Wednesday A.M. Add-on

A number of people, searching for arguments against the Power Line, have asked if there are any especially rare or endangered plants in the Swamp. I, personally, don't know of any, HOWEVER .......
about thirty years ago, the late Minford "Pete" Peterson and his friend "Syd" Erickson took me with them on one of their frequent Explorations. We went to an area north of Hubbardsville and just to the Southeast of the Sangerfield River at the area called "the Stillwater" where, according to Pete, his old friend Ted Townsend (please correct me, if anyone knows differently!) had made a considerable study of prehistoric Indian artifacts dating from 2,000 to 5,000 years old found during several earlier "digs" there.

I recall that logging had been going on in that particular area, but "digging," as well, as indicated by numerous heaps of overturned earth and small collections of ordinary rocks and pebbles discarded by other "treasure hunters" The three of us set to with our trowels and three-pronged scratchers, and within no time were unearthing pieces of flint or other rock that clearly showed signs of human shaping. I brought home two pieces of flint that we concluded were broken attempts to shape arrowheads and one very surprising tool that might have been used for scraping skins: it could be held comfortably in either left or right hand and had been worn smooth and shiney with use!



(Click to enlarge Snapz and Photographs.)


As Pete told it, according to Townsend, the site had been a summer gatheringplace for years - even centuries. Native Americans from the South coming annually to trade fishing nets that they'd made for furs brought there by Indians from the North. (It sounds like a setting for a Jean Auel, "Clan of the Cave Bear"-type book!)

About ten years ago I spoke with a professor of archaeology at Colgate about this site: he was familiar with it, but did not seem to find it terribly interesting. Perhaps, in view of the Power Line proposal, that "dig" has gained importance!



I'm sure that many other people must be aware of its existance, but - just to make sure - we'll take these three "keepers" down to the Rogers Conservation Center for their collection.

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