They hauled gravel up from the river and put it in a rectangular shallow pit (I don't know how deep). Then, they brought in three elephants and had them walk "a hundred times" on the gravel. Some of the broken pieces looked like chert in the lower level. Big Eddy is a large site, and many volunteers from the society and student ranks have helped. Hope they can keep it going. The world of paleo-man in America 8 ---9-- 12 thousand years or so ago captures imaginations more than anything. They have a publication on the site: Regional Research and the Archaic Record at the Big Eddy Site (23CE426), S/W MO...by Neal H. Lopinot, Jack H. Ray, and Michael D. Corimer....Ctr. for Archae. Res., Special Publication No. 4., Mo. State University, Springfield, MO ( I didn't get the price) Good excavations! Ron - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE HOME OF THE MIGHTY OSAGE I had a great experience yesterday (June 17, '05) coming back from Kansas City - or more specifically Overland Park on the Kansas side of the line. I have always wanted to see the home of the mighty Osage - the Big Osage tribe - one of the great native American tribes - maybe even the greatest - and, so, decided to find it. I also wanted to straighten out in my mind the location of the Little Osage (a splinter group). I knew the main site area was located near Nevada, Missouri in the western part of the state of MO...and this was off Hwy 71 a 4-laner. I went right by it as unfortunately there are no signs marking the turnoff - and this is a site administered by the Mo. Dept. of Natural Resources...strange! Anyway, I ended up in Nevada looking for info. A nice lady in a little info building close to 71 gave me a folder with a map. Also turned out that this was the week of Nevada's big Bushwhacker Days celebration. So, I went down to the town square and found the Bushwhacker Museum in the basement of an old jail. This is a very nice museum. They have an Osage Indian display that is very good and also many other swell displays including a large area of displays on early medicine and doctors in the area (this has got to be one of the best medical displays in the country)...and also some books. As it turned out the Osage village site was not manned, although the Dept. had a nice parking area and two info. kiosks (gazeebos) and a mowed trail. Earlier though had a nice talk with several folks at the Bushwhacker Museum who kindly took time, and they were very busy getting ready for festivities. I'll fill in some more info here later, but for now it was on to find the village site. I found on the map where to turn off hwy 71, which turned out to be road "M". I drove and drove and drove for about 16 miles. Fortunately, the return would be about 13 miles. Again, no little green marker signs! And this is a major site! Finally, though I stopped and got directions from a farmer. Had to get off the blacktop on to a gravel road. The Big Osage site itself is on top of a large plateau like hill. I hiked the trail. In their day the Osage ruled most of southern Missouri, parts of eastern Kansas and a little of Oklahoma and much of northwestern Arkansas. Their empire was larger than many countries of Europe. They were very powerful and especially when they acquired the horse by 1700 (the horse commenced when the Spanish lost control of them around 1600 or so). The Osage were big physical specimens. A number of the men were 7 feet tall, and some of the women were 6' The men were husky, not stringbeans such as the Masai of Africa. Try and visualize a race of native Americans here in the mid-west U.S. where many of the men were like Shaquile(sp) O'Neill!!! Even though the Osage were very friendly they were caught in a war culture - some other tribe would attack and they would have to retalliate, etc., etc. Not much future fighting these big guys! The Osage were rulers of the Ozarks. They could pull powerful 75lb Osage Orange "Hedge" or "Bois d'arc" bows with ease. These may have been the bent bows "bois d'arcs" "Ozarks" noted by the French. The late Dr. Carl H. Chapman of Mizzou (one of my old professors and my advisor in anthropology) was especially fascinated with the Osage and conducted a number of excavations there "the Brown site." in 1941 (interrupted by WWII) and in 1962. There were other excavations in 1982. Chapman wrote his doctoral dissertation on the Osage. If anyone excavates again, bring plenty of insect repellent; I didn't have any along. The flies were thick. On top of the hill there were many blackberry vines. ...the berries weren't ripe (they were red in color at that stage). Also there were many wild plums. One tree was very old and the biggest wild plum I have seen in MO. To the north just a little ways is Blue Mound (really a hill) said to be the burial place of their chiefs. Pawhuska was the last said to be buried there. As I was sketching and taking notes I heard an eerie owl hoot coming from a nearby woods on the far northeast side of the hill top. This seemed odd, an owl hoot in the daytime! I was probably disturbing his area. On the other hand if you believe in mystic things, the owl could be