Tehama Roads 2015 - Passport in Time
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Archaeology of the Historic Tehama Roads and Trails 2015
Redding Field Office (BLM), California, 2015
By Cara Kubika and Dr. Eric Ritter, Archaeologists
Lost Emigrant Trail PIT Project 2015
Tehama County California
Report #FY 2015-31
Artifact Analysis
7/21/2015
Summary
Overall, the segments of the lost emigrant trail metal-detected in 2015 by PIT project volunteers yielded a variety of artifacts including those that can be grouped into transportation, livestock, armament, household-related, and other miscellaneous categories. Wagon related materials and animal shoes were the most robustly represented categories in the recorded assemblage, while fewer representations of household, clothing, and food related items were recovered along the segments studied this season.
Documentation was carried out by completing formal artifact forms with associated photography and location information for objects of particular significance, while routinely occurring objects lacking unique qualities were recorded on a frequency tally within each segment.
The determination of an artifact’s significance was not always clear enough in the field to yield a consistent system of distinction between these two recording procedures. This inconsistency resulted in some artifacts with relatively uninformative characteristics being documented with formal artifact forms, while some artifacts that could be deemed significant were recorded instead within the tally charts. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the combination of both formally recorded and quantitatively tallied artifacts in order to understand the nature of the assemblage. It should also be noted that some artifacts recorded in the tally sheets, especially bullet slugs, were most likely modern.
There were 47 artifacts formally recorded along the 2015 trail segments, along with 134 finds documents on the sheets. The artifacts recorded at Spring Branch Crossing and artifacts recorded as isolates lie outside these counts, and will be discussed at the end of this section. The density of artifacts recovered, overall, was approximately 521 finds per mile, although only about 1/3 of a linear mile was covered in total, with metal detection extending approximately 10-20 meters to each side of the center of the visible swale. Coverage of this area by metal detecting and visual scanning is estimated to be about 75%. Section 3 had the highest density of finds, with approximately 627 per mile, while sections 1 and 2 revealed 570 per mile and 383 per mile respectively. The extent of coverage from the center of the swale, as well as thoroughness of coverage, varied within and between these sections, making these artifact densities relative estimates rather than exact numbers for comparison.
The high density of artifacts in these segments is in good part accountable due to the rockiness of the hills and plateau, in places at least 50% cobble and occasional bedrock exposure. Segments 1 and 2 are on the plateau or tableland with fewer rocks and more soil cover. Furthermore, Segment 1 may include an area of oaks with rest stop and camping possibilities superior to the other segments.
Table 1.0 presents an overview of all formally recorded artifacts from segments 1-3, while tables 1.1-1.7 list these formally recorded artifacts by category. The artifact numbers listed in these tables align with the artifact labels on the included photographs, and with the artifact labels seen the following maps.
Tables 2.1-2.3 list the tallied artifacts by segment.
Table 1.0
| # | Segment | Depth | Easting | Northing | Collected? | Item | Remarks |
| 1 | 1 | 3" | 573958 | 4471652 | no | Ferrous square washer with nail through middle | 1 1/2" width of washer |
| 2 | 1 | 3" | 572963 | 4471647 | no | 4d wire nail | 1 1/2" long round shank, flat point, tapered under head |
