Havre Daily News
Historical Site Will be Havre Tourist Attraction
June 13, 1969
by Vern McIntyre
Work is progressing this week and will continue next week in preparing
the historical "buffalo jump" just west of Havre as a furute tourist
attraction for the Havre area. The work on the two-week budget concists
mainly of cleanup and salvage and clearing the slump from the "dig"
which resulted from winter dmage and vandalism.
In charge of the work is
Leslie B. Davis, Calgary,
Alberta, who is presently
completing work on his
Doctoral in Archaeology at
the University of Calgary.
Davis was formerly a
guidance counselor at
Northern Montana College.
Also assisting with the
project is Emmett Stallcop,
Havre, president of the
Montana State Archaeology
Society, volunteer members
of the Milk River
Archaeology Society, and
assigned labor from the
Neighborhood Youth Corps.
MANNING A SHOVEL -- Much hard work is
entailed in uncovering a site such as the historical
buffalo jump west of havre. Newell Schaub,
Neighborhood Youth Corps worker, is stripped
for action as he swings a shovel.
When the pit at the site is
completely prepared a
protective covering will be
placed over it and it will then
be available for display on
request through the H. Earl
Clack Memorial Museum or by
contacting Stallcop.
EXCAVATION -- This is the excavation at the jump site west
of Havre which is being prepared as a historical exhibit to be
available for veiwing by the public. Working in the
excavation from left are Joe Blackbird, NYC; Dave Schreiber,
a volunteer; Newell Schaub, NYC, and Kenny Nicholson,
NYC. The men are engaged in facing up the edges of the
excavation, using trowels, whisk brooms and ice picks. All
bison bones, fireplaces and other features of the dig are being
carefully exposed in place. When the shaping is finished,
several layers of preservative are put on to protect the exposed
features against insects, moisuture and weather. The dig will
then be completely exclosed.
CHECKING THE SCREEN -- Looking over the screen after
shaking for artifact finds is a group of people who are
presently putting the site into condition for exhibitiion. At the
left in the white shirt is Emmett Stallcop, Havre, president of
the Montana State Archaeological Society, and the others
clockwise from Stallcop are Les Davis, Calgary, in charge of
the work; Scott Schreiber and Pam Bowman, members of the
Milk River Archaeological Society, and Dave Schreiber, a
volunteer worker.
This buffalo site near Havre is
the only site of its kind in the
United States which has been
professionally explored and put
into condition as an exhibition
site. When completed it is
hoped to have walks and stairs
for the convenience of people
viewing the site.
MORE HARD WORK -- Kenny Nicholson,
Neighborhood Youth Corps worker, has one of the
tougher jobs at the site, moving away the refuse via
a wheelbarrow. Piloting this little buggy uphill
loaded with dirt can run into quite a chore.
FILING THE SCREEN -- Preparing an
archaeological site might appear to be a simple
task but actually it amounts to a lot of sweat and
hard work. Filling the screen all day with a shovel
is real labor. On the business end of the shovel is
Joe Blacbird of Neighborhood Youth Corps and
holding the screen is Dave Schreiber, a volunteer
worker.
EXCAVATION SITE -- This is the site of the excavation at
the buffalo jump with the Milk River and the scenic badlands
in the background. The steel fence that encloses the site may
also be noted. When this picture was taken workers were
busily probing for arrow points. Most of the excavation is
protected from weather by a plastic cover.
SPECIMEN FINDS -- These are point
specimens recovered at the site west of
Havre, all aroow points of the late plains
(side notched). They date from around
1200 A.D. to about 1700 A.D. The size
of the points may be noted by comparing
them with the hand holding them.
SCREENING FOR ARTIFACTS -- Dave
Schreiber (left), a volunteer, and Scott Schreiber
(right), member of the Milk River Archaeology
Society, screen diggings from the jump site in
search of Indian artifacts, mainly stone arrow and
spear points. Shaking a screen for several hours
runs into considerable labor.
The site is the property of Hill County and is completely enclosed by a woven wire
fence. It lies just below a bluff on the west side of town which has a 151-foot drop
to Milk River. It is designated as Archaeologcal Site 24HL101 "The Wahkpa
Chu'gn Bison Kill." According to Davis, Wahkpa Chu'gn is the Assinniboine
Indian term for Milk River and translated it means "Little River." The Indians
called the Missouri River the "Big River."
In describing the site Stallcop said, "The coulee within the enclosure was used by
historic Indians as a "buffalo jump" and camping place during the last 2,000 years.
Bison were driven or disabled by being driven over the bluffs.
"In the oldest part of the site the animals were killed by people using spears with
stone points of the Besant type. In the later portion of the site the animals that
survived the fall were killed with aroows having stone points of the type in use
from 400 A.D. to 1,000 A.D.
"The campsite portion of the site contains many fire hearths, some buried under six
feet of deposits. Bone tools, pipes, scrapers, knives, pottery and ornaments have
also been recovered from this site."
The site is considered to be of great historical importance and all unauthorized
entry or digging is prohibited.
 1969, Havre Daily News