Representation of the tangible remains of Post Trading LaBarge with associated features and the position of the burned beams on the floor of. Representation of the third level of occupation, showing the arrangement of the narrow trenches of the earlier Fort Lookout and Dak., former governor of the state, for his permission to excavate the site which was on his property.
There the plains were covered with typical prairie grasses and trees grew in the flood plains and tributary stream beds between the dwellings and the river's edge. At the beginning of this second season, that area was carefully cleared, starting from 0.3 to 0.5 feet, and it was found that the coordinate poles of the previous year were still intact. This would rule out the possibility of a plank floor, at least in most of the area at the time the building was last occupied.
Near the foot of the fireplace were sections of charred logs in length from 1 to 4 feet, in width from 5 to 6 inches. Scattered across the floor of the building were trade beads of various sizes, a few square-cut nails, metal objects, and pieces of white clay trade pipe. Near the base of the chimney were found percussion caps of the type made after 1820.
Within the ditch-filled area was another of the rectangular pits with vertical walls and a flat bottom, Feature 44, shown on Plate 14, 5,.
SPECIMENS
The two log buildings almost matched in orientation, but the later one aligned slightly more north-northwest-south-southeast. The only truly diagnostic artifacts recovered from this part of the site were the few hammered copper caps of a variety probably dating from 1822 to 1850, which correlate with the reported dates of the trading post's existence. Since they undoubtedly preceded the periods when whites were in the area, they will not be discussed in this paper, but will be described in a separate report on Indian cultures.
Most of the recovered items represent normal items that were used at post offices or for commercial purposes. By 1830, trade items had more or less stabilized and were no longer as sensitive indicators of origin or period involved as before. Evidence of food left in the filling of hearths and numerous pits is charred fragments of rabbit, bird and occasionally fish bones, also charred beans, maize and pits of wild plums and aronia.
Archeology cannot answer whether the occupants exchanged for pemmican of Indian manufacture or whether they merely carried large pieces of buffalo meat to the post office for immediate consumption.
HISTORIC ARTIFACTS
All in all, they were probably dark and dirty, but served the purpose for which they were built extremely well. Most of the colors found in the larger types were displayed by the seed beads, with the exception of the black. All seed beads were of some type or (fig.6) with the exception of a single specimen made from a square glass dish, the corners of which were slightly ground off, leaving rounded rectangular surfaces on the sides (fig.7) .
Most are cut from a hexagonal stick and the facets appear to have been made by rubbing each small section against an abrasive object, creating a number of irregular facets over all or part of the surface. According to the accompanying diagram (fig. 6), all white beads correspond to types a through i and I, with the greatest emphasis being placed on those from a to e. Types a through/ were originally sections of thin glass tubes or sticks that were segmented into individual beads and then treated with fire to round and smooth the rough edges resulting from cutting the tubes.
The term "made beaver" was applied to a skin that had already been processed for shipment to a tannery by the trader. Two beads known to manufacturers as "Cornaline d'Aleppo" and to the merchants of the North as. All pipes fit a uniform pattern in style that below the base of the bowl appeared a short blunt spout, so sharp for the pipe to rest upright (p. 15).
The extension of this pipe forms a sharper angle with the connection between stem and bowl than the first variant (fig. 8). The bowl was impressed with a semicircular decoration of leaves and stems that completely covered the outside (Fig. 15, e). A third variant has a blank shape with the same configuration as the concentric circle variant, but the bowls are plain, except for the initials "T-D", 5 mm Roman letters.
All bowls are of a characteristic late 18th and early 19th century size and shape. It was thought that this clothing might indicate something of an individual smoker's smoking habits indicating that he is right- or left-handed. The bowl was flamed and all indications point to white production, but it is not known whether it was a local or imported product.
CHINA AND EARTHENWARES
Of the 50 glass fragments recovered from the surface or from the fill above the highest historic level, only a few can be attributed to the actual inhabitants of that level. This type was first used in the second half of the 19th century and is still being produced. Early chroniclers indicated that windows and doors were quite expensive items that were removed and carried to the next station or post each time an outpost was abandoned.
