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