Hempstead County Historical Society Meets
On Tuesday night the Hempstead County Historical met. Josh Williams presented the speaker Dr. Carl G. Drexler, Arkansas Archaeological Survey Archeologist at Southern Arkansas University. Dr. Dr. Drexler showed a map of the area being studied, just west of DeQueen. He stated in the early 19th Century Sevier County was a part of Hempstead County, this in a broad sense it fit into Hempstead County’s history.
Dr. Drexler stated there hasn’t been much research done in the area. The Lockesburg Mounds was the first area he studied. It was a big Indian mound site. The site was hit by backhoe by people intent on profiting from it. The property was sold and the new owner wasn’t interested in people digging on his property so the crew moved on to the Holman Springs site.
Salt was made at this new site, which is adjacent to a salt marsh. The Caddo tribe made a lot of salt there.
The dig had a couple of different aims in the year 2022. The maps had to be worked on. There had been excavation work done there in the 1980s but the site had been abandoned and the maps were not placed properly within the grid. Mapping methods have also changed a lot since the 1980s.
The aim was to get generally in the ballpark but the crew were able to do better than that. They found a 1980s excavation ridge – with asphalt, mountain dew bottles and tape and pieces together how these came to be there – a previous researcher and an agreement with a road crew to fill the site when they were done.
Over the course of two weeks they found portions of the old excavation units in a number of different places. Salt production was done in the area for hundreds of years. The crew started getting clusters of broken pottery shards – soil around it is red and heated. It was a Caddo salt production area – pottery, kettles with salt over a low fire. Only one or two uses would be gotten out of the pottery – this the large quantity. The site was carbon dated from the 1300s to as late as 1590.
Dr. Drexler showed a picture of a gradiometer, which is used to detect items through magnetism. This is used to make sure that ancient burial grounds are not being disturbed. In the process of using it he discovered a rural salt furnace made out of brick.
Dr. Drexler stated the fires in these would run for 24 hours and these operations wouldn’t last long as they would rapidly denude the area. These operations had a few benefits – money from licenses went to pay for early schools and salt was provided which is crucial both as a food preservative and are needed to stay alive. Salt was also important for industrial processes, such as making clothes and fixing the die.
The only salt producers in the area at the time were the Choctaws. For the settlers of the time who didn’t want to rely upon the Choctaws for salt the Holman Springs site provided them with salt independence. This was in contrast to Caddo’s use of salt for trade.
Dr. Drexler talked about an open house for the dig at Cossatot Community College on June 10th where there will be a representative from the Caddo Nation and other authorities there with whom to speak.
In questions there was an attempt to pinpoint where Holman springs is – about two miles from the border of Oklahoma and two miles south of Broken Bow highway. Ultima Thule is very close.