Prehistoric skeleton found along Lake Travis

austin american-statesman ^ | Monday, August 28, 2006 | Marty Toohey

[ValerieUSA]

An archaeology crew excavated what its members think is a prehistoric skeleton from the banks of Lake Travis on Sunday.

Evidence at the site indicates that the skeleton is between 700 and 2,000 years old, most likely dating back about 1,000 years, members of the excavation crew said. The nearly intact skeleton is being donated to the University of Texas for further study.

The skeleton was found Aug. 9 by an Austin man riding a personal watercraft on Lake Travis. David Houston had pulled onto the sloped southern bank, admiring a nearby house, when he saw a jawbone, teeth and a forearm in the clay soil less than six feet away.

Houston, a self-professed archaeology nut who said he has "home-schooled" himself on the subject for nearly a quarter-century, said he knew immediately that the skull dated hundreds of years at least. Its teeth are ground down, he said, consistent with eating food that is stone-ground and thus has tiny rock fragments in it.

The find left him a little startled.

"I kind of did a double take," Houston said. "I thought, 'Am I really seeing what I think I'm seeing?' "

After seeing the skeleton, Houston called friend Bill Grace, whose job with Travis County is to help maintain Pace Bend Park. The job also gives him some familiarity with government rules on such discoveries. Grace helped find others interested in the excavation and ensured that the group did not run afoul of any regulations.

In the meantime, the two covered the skeleton in mud to prevent looting and keep it from drying out while they assembled a crew to remove it.

On Sunday, a nine-person team of professional archaeologists, graduate students, a forensic anthropologist and others removed the skeleton and analyzed the site, which they said was probably a prehistoric camp.

Pieces of evidence are still being weighed.

Andy Malof, an archaeologist with the Lower Colorado River Authority, said that an on-site examination of the body suggested that it is less than 1,000 years old. But, he said, arrowheads found by Houston and Grace, called darl points, lend themselves to a burial taking place between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago.

Scattered about the bank were flat rocks the team said were probably used to grind food. Malof said some rocks were arranged like a hearth.

Evidence of the camp had been submerged by Lake Travis, which was created after Mansfield Dam was finished in 1941. The site was uncovered when the lake fell below its usual level.

As of Friday, the lake had dipped to 649.4 feet above sea level, about 16 feet below its August average, according to the LCRA.

"I just know how rare these things are," Houston said. Prehistoric peoples usually "buried very few people during that time. They were usually burned."

Malof characterized such finds along the Colorado River as "fairly unique."

"The significance of this is really an understanding of the ways of people who lived here in the past," he said. "It gives us information about their health, their diet, stresses and their environment."

Malof asked that the exact location of the site not be released to avoid attracting looters to the property, which is privately owned. He also asked that photographs of the remains not be published out of respect for a burial site.

The declining lake levels have led to a rash of unauthorized digs. Unauthorized digging at historical sites on public land is illegal, with violators facing fines ranging from $50 to $1,000 and up to 30 days in jail.

An unauthorized dig could also result in valuable information being lost, said Bob Wishoff, who was present for the excavation and runs an archaeology Web site, dirtbrothers.org. He lauded Houston for coordinating with professionals.

The skeleton is certainly not the oldest found in Central Texas. In 1982, archaeologists found the grave of an Ice Age woman near Leander. She became known as Leanderthal Lady, and hers are the oldest known female remains in Texas, buried between 11,000 and 8,000 B.C.

The skeleton found by Houston is homo sapiens, Malof said. It was probably a woman about 40 years old, he said.

Other tests, he said, will be performed as funds become available and should give more precise information.

[ValerieUSA]

I live right near Leander. I never heard of Leanderthal Woman ... i never get to meet celebrities.

[Atchafalaya]

A Helen Thomas sighting??

[peyton randolph]

[taxesareforever]

Considering the definition of "prehistoric" I hardly think this is prehistoric.

Definitions of prehistoric on the Web: belonging to or existing in times before recorded history; "prehistoric settlements"; "prehistoric peoples"

[Crazieman]

Prehistoric at 1000 years?

Well, perhaps for the North American continent.

[raybbr]

Evidence at the site indicates that the skeleton is between 700 and 2,000 years old, most likely dating back about 1,000 years, members of the excavation crew said. The nearly intact skeleton is being donated to the University of Texas for further study.

I don't think that age classifies it as "prehistoric".

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Jimmy hoffa in drag

[wolfcreek]

I live right near Leander. I never heard of Leanderthal Woman ... i never get to meet celebrities.

Hello fellow western Williamson county FReeper! She was discovered as a result of the construction of 1431 from Ceder Park to Round Rock on Brushy Creek. UT archaeologist estimated the body to be 9000 yrs. old. They nick-named her Leanne although, she was found closer to CP. You might also be interested in the dino tracks along the South San Gabriel near the 183 bridge.

[ValerieUSA]

Yeah, I thought "prehistoric" was a bit overstated.

