Archaeologists
find evidence of Chinese camp in Sierra
TRUCKEE,
Calif. (AP) -- Archaeologists have uncovered
evidence near this Sierra town of what's
thought to be a Chinese logging camp that
dates back to the 1870s.
Artifacts
found at the Tahoe National Forest site
off Sawtooth Road include an ax head, metal
files, opium can fragments, a Chinese medicine
bottle and tableware fragments.
''The
area is just covered in artifacts,'' Forest
Service archaeologist Carrie Smith told
the Sierra Sun newspaper.
The
excavations will determine the historical
significance of the site and whether it
might qualify for listing on the National
Register of Historic Places.
The
abundance of artifacts led archaelogists
to speculate that the site either housed
a large number of people for a relatively
short period of time or was a more permanent
camp.
Evidence
of Chinese camps has been found in many
areas around Truckee, but this was the first
such site found on public land.
''It's
an ongoing battle to preserve these sites,''
Smith said.
Also
found at the site were remnants of an old
two-person ''misery whipsaw'' used by loggers
in the
1870s, fragments of a ceramic tobacco pipe
and numerous nails that might have been
used for a cabin.
''We've
already found a lot more artifacts than
I expected ... and it's pretty diverse stuff
related to logging, metal working and recreation,''
said archaeologist Scott Baxter of Past
Forward Inc., which specializes in historic
resource evaluations.
''Basically,
we're out here trying to determine if this
site is important or not. Does this site
have the data potential to tell us how it
fits into the greater scheme of all the
logging camps in the area,'' he added.
Extensive
logging took place in the 1860s and 1870s
in the Lake Tahoe area to supply timber
during a mining boom in Virginia City, Nev.,
20 miles southeast of Reno, Nev.
Collecting
artifacts on public land is illegal and
can carry fines of up to $10,000
''The
really sad thing about archaeology sites
is that if people come and collect things,
it's like little pieces of puzzles getting
picked up and taken away,'' Smith said.
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