Site 48LA247 is located on the east side of Missile Drive on the terrace above the Crow Creek drainage. It is situated below and to the south of 48LA259, which is located on the Pleistocene terrace. The area is covered in long grasses. No URS Berger datum was located, although it is probable that there was one on the site. This means that it was difficult to find the exact location of the previous backhoe trench.

Site 48LA247 was located by URS Berger as a low-density subsurface scatter. URS Berger placed a backhoe trench in this area in June 1984 to determine if artifact-bearing strata were represented below the surface. The trench ranged from 1.2 to 1.6 m in depth. They found that the cultural unit occurred between about 45 and 90 cmbs. Three radiocarbon samples were taken from the sediment in the backhoe trench. The sample ¹⁴C ages are 8760 ± 60 (Beta-10001), 7720 ± 200 (Beta-10002); and 1080 ± 70 B.P. (Beta-10003). All dates were from carbon from sediment samples. A 5-m² block excavation was also laid out and several 1-m² units within the block were excavated. Two hearths were uncovered in the excavations and were dated at 5200 ± 100 (Beta-10720) and 5410 ± 150 B.P. (Beta-10721) (Tetra Tech 1987:6-95). These dates are important, as they indicate a buried, stratigraphically sealed, Early to Middle Plains Archaic horizon.

In 1991, Trench 8 was excavated at this site to examine the area for the buried subsurface deposits located previously by URS Berger. Profile and soil descriptions are found in Appendix A. Bedrock was about 145 cmbs, overlain by four colluvial units. No cultural material was observed in the 1991 trench. The profiles drawn by URS Berger (Tetra Tech 1987:Figure 6-24) and Albanese (Appendix A:Figure A8) are similar in showing four colluvial units. It appears that the site was correctly relocated, and the units defined by URS Berger could also be found. 

The identification of a buried Early to Middle Archaic horizon is exciting. This would allow comparison and provide contrast to the work completed at 48LA277 in order to examine the elements of change and stability in life in the Crow Creek drainage from 5000 to 1500 B.P. Further work at this site should include block excavations designed to encompass and enlarge the excavations completed by URS Berger. This would allow for examination of activity areas around the hearths as well as uncover any additional features present.

Site 48LA250 is on the top of the Pleistocene terrace and adjacent to the railroad tracks to the northeast (Figure 14). The main portion of the site area is very flat with very little vegetation. Ground visibility was excellent. At this site URS Berger collected 1,497 flaked- and ground-stone artifacts, indicating that tool manufacture and processing of floral and faunal resources took place here (Tetra Tech 1987:6-110). Temporal diagnostics collected from the site indicated occupation by Middle Plains Archaic, Late Plains Archaic, and Late Prehistoric groups (Tetra Tech 1987:6-148).

In the approximate location of the URS Berger datum was a piece of rebar set in concrete. Nearby were two square areas that were barren of grass and appeared to be the test units completed by URS Berger. Using the URS Berger site map, and the rebar as datum, both areas were found to be in the correct location for the units. On this basis, the surveyor assumed that the previous datum and mapping orientation were correctly relocated. A tree tag with the site number on it was placed on the rebar.

Artifacts were pin flagged during pedestrian survey of the site area. Fifteen flakes were collected and piece plotted using the electronic distance meter. The material collected was scarce, relative to the original site collection. This suggests that there is little material appearing on the ground surface through bioturbation or freeze-thaw movements. The site is located on the Pleistocene terrace with only a thin layer of Holocene eolian deposition in some locations. Any subsurface material located is likely to be the result of bioturbation rather than a sealed, subsurface horizon.

Approximately .35 m³ were excavated in a 1-m² unit. This unit was north of the road and south of the railroad tracks. It was positioned over two flakes that were seen eroding out of the roadcut in hopes of locating a Holocene stratum. The unit was excavated to 35 cmbs. Forty-three lithic artifacts were recovered from the unit. Four tertiary chert flakes were found between 0 and 10 cmbs. Twenty-nine artifacts were found between 10 and 20 cmbs and 10 between 20 and 30 cmbs. The material found at 10-20 cmbs was all chert or chalcedony tertiary flakes.

Between 20 and 30 cmbs, eight flakes, one core, and one biface were recovered. The biface, FS 517, is a crude, early-stage chalcedony biface exhibiting a sinuous edge. The core also is made of the local chalcedony, banded with limestone or dolomite. There is very little of the chalcedony remaining on the site, as almost all of the usable material was removed.

Backhoe Trench 6 was excavated in a drainage where URS Berger had placed a test unit that uncovered subsurface material. This is a broad, open swale with the potential for colluvial deposits. Appendix A contains the trench profile and soil descriptions. The upper two soil units in the trench date to the historic period. They show transitions between colluvium/slope wash sediment to ephemeral stream sediments (Appendix A). The lower soil units in the swale show ephemeral stream deposits. Soil Units 3 and 4 in this trench appear to correlate with Soil Units 3 and 4 in Trench 1 at 48LA277. Feature 9 was located at the top of Soil Unit 4 in that trench. Given the data from the URS Berger test unit, it is probable that these soil units do contain prehistoric materials.