[ValerieUSA]

Hiya. I just moved here three years ago and missed out on some interesting stuff it seems. With all of the highway construction going on now (but in a big hurry) I wonder what is being destroyed.
I think the controversial Kennewick Man who was discovered in Washington state is estimated to be 9,000 years old, and is unlike the native Americans of the area.
I didn't know we had dino tracks around here. I've been to the river from 183, but did not look for them. I think it is just a series of mud puddles now - might be a good time to check it out. I have seen the dino tracks at Glen Rose.

[jettester]

Man....I wondered what happened to Bob when he went out for a pack of smokes....I thought the shrooms were a bit strong that day.....(\sarc)

[P-40]

I have seen the dino tracks at Glen Rose.

I've seen them here in Austin. :)

[unixfox]

With the lake level being down 17 feet I'm sure people will find more stuff.

I just want my fishing pole back.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Val. :') Good luck with the celebrity idea. ;')

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[SunkenCiv]

"fairly unique."

LOL!

[leilani]

"I just want my fishing pole back"

lol. I want the gold cross my grandma gave me that I lost there too. Maybe we should start a list.

[Arrowhead1952]

txflake is another Lake Travis FReeper who is interested in artifacts. I remember the news about the Leanderthal Woman during the road construction. They also found a number of Indian and other prehistoric rock tools at the site.

I've been looking for artifacts since the lake is down, but not much success lately. A few broken points here and there and an occasional tomahawk or other tool.

Another guy who hunts artifacts is also in the construction business and he told me that the area just east of Palmer Lane at 620 has a creek bed that is littered with artifacts. Much has already been covered with tons of fill for IH 45 N.

[txhurl]

Do you know... I'm starting to wonder if bad things don't start happening to you when you become very successful at collecting. I only surface-hunt anymore.

[txhurl]

Hey! You gettin' wet?

[Arrowhead1952]

That is all I do as well. I usually hunt when I fish along the banks, or take a stick to poke at possible artifacts. I never dig into anything. FReep mail coming.

[demkicker]

Molly Ivins and Kinky Friedman are ecstatic to have finally found that fork in their family tree.

[evets]

This site west of Salado has 10,000 year old 'Clovis' remains.Gault site.

They ate mammoths.

[P-40]

Hey! You gettin' wet?

Nope, but we are seeing clouds...and this is something new. Or perhaps it is smoke...

[BJClinton]

I never heard of Leanderthal Woman

She taught AP English at Pflugerville high school in the late 80s. Mean as they come.

[Zechariah_8_13]

South San Gabriel near the 183 bridge.

THIS I have to hear about! Got any links?

[Ditter]

Great find!

We used to own some property near Tarpley Texas. We found evidence of a campfire in a similar spot along a creek. It contained a circle of burned stones and burned sticks. It had been under about 20 feet of dirt and was exposed by a heavy rain. No skeletons but we found some fabulous arrowheads.

[wolfcreek]

THIS I have to hear about! Got any links?


No links but, all the universities come down from time to time to study them. You might check with them. There are ones down there that I haven't seen yet.

[humblegunner]

Cool!

I wasn't in the area until the late 80's / early 90's so I'm in the clear.

[Arrowhead1952]

I don't know if this means anything, but when I saw that headline in today's paper, "Running low, lake gives up ghost", I was hoping this was about our neighbor's niece who drowned in the Big Sandy arm last summer. Tina and the family has been devastated ever since, and still no closure.

I had to go to a friend's house to pick up a software disk a few minutes ago, and just as I was turning back onto the street at the LV clubhouse, there was Tina. That seemed so strange to see her as I hoped for them to gain closure. She always said, "The lake has her body, but God has her soul". I almost wish the lake stays low enough to find that girl's remains.

[Arrowhead1952]

My former supervisor lives close to where the 183A tollroad reconnects with 183 just south of the South San Gabriel River. I surface hunted for artifacts there several years ago with no luck. I didn't explore much of the river bottom, just the feeder streams in the area. Yes, there are supposed to be dinosaur tracks in the San Gabriel river bottom.

[TWfromTEXAS]

I live right near Leander. I never heard of Leanderthal Woman

my aunt teaches at Leander High School and told me about this years ago. I think "she" was found in the early 80's.

[Ptarmigan]

Interesting find. Never heard of Leanderthal woman. Learn something new. Probably Indians.

[LukeL]

That was my first thought, prehistoric is over 6,000 years old. Even 1,000 years old would be pushing it for North America.

[Arrowhead1952]

Goolge search

The second link is for Leander.

Leander Tx.

Here a picture from that site.

[Zechariah_8_13]

thanks, I'll look into them. I'd love to see that.

This thread makes me want to go down to our river bank and start digging!

[wolfcreek]

Go on down and have a look. Just don't dig in the river bank, my HOA owns the property.

[exile]

Helen Thomas is brought in to identify the body.

[Yellow Rose of Texas]

There is an active dig in Kingsland. You call ahead for tours. You can get into the pits and dig if you want to. The dig is a village used by Indians every summer for 1,000's of years.

Rose

[Larry Lucido]

Pre-Texas-history.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

So was this the first skeleton in the closet?

[reg45]

The Lavenderthal Woman smells really good!

[SunkenCiv]

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