Out at the old fort we are removing soil that has oil and metal filings in it, preparing this portion for use as a cultural park. Dan strips off the soil and soon we start finding archaeological features, from the fort and the tuberculosis sanitarium that followed, as well as prehistoric features.
The area north of two of the Officer's Quarters contains small ditches and numerous planting holes, just to the north of an adobe wall.
Wagon wheel ruts.
In another area, Allen found a metate and a pestle. Somebody in the prehistoric period cached the two items, and for some reason never returned to re-use them.
The area north of two of the Officer's Quarters contains small ditches and numerous planting holes, just to the north of an adobe wall.
Planting pits.
In another area nearby, we found a pair of wagon ruts that probably date to the fort period, from 1873 through 1891.
In another area, Allen found a metate and a pestle. Somebody in the prehistoric period cached the two items, and for some reason never returned to re-use them.
Metate and pestle.
One unexpected find was a tarantula, about three inches across, which popped out of a hole as Dan was stripping away dirt. Allen found a safe place for it to hide inside.
Tarantula (click on picture for a closer view).