Prehistoric Indian Camp Is Uncovered Near Reno

 The Marietta Daily Times, May 15, 1968

Earth moving equipment being operated along Ohio 7 near Reno, several days ago cut into what may have been the site of a small prehistoric Indian camp or village, almost completely destroying the archaeological find.

According to Richard P. Patterson, regional collaborator for Ohio State Archaeological Society and editor of the magazine, "The Ohio Archaeologist," what was left after the machinery dug into the earth along the river was chiefly "just a pile of useless bones."

Patterson, who examined and retrieved what he could from the discovery, said a small number of refuse pits had been disturbed by the blade of the machine, the pits having contained debris in the form of broken animal bones; fire-cracked river stones broken by the heat of the Indian campfires; flint debris; charcoal and mussel shells and a few small bits of broken pottery sherds. The pottery bits, he said, are representative of the most diagnostic artifact type, providing information about the group of people that lived at this location.

The pottery, tempered with crushed shell, indicates the Late Prehistoric Time Period, roughly after 12 A.D. to 1650. Patterson pointed out that the clay of the riverbank was mixed with crushed shell to temper it, or keep it from shrinking when it was baked.

He also indicated the destroyed site may have been a larger camp or village at one time, one that could have been destroyed largely by the river cutting into the banks. The portion uncovered and crushed by the machinery probably represented what was left of the original camp.

Size of the parts of human bones examined by Patterson suggest they may have been from two bodies, an adult male and an adult female. He said it was reasonable to assume they had been buried in a flexed position (knees tightly against chest) in a small space and that apparently no burial offerings had been placed in the graves with the bodies.

In fact, he noted, the bodies may have been buried in the refuse pits, which were usually quite near the Indian dwellings. These, he said, were often built in a circle inside a palisades, possibly for protection against warring tribes. Bodies were generally buried on their side or back in as small a space as possible, since these Fort Ancient Culture Indians had very little in the way of digging tools, only sticks or the shoulder bone of an animal.

The broken bones and the debris within the pits are the same types as those uncovered last year at the boat launching facility at the fairgrounds.

"It is regrettable," stated Patterson, "that it was not possible to halt the operation once the machinery dug into the pits until properly qualified persons could make careful excavations and prevent damage."