Leary Site facts for kids
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Leary Site
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| Nearest city | Rulo, Nebraska |
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| NRHP reference No. | 66000449 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | July 19, 1964 |
The Leary Site, also called 25-RH-1 or Leary-Kelly Site, is an important archaeological site located near Rulo, Nebraska. It sits close to the Big Nemaha River. Today, the entire site is on the land of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska reservation. Long ago, this area was a busy village and a place where people were buried.
Contents
Discovering the Leary Site
Early Explorations and Notes
On July 12, 1804, explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark visited the Nemaha River during their famous journey. William Clark explored the area and noticed several mounds. He thought the smaller mounds might be old trash pits or where homes once stood. The larger mounds, he believed, were burial sites.
First Major Digs at the Site
In 1915, Frederick H. Sterns from the Peabody Museum at Harvard University led a dig here. He found many old lodge (house) sites in the Nemaha River valley and on nearby Missouri River bluffs.
Later, in the summer of 1926, E. E. Blackman led a three-week excavation. By this time, farming had disturbed parts of the site. During his dig, Blackman found many pieces of pottery. These pottery pieces were special because they used crushed shells to make them stronger. This was different from the stone-tempered pottery often found nearby. Blackman believed that studying this pottery could help archaeologists identify the people who lived there.
W. Duncan Strong later identified the Leary Site as a place where the Oneota people lived. This was one of the westernmost places where this tribe was found, as they usually lived in areas like Missouri.
More Research and Discoveries
In 1935, T. A. Hill from the Nebraska Historical Society continued the research. He led another three-week dig with George F. Lamb and other archaeologists. They uncovered 153 pits, one house area, seven burial sites, and many test pits.
Lamb's team also found several projectile points (like arrowheads). These points were made of flint and came in different colors, such as gray, pink, white, and brown. Two samples of burnt pottery were sent for radiocarbon dating. This test showed the pottery was from around 1210 AD and 1350 AD. In 1939, the University of Nebraska Archaeological Survey dug two more pits.
In the late 1950s, George A. Agogino, an anthropology teacher at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, led a team to dig test pits. They found bones, including femurs (thigh bones), tibias (shin bones), and pieces of skulls. These remains belonged to at least three different people.
In 1965, the Nebraska State Historical Society sent a team led by John Garrett and Wendell Frantz for a ten-week excavation. They uncovered 30 pits, three burial sites, a house, and other features like hearths (fireplaces).
The Oneota People at Leary Site
The ancient village at the Leary Site was once home to the Oneota tribe. This site is one of the furthest west locations where these people lived. The Oneota people at this village got their food in two main ways. They practiced horticulture, which means they grew crops. They also hunted, especially bison.
The people used many tools made from stone and animal parts. Women often used scrapers and other tools. For example, archaeologists found a mule deer antler that had been used as a scraper.
Artifacts Today
Many of the records, research, and items found from the digs in 1926, 1935, 1965, and 1979 are kept by the Archaeology Divisions of the Nebraska State Historical Society. All the human remains found in the burial sites from 1935 and 1965 have been returned to their native communities, a process called repatriation.
Many items from Sterns' 1926 excavations are at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. Pottery and other items from the 1935 dig were shared with the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology.
Leary Site: A National Historic Landmark
The Leary Site was named a National Historic Landmark in 1964. This means it's a very important historical place in the United States. While the site itself is not open to the public, there is a special plaque on a brick marker to remember its importance as a National Historical Landmark.
Images for kids
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A sign marking the Leary Site as a National Historic Landmark.
- Hill, A.T., and Waldo R. Wedel. "Excavation at the Leary Indian Village and Burial Site, Richardson County, Nebraska". Nebraska History Magazine 17.1 (1936).