| 3 | 1 | 3" | 573960 | 4471651 | no | Carriage bolt | Forged |
| 4 | 1 | 4" | 573913 | 4471687 | no | Horseshoe | Hand forged |
| 5 | 1 | 4" | 573949 | 4471673 | yes | Brass clamp | Hand made |
| 6 | 1 | 3" | 573901 | 4471679 | Brass bullet casing | Crimped on one side. Unmarked centerfire. .5" diameter head | |
| 7 | 1 | 2" | 573874 | 4471677 | yes | Broken horse shoe | 6m south of trail, toe calk. |
| 8 | 1 | 3" | 573912 | 4471683 | yes | Ferrous buckle | Horse trappings. |
| 9 | 1 | 2-3" | 573871 | 4471688 | no | Carriage bolt | 3/8x2" long |
| 10 | 1 | 4" | 573867 | 4471688 | no | Square nut | found with #11. 1 3/8" square. 3/4" thick. 1/2" bolt. |
11 | 1 | 4" | 573867 | 4471688 | no | Square nut | found with #10. 5/8" thick. 5/8" bolt. |
12 | 1 | 4" | 573876 | 4471692 | no | Partial lard can lid | Hentrich CO Superior Leaf San Francisco. |
13 | 1 | 2" | 573867 | 4471707 | no | Hole in cap meat can fragment | Rectangular. 3" wide, 3" length. |
14 | 1 | 4" | 573849 | 4471696 | no | Carriage bolt | 7/16"x3 1/2". Probably machine made. |
15 | 1 | 3" | 573845 | 4471703 | yes | Ferrous button | 5/8" diameter. M.E. Smith & Co Omaha 1886-1920's |
16 | 1 | 3" | 573828 | 4471707 | no | Partial horseshoe | With nails |
17 | 2 | 4" | 573548 | 4471726 | no | Part of small horse, pony, or mule shoe | |
18 | 2 | 8" | 573535 | 4471720 | yes | Lead bullet | .45 Caliber-grooved base |
19 | 2 | 4" | 573610 | 4471721 | yes | Square nut | |
20 | 2 | 3" | 573581 | 4471722 | yes | Hole-in-cap can | East side of road, 1# type. |
21 | 2 | 2" | 573623 | 4471722 | no | Machine square nut | |
22 | 2 | 3" | 573655 | 4471711 | no | Iron pipe | 2 1/2" long. |
23 | 2 | 1" | 573707 | 4471724 | yes | Large double rivet | Wagon wheel type. |
56 | 2 | subsurface | none | none | no | Ferrous spike | Wagon-related? |
24 | 3 | 3" | 576328 | 4471877 | no | Horseshoe fragment | Possibly hand-forged. |
25 | 3 | 4" | 576281 | 4471893 | no | Horseshoe fragment | |
26 | 3 | 4" | 576281 | 4471893 | no | Linch Pin | |
27 | 3 | 1/2" | 576418 | 4471876 | no | Small horse/pony shoe | One nail attached. |
28 | 3 | 3" | 576257 | 4471892 | no | Horseshoe toe calk. | |
29 | 3 | 3" | 576337 | 4471874 | no | Wagon wheel rivet | |
30 | 3 | 3" | 576262 | 4471889 | no | Steel edge or shim | 4 1/2" long 1/2" wide, tapered 3/8" to 1/4" |
31 | 3 | 4" | 576360 | 4471871 | no | Square nut | |
32 | 3 | 3" | 576264 | 4471897 | no | Square nut | |
33 | 3 | 4" | 576361 | 4471873 | no | Carriage bolt | Round head with thread, hand forged. |
34 | 3 | 3" | 576263 | 4471892 | no | Square nut with bolt | |
35 | 3 | 2" | 576352 | 4471869 | no | Square nut | |
36 | 3 | 2" | 576280 | 4471893 | no | Horseshoe with nail | |
37 | 3 | 4" | 576362 | 4471871 | no | Screw, washer, top of bolt | Screw: 2" Washer: 3/4" Bolt top: 1" |
38 | 3 | 3" | 576279 | 4471888 | yes | Ferrous rivet or concho | 9/16" diameter, two overlapping horseshoes design. Possibly from saddle, nickel plated. |
39 | 3 | 4" | 576375 | 4471868 | yes | Double rivet | Wagon wheel type. |
40 | 3 | 3" | 576297 | 4471885 | no | Ferrous buckle | |
41 | 3 | several | 576368 | 4471874 | no | Cast iron stove fragments. | Packard stove. Many scattered parts along trail, with 4 amethyst glass fragments. Sears 1800's. |
42 | 3 | 3" | 576322 | 4471879 | no | Wagon wheel rivet | Ferrous |
43 | 3 | 3" | 576362 | 4471871 | no | Carriage bolt | 3 1/8" |
44 | 3 | 4" | 576407 | 4471871 | no | Half horseshoe | |
45 | 3 | 5" | 576396 | 4471871 | no | Bolt and square nut | 5 1/4" Bent at end, might have been through more metal. |
46 | 3 | 5" | 576418 | 4471877 | no | horseshoe |
Table 2.1
Segment 1 Tallied Finds
| Object | Count | Artifact Category |
| Wire Nails (1 3/8") | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Modern Coins | 2 | Other |
| Wire Fragments | 10 | Other |
| Can Fragments | 7 | Cans |
| Can Lid Fragments | 4 | Cans |
