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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 July 1940
Native civilization in western Oregon disintegrated so rapidly under white influence and white men's diseases that only a few traces of it are left. By 1850 most of the native materials had been given up by surviving Indians and replaced by trade implements brought by the whites. It was, therefore, with considerable interest that Mr. Leatherman began excavations in December, 1938, at a small Indian village site at the mouth of Coquille River, Coos County, Oregon.
1 The earliest foreign influence in this area was perhaps the southward trek of Russian and Aleut sea-otter hunters shortly after 1800, but of this there is no direct evidence in our excavations.
2 Dr. L. S. Cressman kindly arranged for funds from the Museum of Natural History, University of Oregon, which helped defray expenses on both trips. The students personally met the balance. Many thanks are due Mr. and Mrs. Warren Bullard for continual coöperation at the site.
3 She was a linguistic informant for Dr. Melville Jacobs of the University of Washington four or five years ago.
4 Barnett, H. G., “Culture Element Distributions: VII, Oregon Coast“; University of California, Anthropological Records, volume 1, 155–203, 1937 Google Scholar. Elements 1–65 deal with details of plank structures.
5 It is probable that many of the antler implements found here served for chiseling wood. Still, it is odd that we recovered no certain adzes, especially in view of the amount of woodworking on the spot indicated by the many wedges. Too, the Warren Bullards have picked up at least a dozen very fine stone (schist) adzes, as that on Plate VIII , 1, along the river beach near the village site.
