MAY 7, 2005

From: Scott Beld
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2005
To: Oxbow Archaeologists
Subject: Riverbank testing - May 7, 2005

Hi Oxbow Archaeologists,

We made it into the field for the first time this year and began testing along the riverbank on the Ponton property.

In the morning, John O., Conrad, and I surface collected to the south field. We noted several concentrations of debitage and F.C.R. and collected well over 100 flakes.

In the afternoon, we opened a test on the riverbank 85 meters west of a datum point I established on Thursday when I was in Midland. This unit is located directly south of where we enter the property (see map - 85 west.jpg). The attached picture shows John and Conrad screening the first level of the unit (see 85 west 5-7-05.jpg). We are excavating the test unit in 10 cm levels. John and Conrad helped me excavate the first to levels to 20 cm. I managed to get the unit to 50 cm by the end of the day. So far there hasn’t been a whole lot in the unit. The 0-10 cm level had several wire nails and some iron fragments. There was no modern material below 10 cm. The 10-20 cm level had one mammal bone fragment at 20 cm. I found one small fire cracked rock fragment in the 20-30 cm level. The 30-40 cm level contained a small F.C.R. and a fish vertebra. And the 40-50 cm level contained one rather large F.C.R.

If the weather is nice on Wednesday we’ll try to excavate. To get to the site, after you enter the property go straight south instead of turning right to go to the Ponton site. Park where you see my car (I may be parked a couple hundred yards from the riverbank because there is a low very wet patch in the middle of the field). If it is raining we’ll be at the Resource Building.

Hope to see you at the site.

Scott

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Scott G. Beld, Ph.D.
Research Associate II
The University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology
1109 Geddes Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1079
Phone: 734-764-0489 (UMMP Main Office)
734-763-9253 (My Office)
Fax: 734-936-1380
Email: sbeld@umich.edu
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