Four of us were surveying an area north and west of Fort Huachuca. Our goal: to find prehistoric sites worth preserving on this private land, meaning a prehistoric site with structures or alignments. The rancher-owner had invited us in. He wanted to know what was ‘out there.’
The land is one of the original Mexico-Arizona ‘land grants’ and has been in the family for about 4 generations. The family had sold some land to Ft. Huachuca. The Fort was buying the property to keep ‘cyber-noise’ at the lowest level possible. The strip of land we were to survey was up for sale; to be split into house lots.
We were following a small wash and were in chest high dry grass. We had covered several acres-nothing-nada-nil! Oh we had an old bit of wood, a bucket and nails all signs of recent cattle ranch working; nothing that we were interested in preserving.
It was a tough slog through that dry, skin slicing, tall grass.
I called out, “Head for that tree to the south. There will be a site there!”
As we left the deep, chest high grass we entered an open area several yards from the tree.
The call, “I have a point!”
3 more points, other lithics, ground stone and pottery – yep! We had a site, unfortunately, not a site ‘worth’ preserving.
The call got me laughing as I was just being sassy when I said a site would be at the tree.
I just wanted out of that damn grass!
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