If any windows were abandoned, it is certain that many more fragments of this type of window glass would have turned up within the deposits of the two historic levels during the excavation. Shoulder fragments of two small vials were found on the floor of the first historic level, but it was impossible to determine the actual size or shape of the vials from these fragments. Some pieces show deterioration while others show no change in composition and look as fresh as when new.
It is not known whether these changes in composition are attributable to the acids of the soil in relation to the wood ash, but a certain chemical action has taken place which has altered the original surfaces. No glass fragments showed secondary melting that could have been caused by heat from burning buildings. One bears a series of interlaced curvilinear scrolls adjacent to the base of the vessel, while the other bears a number.
68 BUREAU OF AJMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BOLL. 176
BUTTONS
In this method, the mother-of-pearl disc was attached to the brass shank, so there is very little chance of the two coming apart except by breakage or the application of force. Since they are not seen on the upper side and cannot be considered a form of decoration, these circles must either have had a function in the design of the button or have had a part that holds the covering material. Pap.^a 17?' EXCAVATIONS AT FORT LOOKOUT n —^MILLER 71 edge of the button, while two other shallow circles are between the words and the thread shaft.
These combinations appear along the outer edge of the button, while the central portion is formed by a slight ridge surrounding a central saucer-shaped depression. Some of the wire loop shanks were the earliest hand-drawn wire, which was not perfectly round and was finer than that used at a later time. The application of shanks individually with a blow pipe and "flux" continued until about 1850, and was considered one of the most important and specialized operations in all button making.
Two pewter buttons were found in the fill above the floor of the upper historic level. JSIold marks are not seen on the front of the button, but are easily seen around the rim and on the back. At some point in the late 17th and early 17th centuries, buttons were given to members of the deceased's family.
One was on the floor of the highest historic level, while the other was in the earth fill below the floor of that level. The heads were attached by winding loops of very thin wire around the center of the bolt and tapping them lightly to tighten them and form them into a button. Most of the cartridges (surface finds) were of the type used by the United States Army in the late 1860s and early 1870s and may have been used with the Allen conversion rifle (.50-.70 Win-. Chester).
Objects such as these could have been discarded by the residents of the nearby military post, which belongs to the trading post. Hardware makes up the bulk of the iron remains: nails, staples, ax heads, hinges, and other objects, some of which can be identified, while others are so fragmented as to make identification virtually impossible. The latter was found quite high in the fill above the trading post, while the main hand-crafted element came from the level belonging to Fort LookoutII.
A single, small, brass-headed tack, commonly used in upholstery work, was found with the batting above the floor of the trading post. One is so badly battered that the end has been completely obliterated, leaving only a small portion of the cutting edge intact.
TRAIT LIST OF THE HISTORIC ASPECT Community plan activity
From the various records he was able to gather data describing, in general, the appearance of the trading post and certain dimensional information about Fort Kiowa. During the survey, Site 39LM57 was tentatively identified as the location of Fort Lookout I and Fort Kiowa, and excavation was recommended. 1951, in historical terms, can be summarized in the following categories: (1) Discovery of re-material.
Archaeological evidence has shown that there was a rectangular building about 70 feet long and 20 feet wide, which was partially destroyed by fire after the building collapsed. Scattered around the area were numerous rusted nails, either hand-made or machine-cut, fragments and whole merchant beads, buttons, and other artifacts one would expect to find in and around an abandoned building of this type. It was also affected by fire and the area seems to have been leveled so that another building could be erected on the same site.
The structures appear to have been built of flobs, possibly of cottonwood or willow, as these grow abundantly in the bottom, without the use of brick or stone, with the exception of a chalk fire. In any case, the roof was probably flat, covered with grass and coarse gravel, and the gaps between the logs in the walls were filled with clay. If windows were used, they, along with the doors, must have been removed upon abandonment, as virtually no window glass was found and little of the door hardware was used.
Iron nails underwent technological changes during this period with the introduction of a square machine-cut version.
SELECTED BIBLIOGKAPHY
View of the edges across the lower edges adjacent to the west bank of the river, b, the erosional ditch that bounded the site along its southern edge and the tree cover of the lower soils.