The trench yielded a number of historic-period artifacts, suggesting that the swale was used for garbage deposition over the history of the base. FS 599 is a metal bucket bail; FS 512 is an expended bullet that is so flattened that it obviously hit something very hard, such as a rock. While the bullet is too flattened for positive identification, its size suggests that it was probably a .22 caliber. FS 565 is a portion of the foot of a porcelain plate.

Two bottles were also recovered in the trench. FS 563 is a round-bottomed soda bottle. The finish is not present, but enough of the bottle is present to read "...LL &/COCHRANE/BELFAST &/DUBLIN" embossed on the side. No information on the manufacturer was located (Baldwin 1973; Fike 1987; Toulouse 1971; Wilson 1981). FS 600 is a cork-stoppered glass medicine bottle. Embossed on the front is a bird device and a superimposed "H & B" in a circle. Also embossed on the front of the bottle is "HURLBUT BROS/DRUGGISTS/CHEYENNE/WYO." That this says "WYO," rather than Wyoming Territory suggests that the bottle was manufactured after statehood. Hurlbut Bros. was undoubtedly a local Cheyenne pharmacy that probably had medicine bottles manufactured expressly for their goods.

Seven fragments of mammal bones were recovered, a total of 250 g of bone (Table 12). Three of the bone fragments terminate in saw marks (FS 564, -567, -597), indicating the historic-period nature of the deposit. Three are large bones (a carpal, a radius fragment, and a rib fragment) from the genus Bos, and could be either bison or cow. Given the context, the elements are probably cow bones. FS 567 is the distal radius from a smaller large ungulate, about the size of a deer or antelope. The bone, however, is too eroded for a positive identification. This piece is one of the sawn pieces, and suggests that some meat on the base was procured through hunting. FS 597 is the right femur from an animal the size of a opossum. The final two pieces of bone were too fragmentary for identification. The context of the faunal assemblage from 48LA250, as well as the saw marks, suggests the material is associated with the historic-period component of the site.

The majority of prehistoric artifacts on this site were on the Pleistocene terrace and were collected by URS Berger. No additional work is recommended on the top of terrace. In the swales there are colluvial layers that may yield some buried prehistoric material. However, it appears that these are impacted and overlain by use of the swales as historic-period dumps. Further investigations at this site would need to have a historic-period, as well as prehistoric, focus.

During the URS Berger testing, this site was located on the basis of a surficial scatter. Shovel tests located prehistoric materials from 15 to 120 cmbs. Historic-period material was also located in the shovel probes. Depressions on the surface of the site indicated where historic disturbances impacted the site area.

URS Berger placed five shovel probes at this site. According to S. L. Bupp (field notes, June 18, 1984), six were along the terrace edge and one was on a deflated slope. Three of the probes located subsurface archeological material, and one located subsurface historic-period material. Historic-period artifacts were located 0-25 cmbs, and prehistoric artifacts were located about 40-60 cmbs.

Using the site map from the URS Berger testing, an attempt was made to relocate the datum. A wooden stake was found in the ground in the datum's approximate position. The stake was the same type as, and had weathering consistent with, the URS Berger stakes found on other sites. A gutter spike then was placed in the ground, and on the gutter spike an aluminum tag was placed with the site number on it.

Seven shovel tests were conducted in this area. They were oriented in a cross, using a wooden stake as the center. The cross was oriented north-south and east-west, with 1-4 shovel tests conducted in each direction with a spacing of 5 m. Four tests were conducted to the north, two to the south, and one test each to the east and west. No cultural material was recovered in the tests.

This portion of the Crow Creek terrace was heavily impacted by historic disturbances. This area was apparently used during World War II as a training area. From examining the ground it appears as if it could easily have been a training ground for the use of heavy machinery. 

Using the site map from the URS Berger testing, the area of the datum was relocated. In its approximate position a wooden stake was lying on its side. The stake was the same type and had weathered consistently with URS Berger stakes found on other sites. The crew assumed this was the approximate location of the URS Berger datum.

In 1984, the URS Berger team determined that subsurface deposits were present on the site through the excavation of 3 1-m2 units, 15 shovel tests, and a backhoe trench. URS Berger excavated a 24-m-long, 1-m-wide backhoe trench at this site and determined that the artifact-bearing stratum was colluvial in origin (K. J. Peter, field notes, June 14, 1984). Peter determined that the artifact-bearing stratum was roughly 8-50 cmbs. The subsurface deposits were considered to be similar to those at 48LA247.

In 1992, 16 shovel tests were conducted in this area. They were oriented in a cross, using a wooden stake as the center of the cross. The cross was oriented north-south and east-west, with four shovel tests conducted in each direction with a spacing of 5 m. In the tests we found a gray soil horizon, similar to the artifact-bearing horizon at 48LA277.

Two flakes (FS 604 and -606) and one biface (FS 605) were found in the shovel tests, confirming the existence of the subsurface deposits. No diagnostic material or features have yet been recovered from the site area; however, additional excavation may yield these artifacts. The site is not presently threatened in any manner.

Trench 7 was in a swale below the terrace edge (Figure 1). To outside appearances it was in a geomorphological setting similar to 48LA277 and to Trench 6. However, unconsolidated bedrock was reached by 40 cm. The remainder of the Crow Creek valley in this area had suffered extensive disturbance through heavy machinery at some time in the past (probably during World War II training exercises). Most of the soil in this swale appears to have been removed through heavy machinery (Appendix A).