I am working on a natural resources plan for Yakima Training Center and was on a tour of the base and visited the archaeologist. They had to re-locate a Native American graveyard. It had been a winter trading site for several tribes to come together. The Columbia River was rising due to downstream dams and the graveyard had to be relocated a few yards up the hill. The tribal shamans blessed the new site and it was quite an example of cooperation. Unfortunately, I missed the ceremony.
Anyway, while walking across the steppe, we found a human humerus, and two different styles of grinding stones (morteros). When we got to the "beach" (about 2 feet wide), it was composed of broken flakes left from knapping blades. The base biologist even found a rejected spear point. It was amazing that the whole beach was composed of chert flakes. The archaeologist was with us, so he was able to collect the artifacts.
Another time, my brother and I were hunting deer and pig on an Army base when we stopped for lunch. We noticed the embankment across from us has a white layer of "chalk". I got curious and examined it. It was about a foot thick and was limestone with layer and layer of brachiopod fossils. These sorta resemble scallops but aren't even mollusks. They ranged in size from less than an inch to larger than my hand with the fingers spread.
While hunting the same base, I found a corroded Garand clip filled with unfired 30-06 blanks.
