Campsite/Midden Question

[douglaslefler]

Hey everyone, I got a spot along the river where I have been finding some points and flint but also a TON of shells. There is a layer of them that I can see coming out of a pretty decent size section of the riverbank. Where I find shells I also find points and flint. There are also big round rocks eroding out of the same spot and a lot of them are broke in half or in many pieces. I guess my question is do you think this is a camp spot or maybe a midden. With all the big rocks coming out of the same section of bank I first thought it was a camp but there are so many shells I am starting to think midden. Any answers or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Doug.

[Wildhorse]

Not siure about your area but in Washington many times the camp layers are full of shells. Broken bone and broken large rocks (fire). They may have tossed the shells away so not to have to walk on them but you must have a camp very close to the layers. Just my 2 cents worth here.

[Old Stones]

I sounds like a camp site. One spot I hunt here in Michgan has a steep bank along the river. The face of the bank is completely covered with fresh water clam shells, pottery, and fire cracked rock. Toward the top of the bank you can see a cross section of the actual fire pits sometimes after a heavy rain.

[douglaslefler]

Thanks for the help guys, and Old Stones your spot sounds just like mine minus the pottery, I have yet to find any here but I am really hoping that a couple good pieces show up so I can add them to my very very small pottery collection. Thanks again. Doug