WARD-WEST RANCH
May 16, 1968
Informed by Mrs. Minnie B. Ward that she was clearing brush of[f] high ground on Menefee Bayou and that now was the time to make a survey.
Started surface survey on west side of Menefee Bayou. MAP locating ranch, based on Route Map of Port Lavaca (Texas) and Vicinity.
May 17, 1968
No.1 - European pottery sherds found on surface - (porcelain) Brown, light blue and a dark blue. Enamel on outside, plain white inside. Hard tecture [sic] - (2 sherds) - one sherd white enamel with light and dark gray decorations on inside. This appears to be a bowl.
No.2 - Indian pottery. Shell [temporal?], dark brown. 2 sherds seen much cooking on fire. Also at this location was found fragments of sandstone metate. In the area [were] deer bones, oyster shell,(burnt) and tarapen [sic] shells. Flint chipping etc, no middins of any kind were apparent.
No.3 - At this location laying on the surface a Mexican silver piece of money was found, date 1834, Republica Mexicana. It rained in the evening about 5 p.m.
No.4 - European pottery (porcelain)
No.5 - European pottery (porcelain)
No.6 - Arrowhead
The dates listed below and what was found on these survey trips - on each trip - will be discribed [sic] and the identified objects also listed. All other artifacts or objects unidentified - a special note will be made of them. The project will take 2 or 3 months, depending on the weather.
Checking out possible site of a grave yard, when it began to rain. Stop[p]ing all work, including the root plowing machine, operated by a Mr. Koop. Found the foot bone of a very large ox or bison, very old and also some burned shell, 500 feet west of the bayou.
Found Indian pottery and some evidence of burned shell found at point near ravine.
Found one fragment of pottery, yellow and white strips [sic] near ravine. Checked out other side of ravine. Needs more rain on ground which has been root plowed.
Visited Mrs. Ward and checked site for rain - none.
Rained all day on plowed ground at site and also all day 24 June - Ground is now wet.
Today, a.m. [I] mailed off to Quebec Canada some fragments of European pottery believed to be French faience. In the evening [I] went to the Menefee Bayou. [It was] very muddy. Along one furrow of the root plow and near the place where [a] human tooth was found , I picked up a human lower leg bone [that was] partly out of ground where the root plow had throwed [sic] it up to view. On account of the muddy condition of the ground no excavating was done where bone was found. Same eve[ning] I also found some more European pottery and a rather large fragment of Indian pottery at the point of the bluff and the ravine.
Received today fragments of pottery from the Quebec Museum - of type which La Salle would [have] had with him at Fort St. Louis - late 17th Century - soft base - heavy white glaze - blue decorations .
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Note - Pottery sent to Quebec Museum was identified as early 1800 to 1825 English.
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