A large crowd attended Dr. Doug Bamforth’s presentation at the Lynch Community Hall, June 18, during Lynch’s JuneFest weekend. Bamforth showed pictures of the archaeological digging site and discussed the subject of the dig where they are currently working.
He spoke about what they have uncovered in the storage pits at the ancient Indian village, including the crops they raised, preserved and stored such as corn, squash and beans. In time the storage pit became a pit for garbage and broken fragments of pottery, probably made from the local clay.
Bamforth also talked about the larger migration of the Plains Indians, asking the question, ‘What
brought them here and why did they leave after 100 years?’
For the past month, Bamforth, Professor at the University of Colorado, and Dr. K.C. Carlson, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD plus 19 students who attend various archaeological
field schools, have been working at the archaeological site near Lynch. Students will receive college credits for their work this summer.
Despite the weather, workers have been busy researching the area since the first of June. As their deadline, July 7, is rapidly approaching, they are busy packing up recently discovered artifacts and tools to return to Sioux Falls for further research. They worked on weekends, which gave people a chance to see the dig thus giving people who work during the week,
the opportunity to visit the worksite on the weekends.
Bamforth urged people to feel free to come out while they are working to visit and see what they are doing. “There is not another site like this in Nebraska,” he said. This ancient Indian village was first unearthed by Dr. Earl H. Bell, anthropologist, and a group of University of Nebraska student scientists in the summer of 1936, after receiving reports from George Wilcox, a former superintendent of Lynch schools, about all the arrow heads found on the hill.
The large pre-historic village was discovered a short distance northwest of Lynch beneath the sands existing in Boyd County-living proof that agricultural people once lived here. They lived here from around 1250 to 1350. Prior to this discovery, scientists did not believe any agricultural people ever lived in Nebraska.
Researchers now have radiocarbon dating to back them updating the living quarters where these indigenous people lived, ate, and slept in earth lodges similar to today’s earth lodges. In 1950 scientists researched the ancient village above Lynch. Wor began again at the Indian village in 2018 and 2019 with a small crew on the north end of the site. However, it was not very productive as this area had been plowed up and farmed for so many years.
Over the years in their spare time, people searched the village for “treasures” they could take home without a thought of where they found it or even mark where they found it to let future generations know its history.
The following year, 2020, with permission from the landowners, Bamforth began his research. Excavations were moved from the plowed field on the north side of the road to the pastureland on the south side of the road with much better results.
Bamforth says, “We enjoyed our stay in Lynch and all Lynch has to offer. The people have been so kind, friendly and helpful. It’s been great.”
Will they be back next year to continue their research? Lynch residents hope so, but will just have to wait and see what the future brings.