Archaeologists dig into Camp Sherman yard

Most folks usually think of archaeologists searching the globe for a worthy site to excavate. However, Forest Service archaeologists and members of the Archaeological Society of Central Oregon (ASCO) spent last week digging up a front yard in Camp Sherman.

Students from Black Butte School, Sisters Middle School and St. Francis School of Bend stopped by the riverside cabin to find out what the fuss was all about.

According to Don Zettel, Forest Service Archaeologist for the Sisters Ranger District, the potential of the site was discovered by accident when a septic excavation turned up indications of past native activity in the area. A closer examination revealed some archaeological evidence right on the surface of the ground, but the investigators have since sunk several holes to discover even more.

Evidence of habitation from the last seventy or eighty years (nails and other items) was found in the top layers, but the prehistoric record was even more revealing.

"We've pulled up thousands of flakes and a few tools," said Zettel, as he instructed his young listeners in the nuances of "the dig."

"Flakes" are tiny pieces of obsidian left behind by weapon and tool makers plying their trade. Major pieces have included an excellent point and some scraping tools.

Such a large number of flakes is clear evidence of native use of the site over a prolonged period of time -- especially since the flakes have been found in every layer of soil thus far excavated. Even at a meter's depth, students were still finding the discarded bits of obsidian.

Zettel says that the obsidian didn't find its way to the banks of the Metolius River by accident. Since obsidian is not naturally found in the immediate area, it could only have been introduced by people who brought it there.

Further, he said, flakes have been found below volcanic material that was deposited by the Blue Lake eruption, dating some of the artifacts to at least 1,500 years ago.

The ASCO volunteers have done most of the hard digging.

"It's great working with ASCO," Zettel said. "We have some folks that are new and some experienced ones that probably know as much as I do."

The ASCO workers, however, saved plenty of dirt for students who were willing to leap into a pit and take a turn with a trowel. Jessica Price, of St. Francis School, was one of those who disappeared into the bottom of the hole and emerged with a bucketful of dirt.

One of the tiny obsidian flakes was subsequently discovered in the dirt Price extracted from the earth. The material collected from the excavations is sifted through a screening device to find the fragmentary artifacts.

Forest Service Archaeological Technician Josh French said that the workers were discovering about 10 flakes per square meter in each 10 cm level, so the evidence is indicative of consistent use of the site over a period of hundreds of years.

French observed that the flat area next to the river is exactly the kind of place that would have made a good campsite over the centuries.

French explained that natives would have brought rough, partially finished pieces of obsidian with them to use for creation of replacement points or tools that were lost or damaged during their travels. This remanufacturing process resulted in the numerous flakes that have turned up during the dig.

He had high praise for the natives' work.

"These were true craftsmen," French said. "They could make these points sharper than a scalpel. In fact, obsidian blades have been used for eye surgery."

French displayed several points from weapons and informed the students that the use of the bow and arrow began in this area about 2,000 years ago. Prior to that time a levered spear-throwing device called an atlatl was in use.

Tribal affiliation of the area's visitors remains in question. French said that the site is overlapped by the territorial edges of several native populations, and the area may have been used by more than one tribe.

Potential obsidian sources include the Obsidian Cliffs in the western part of the Three Sisters Wilderness and the Newberry volcanic area.

In explaining how some of the artifacts may have found their way to the "undisturbed" surface, French explained that frost heaves and burrowing rodents may bring items into plain view. Other possibilities include human disturbances, erosion, and toppling trees that bring deeply buried items to the surface in their upended root systems.

Weather conditions were perfect for the school outings. While the Black Butte school is within walking distance of the site, it was a curious fact that, of the 21 Bend students, only four had previously visited the Metolius River.