| #9 Wood Screw | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| .22 Cartridges | 2 | Armaments |
| .45 Cartridges | 1 | Armaments |
| Modern Shotgun Shells | 2 | Armaments |
| Cut Nails (6d) | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Horseshoe Nails | 3 | Animal Shoes |
| Sheet Metal Scraps | 3 | Other |
| Part of Lead Slug | 1 | Armaments |
| Square nut | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Melted Lead 1 3/4"x7/8" | 1 | Other |
| Modern Church Key Can | 1 | Cans |
Table 2.2
Segment 2 Tallied Finds
| Object | Count | Artifact Category |
| .45 Cal. Bullet | 10 | Armaments |
| Lead Slugs | 8 | Armaments |
| Buck Shot | 1 | Armaments |
| .30 Cal | 1 | Armaments |
| Cut Nails (1 each of 7d, 16d) | 2 | Wagon-Related |
| Wood Screw | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Wire Nails | 4 | Wagon-Related |
| Modern Shotgun Shells | 2 | Armaments |
| Ferrous Fragments | 1 | Other |
| Horseshoe Nails | 1 | Animal Shoes |
| Ferrous Spike/Pin 3" | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Wire Fragments | 4 | Other |
| Washer | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Tapered Bullet | 1 | Armaments |
Table 2.3
Segment 3 Tallied Finds
| Object | Count | Artifact Category |
| Carriage Bolt | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Square Nuts | 2 | Wagon-Related |
| Wire Nails | 5 | Wagon-Related |
| Wire Fragments | 2 | Other |
| Lead Slugs | 2 | Armaments |
| Modern Shotgun Shells | 2 | Armaments |
| Horseshoe Fragments | 1 | Animal Shoes |
| Broken 1/4" Bolt+Nut 2 1/4" Long | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Spring Fragments 4 1/2"x1 1/2"x1/4" | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| 1/4" Washer | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Horseshoe Nails | 3 | Animal Shoes |
| Rivet 1 1/2" | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Sheet Metal Scraps | 2 | Other |
| Iron Fragments | 5 | Other |
| Small Rivet | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Ferrous Washer | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Cut Nails (3d) | 3 | Wagon-Related |
Cut Nails (6d) | 3 | Wagon-Related |
Cut Nails (8d) | 1 | Wagon-Related |
Cut Nails (12d) | 1 | Wagon-Related |
| Can Lid Fragments | 6 | Cans |
| Metal Square | 1 | Wagon-Related |
Categories
of Artifacts
Wagon
Related Artifacts
Not unexpectedly, artifacts likely
associated with wagons were the most commonly recorded items found along the
trail. Of the 25 wagon related artifacts formally recorded, the vast majority
were square nuts and carriage bolts. In addition to nuts and bolts, various
spikes, rivets, and washers were recorded. See Table 1.1, below, for full
descriptions of these 25 artifacts. In addition to these 25 artifacts, many of
the tallied items included nails, nuts, and washers that are likely to be
associated with wagons or wagon cargo.
The method of manufacture of
these wagon items varied. While some appear to be hand-forged, others were
machine-made. This represents a long history of use and/or utilization of older
wagons for a long period of time, and we cannot discount blacksmith-derived
wagon parts and other items from more recent times.
Table 1.1
Wagon Related Artifacts
| # | Segment | Depth | Easting | Northing | Collected? | Item | Remarks |
1 | 1 | 3" | 573958 | 4471652 | no | Ferrous square washer with nail through middle | 1 1/2" width of washer |
| 3 | 1 | 3" | 573960 | 4471651 | no | Carriage bolt | Forged |
| 5 | 1 | 4" | 573949 | 4471673 | yes | Brass clamp | Hand made |
| 9 | 1 | 2-3" | 573871 | 4471688 | no | Carriage bolt | 3/8x2" long |
| 10 | 1 | 4" | 573867 | 4471688 | no | Square nut | found with #11. 1 3/8" square. 3/4' thick. 1/2" bolt. |
11 | 1 | 4" | 573867 | 4471688 | no | Square nut | found with #10. 5/8" thick. 5/8" bolt. |
14 | 1 | 4" | 573849 | 4471696 | no | Carriage bolt | 7/16"x3 1/2". Probably machine made. |