the messenger creature for "the little old wise men of the tribe," or the spiritual embodiment of a warrior who wasn't selected by Wakonda to go to heaven." Nevertheless, the owl definitely got my attention. It's pretty up there and a nice view of great farm lands and a few farm houses. The soil is so good thereabouts near the Little Osage River that they can grow wheat. The Osage were farmers and hunters, and there must have been many gardens there of corn, squash, pumpkins and beans...spread out far around the base of the village hill (and some on top). They also liked persimmons made in breads. I'll be writing about the Osage for a long time. I started a series of columns in the Branson (MO) Daily News, and the first one should appear next Tues. the 28th of June, '05. These people are fascinating. Should also mention that it was a major event in the history of the U.S. when the little, courageous, French traders first met the big Osage. I've got to hand it to the French. Approaching these big characters - in their empire, and who were eyeing them very carefully - took a lot of fortitude, believe you me! Fortunately, for them the Osage were very friendly. The French needed furs and the Osage needed hoes and rifles, etc. The Osage didn't need small pox and measles. I have heard that the Osage at least in the earlier contact anyway) felt that they were too good for alcohol which did funny things to people. The Osage felt that they were the greatest people in the world (so who needed alcohol?). (Elmo Ingenthron's...Indians of the Ozarks Plateau). Anyway, the Osage began a downward spiral no thanks to the white culture, w/diseases, habits of breaking treaties, etc. There are some great stories about the Osage. A group of missionaries from N.Y. came to this big village to save the heathen. The adventures they all had interacting must have been something else. And a fort was built nearby also. Soldiers with guns; Osage with guns. More fascinating interaction. More later. Best - Ron (As of July 6, '05, The Branson(MO) Daily News has run two of my columns on "The Land of the Osage." I turned in no 3 today and have one more about ready to go. That's 4 columns for sure about the Osage. I have a couple of more am tossing around in my head. The Osage get more and more interesting as I go along). The full text of the series is run now on this site. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - RIVER BLUFF CAVE, GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI. LATEST UPDATE (May 10th, 2005) I just attended the lecture at the Springfield (MO) Greene Co. Library and heard the latest update on the amazing River Bluff Cave found in Greene Co. Springfield, MO is Brad Pitt's home town (knew I would get your attention!!!!) Matthew Forir of Green Co. Parks in Spf'd gave the slide lecture. It's spectacular - a sealed cave for 50,000 years, containing upper Early Pleistocene animal materials, evidence of Short Face Bear, Mammoth, Peccary (giant pig), three foot soft shell turtles, bats and many other creatures. On Sept. 11, 2001, County workers were preparing to set off 10 dynamite charges, in fact 2 had already been set off - when 9/11 happened at that very moment out east. Operations were all called off immediately. However, the cave opening had been exposed. If the other charges though had been set off, it would have destroyed much of the cave!!! The exposed room was 100' by 60-70'. The entire length of the cave is 2,000 feet. The formations are beautiful - cascading, white, flow stones and other pristine cave formations. There are cave bear claw marks in mud. The cave is a paleontological/geological treasure chest, and specialists at various universities far and wide are working on specimens as we speak. The latest dating methods and other research methods are being employed. Methodology is fascinating by itself. Pollen samples revealed Douglas Fir a big clue that there was prairie vegetation good for the big animals such as mammoths. The Short Faced Bears were hunting machines - not pidgeon toed; they had arched backs (one big spring), were incredibly fast - could get up to 40 miles per hr. They possessed keen smelling ability (had large nasal passages), weighed 1400 -1800 lbs., 10' length, 6' at shoulders. I asked Mat if there were any deposits out around the opening that might be excavated? He said there was a site on top of the hill that would probably be excavated. The location of the site is a secret for obvious reasons. It must be protected. Quickly after it was found, the scientists capped it with an air-tight seal. Not even a pet could get in and contaminate the wonders. Even a bird might eat one of the white, blind salamanders. Nevertheless, as something out of ancient Egypt's Valley of the Kings, some "intruders" entered the cave shortly after discovery. They are now in prison. They received 3 years --the longest prison term for cave entrance. Mat said, other states take note. They can do the same. Intruders did a lot of damage. Didn't walk on marked trails but on animal marks. Destroyed one snake skeleton. Carved marijuana leaf on a formation and left