Archeology 101, part 2

After the three of us visited the authentic sod house, yesterday, we headed up Steens Mountain.  That’s where I took the picture of Jan and Karl.  I’m not going to post any pics from that part of the trip, because I hope to pack up Emma and do it again myself on Sunday.

When we got back down off the mountain, we headed for the Krumbo Reservoir for a pit stop.  There is a great picnic area there right along the edge of the water. 
On the way back from the reservoir, we stopped at a huge boulder that contained several petroglyphs.  They’re not as impressive as those that can be found at Dinosaur Nat’l Monument and other sites around the West, but they were interesting none the less.  Petroglyphs were chipped into the rocks by the ancient people.
Next, we hiked a trail that Jan and Karl helped establish a few years back.  This trail could not be established until they had surveyed the area for archeological artifacts.  They walk a grid pattern of an area such as this to determine if any artifacts are present.  If there are very few or no artifacts present, than a trail can be established.  As we walked along, Jan pointed out to me several obsidian chips lying on the ground.  These chips were the result of the ancient people’s making stone tools such as spear points and arrowheads. 
Suddenly, Jan stopped dead in her tracks and said she saw an artifact!  Sure enough, it was an arrowhead.  The actual point had been broken off (on the left end), but you can see how this arrowhead would fit in the notch of the arrow.  It is made of obsidian, and you can see where the flakes were chipped off.  I was pumped to actually see a stone tool this old!  This type of arrowhead is 1500-4000 years old.  After this picture, Jan stepped off of the trail to carefully place this artifact in an obscure location where it is unlikely to be disturbed.  There is a mighty big fine for taking these artifacts off of the refuge.  It was a great thrill for me to be able to hold this arrowhead and appreciate the craftsmanship from so long ago.
This particular trail culminates on a ridge top overlooking a valley.
The view was outstanding, and earlier in the year there would have been much more water.
The rocks at the ridge top are covered with multicolored lichens.  However, those white chalk like splashes in the bottom center of the picture are not lichens at all.  I’m thinking that you would never guess that the white chalky looking stuff is pack rat urine!  How’s that for an interesting little tidbit??  :)

Later, we drove to a location just off of the refuge to look at pictographs.
Along Double O Ranch Road, we approached some of the 5 or 7 sided volcanic columns of ridge rock. 
We were able to walk up to these columns to see the pictographs that were painted, rather than etched, on the column faces.  This wetland area of the high desert was an important place for people that came here so many thousands of years ago.  What a great archeological learning experience it was for me yesterday, and I truly thank Jan and Karl for taking the time to give me such an experience.  Cool beans!  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Archeology 101, part 1

This morning, I headed out with Jan and Karl Smith, volunteers extraordinaire, on a tour of Malheur NWR from their perspective.  They have been volunteering here for fourteen years as amateur archeologists!  But, as Karl says, they have more field experience than most professionals.  This is a picture of them and Harry.  Harry is a picture of a doll that was given to Karl when he was one year old.  Harry has followed Karl on his travels for 72 years now!  He used to come in person, but suffered a trauma that could be described as a near decapitation last year, so now only his likeness appears in their travel pictures.  :)

We left pretty early this morning and headed for Frenchglen for breakfast at the historic Frenchglen Hotel which is now a state park.  As we drove to the Hotel, Karl and Jan gave me a welcome lesson in the geology of this area.  I learned all about volcanic eruptions, and balsamic layers and columns. 
After breakfast, our next stop was an actual sod house.  They don’t know when it was built, but it’s probably over 100 years old, and was actually lived in through the 1930’s.
It’s in a state of rather disrepair, and as I looked around, I couldn’t help but think of Little House on the Prairie.  :)   What Spartan living conditions!  However, in the bottom right picture you can see that in later times they did have electricity!  (click pics to enlarge)

Besides the sod house, there is also the remains of the stick coral for livestock.
This homestead is not open to the public, so I really enjoyed imagining how it would have been for early settlers.  This is such a harsh environment in the high desert to try to homestead.  Can you imagine trying to eke out a living here?  Behind the sod house, an orchard was planted with what I think were plum trees.  The trees were large, but their fruits at this time had not yet ripened.  A hard freeze is not long off at this elevation, so it makes me wonder if the fruits will ever ripen.
The biggest necessity for living in this region is water, and this homestead had a very inviting warm springs.  That’s why those folks settled here.  As I dipped my hand into the spring, I could just envision having a nice long soak in those warm waters!  :)
There were many teasels surrounding the springs, and lots of dragonflies. (I can’t remember the difference between dragonflies and damselflies right now, so I’m going to call this a dragonfly)  I loved the brilliant blue color of this one.

The three of us visited quite a few more places today, and I learned a lot more about archeology, but I’m going to save the rest for tomorrow’s post.  This is long enough.  :)

I will leave you tonight with another pic of this morning’s sunrise…
Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy