History: Crowville Indians; Franklin Parish, LA.
SUBMITTED BY: by DeWanna Lindo
July 2001

Source: Independent Study by: LeRay Lanier 1974-75 school session.



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Crowville Indians:

This report concerns the site of an early Indian settlement located about 
three miles from Crowville, La.  This site is an are about fifteen hundred
yards long and five hundred  yards wide. This site lies on one of the small 
hills that make up the Hill Ridge community. This site was not excavated
but would make an ideal site for excavation. This report concerns the
artifacts found and identified through a field survey of this area.

Many of the artifacts found in this area are the projectile points. Of the
eighteen whole projectile points, found through the field survey method, the
majority were from the Transitional Period of time that comes between the 
Archaic and Woodland Periods. This period covers the time from about six
thousand B.C. to about twenty-five hundred B.C. There were also ten pieces 
that can be identified as having once been points and having been broken
during manufacture. With the use of the Handbook of Texas Archaeology,
the points were identified as the following:
1  Marshall
2  Scottsbluff
1  Johnson
3  Pogo
2  Edgewood
3  Gray
1  Ensor
1  Kent
1  Castroville
1  Bonham
4  unidentified
This classification is general since there is great variation within classes.
All of the projectile points are well-formed and well-shaped, except for 
some of the older ones.

One full grooved axe and four well-used hammerstones have been found. A
hammerstone in used in clipping flaked tools such as projectile points. A
chopper--a very finely chipped example--obviously fitted to the palm; a
Mano (grinding stone); flint cores; and other signs of well developed
chipping-type society have been found.

A clay ball of the Poverty Point type of culture was also found in about
the center of the site. An oyster shell button, pebble beads, and three
crinoid beads were found. A lead bead and clay ball, typical of other areas,
found in this site indicate that the Indians were traders. Several gamestones,
objects used as place or score markers in certain games were found. The people
who lived here had advanced types of choppers and scrappers although many
of these are rather small.  What may be the beginning of an atatl weight has
been found.  An atatl is a stick for throwing stones or spears. Remnants of 
two drills were also found.

In 1974 in a field that is part of this site, an unusual black
substance was found in a wash. Careful digging around this mass revealed 
an early fire pit.
Among the ashes were found a piece of burned pottery, some pieces
of metal, and some fire burst rocks. The pottery was a simple type 
with no markings and made with plant and straw reinforcements in
its clay.

Skull fragments found near the site were restored and tentatively
identified as matching the early people thought to have lived here.
This identification came from the pottery pieces and points found with the skull. 
The skull more nearly matches the Otamid type skull 
classification.  Skull measurements were not made because of
the chance that the pieces restored might be of two different
skulls.  It is likely that if there are two skulls involved, they
may have come from a mother-child burial.

Research materials on the archaeology of this specific area were not
available during the study; therefore relating materials found with the 
previously found facts was not possible. The Poverty Point
culture, however is well defined, as the Marksvillean culture;
but this study indicates that the date of this site comes
between the older Poverty-Point and the Marksville focus.
This area seems to have been a stopping off place for wandering hunters.
The people lived about 3000 B.C. in a warm climate on a
slightly elevated hill that gave them a view of the surrounding  
countryside. 


There was probably an oak grove on the ridge, as evidenced by the many
trees present. (If one type of tree grows in a spot, then that type of
tree will continue to grow and reproduce in that spot.) At the bottom of 
that ridge was a running stream that probably supplied their water.

Since these early people were hunters, there is also the possibility 
that they may have stopped at this site for the game found here.
The acorns were quite possibly ground into flour and used as foodstuff.
These people did have the ability to grind these foods, as evidenced
by the grinding stones.


How long the people were here, why they left, what their habits were, and 
other questions can be answered only by further excavation and study.