trash. A museum is planned to house the material...the Natural History Museum of the Ozarks. The state of Missouri doesn't have a museum to handle paleontological materials. All of our materials are scattered around the globe. Ex. The State Museum of Illinois has 10,000 specimens of other finds. The new museum will study neighboring states as well. The museum is about 5 years away. U.S. Sen. Jim Talent of Missouri has obtained beginning funding. Here's the web site: www.riverbluffcave.com I thought to myself, many histories are written about the Ozarks and elsewhere in the U.S., but very little is devoted to paleontology - an unseen portion of the iceberg The story of this cave is exciting. River Bluff Cave is a major global find, because it was so protected. There are some firsts here. Ex. Previously, scientists didn't believe pecarries entered caves alive...instead of as food. However, their footprints have been found in the cave. It will be very interesting to see what else the specialists find. They are looking through their microscopes now. Ron, May 11th, '05. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 50,000 Year Old Find in South Carolina It will be interesting to see how the recent 50,000 year old human date in S/Carolina is accepted in the field here in the Americas. This is one of the oldest dates so far. I recall one at 70,000 (plus or minus) but will have to check the location, etc. The Calico Mtn. finds in California back in the 1960s were proclaimed to be 43,000 years old by none other than the expert of experts on crude tools Louis B. Leakey. Ruth DeEtte Simpson of the San Bernadino Co. Museum did the excavation, and as I recall found some crude tools. Dr. Leakey was invited over and immediately put the 43,000 year old tag on it. However, this went over like a lead balloon here in America. Archaeologists here may be the most cautious in the world. Another old find, Tom Lee's Sheguianda site in Canada was dated by geologists at 20,000 years...and according to geologists the site had been beneath a glacier! That's getting back there. Still, the find went over as another lead balloon. There was a ruckus over this find. Tom lost his job at the Natl. Museum of Canada. For a long time he was a free-lance archaeologist and then landed a job at Laval University. Dr. Rousseau the famous ethno-botanist of Laval gave him a hand I think. Tom had the knack of making the most amazing - but controversial discoveries. He discovered a Norse long house on Hudson Bay, and also a "Hammer of Thor" a big stone marking also along the bay. He even found Eider Duck traps (a Norse device; made of stones) at the long house site along the bay. But, again, I never heard much more about all this. Also, as I recall, there have been some 20,000 year old finds in South America. Archaeologists in Alabama have found crude "pebble tools" (they have a publication on this). I have found some very interesting crude tools here along Long Creek in Taney Co. Missouri (s/w Mo.). I've found a couple of big fist picks, and several hand choppers or pebble tools if you will. The problem here is pitiful stratigraphy. We've got a lot of hardpan "residual soil" as the soils scientists call it. We do have some good bottomland soil, and also a lot of caves. Some call Missouri "the cave state." And sometimes there are some pretty good deposits back in caves, probably guano layers. In any case, dispite all of the above, most archaeologists in North America stick doggedly with the 12,000 year old date. But it keeps getting harder for them. This also makes me think of another really old bomb shell date - the Folsom find. A point with a long flute was found with extinct bison bones in a draw at Folsom, N/Mexico. It was found by a black cowboy, George McJunkin riding down Black Horse draw. The matrix was left as is by the archaeologist Figgens of the Denver Museum and he called in Frank H.H. Roberts (my old boss one time)of the Smithsonian to verify the association. Yes, it was true. Up until this time most archaeologists in America believed that Man had only been here back about 4 or 5 thousand years. This school of archaeological dogma came tumbling down. I believe they are crumbling now! An old Fossil trader named Koch found some chert material with mastodon bones at two sites here in Missouri...one along the Bourbois River and the other along the Pomme de Terre. But things were a little sketchy there and the materials ended up in Europe. Koch also found old bones at the present "Kimswick Bone Bed," near St. Louis. When a student at Mizzou I helped do the archaeological survey of the Pomme de Terre R. We kept our eyes open for Mastodon finds, but no luck. I personally believe that things are just getting started in the old old find department here in the Americas. Eyes and minds are getting adjusted! It should be a lot of fun. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Remains of tiny hominid found in cave on island of Flores, Indonesia. The small race goes back 13,000 years. The find has been named "Flores Hominid" "H. floresiensis" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -