ARCHEOLOGICAL IҬVESTIGATIOҬS PAIҬT ROCK 1800S HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290) - COҬCHO COUҬTY, TEXAS BY TOM ASHMORE - PRODUCED FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY ...

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ARCHEOLOGICAL IҬVESTIGATIOҬS PAIҬT ROCK 1800S HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290) - COҬCHO COUҬTY, TEXAS BY TOM ASHMORE - PRODUCED FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY ...
ARCHEOLOGICAL I VESTIGATIO S PAI T
ROCK 1800s HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290)
        CO CHO COU TY, TEXAS

                        By
                    Tom Ashmore

             Produced for the
     Concho Valley Archeological Society
        (original report April 2010, updated August 2010)
ARCHEOLOGICAL IҬVESTIGATIOҬS PAIҬT ROCK 1800S HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290) - COҬCHO COUҬTY, TEXAS BY TOM ASHMORE - PRODUCED FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY ...
ABSTRACT
The Concho Valley Archeological Society is constantly looking for projects of historical
importance to the Concho Valley and Texas. In that quest we look for opportunities to bring
together landowners and archeological volunteers to study and report on important historical
locations, both prehistoric and historic.

Significant archeological work was accomplished in previous years at the Campbell Ranch,
Paint Rock. However, most of it focused on the prehistoric period of Indian occupancy related
to the extensive pictographs that make this location so famous. In 1999, Dr. Solveig Turpin,
Larry Riemenschneider (CVAS Director), David G. Robinson and CVAS members undertook
a major study of the area. During this study 14 prehistoric sites were documented. These
studies were published in the Texas Historical Commission Magazine of November 2002.
(Turpin) However, very little has been looked at for the more recent historic period,
specifically the mid 1800s through the turn of the century period. Additionally, other than the
landowner’s own efforts, very little metal detecting has been conducted to search for artifacts
of this period. For this reason from December 2009, March 2010 and again in August 2010
CVAS chose to undertake a metal detecting survey of locations that showed promise in
revealing some of the more recent history of this famous Texas treasure.

The pictograph area sits along 300 yards of the north bank of Concho River, about 200 yards
from the water and below a sheer 70-foot bluff of rocks that appear to sit in a layered fashion.
Although the entire area could have been used for camping, we looked at one specific area. It
begins approximately 60 yards past the western end of the pictographs and on the other side of
a spring that runs out of the bluff rocks. This area was designated CC290 during the 1999
investigations. This search area extends for about 100 yards to the west, is approximately 30
yards wide and parallels the bluff. This report will continue to use the assigned designation
from the previous investigation.

Being a crossroads of sorts and so close to the town of county seat lends itself to artifacts of
various periods intermixed. However, there are some artifacts that can be tied to specific
periods of time or activities that are worth noting, along with the historical archives of those
times.

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ARCHEOLOGICAL IҬVESTIGATIOҬS PAIҬT ROCK 1800S HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290) - COҬCHO COUҬTY, TEXAS BY TOM ASHMORE - PRODUCED FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY ...
ACK OWLEDGEME TS
The central team for this project from beginning to end was Fred Campbell, landowner and
CVAS member; Larry Riemenschneider, CVAS Director; Jack Pool, CVAS member; C.A.
Maedgen, CVAS President; and Tom Ashmore, CVAS member. We could never have
attempted this project without the kindness and generosity of Fred and Kay Campbell,
landowners and guardians of the Paint Rock pictographs. Also lending their wealth of
experience to our artifact identification was Lana and Garland Richards, owners of Fort
Chadbourne. A special thanks to the many CVAS volunteers who devoted their time to the
project. They played a key role in collecting artifacts.

                                             2
ARCHEOLOGICAL IҬVESTIGATIOҬS PAIҬT ROCK 1800S HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290) - COҬCHO COUҬTY, TEXAS BY TOM ASHMORE - PRODUCED FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY ...
TABLE OF CO TE TS
Abstract……………………………………………………………………….. 1

Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………… 2

Introduction……………………………………………………………………4

Location……………………………………………………………………….. 4

Historiography and Archival Research……………………….……………...5

Archeological Investigations…………………………………………………. 7

Summary……………………………………………………………………….21

Appendix A: 1800s Graffiti on painted rocks ……………………………… 23

Appendix B: Paint Pock Pistol & Rifle Artifacts …….…………………….. 24

References………………………………………………………………………26

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ARCHEOLOGICAL IҬVESTIGATIOҬS PAIҬT ROCK 1800S HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290) - COҬCHO COUҬTY, TEXAS BY TOM ASHMORE - PRODUCED FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY ...
Introduction

                    Concho Valley Archeological Society

   The Concho Valley Archeological Society is a non-profit corporation with the purpose of
bringing people together who have an active interest in the archeology and Southwestern
prehistoric and historic heritage in an atmosphere conducive to the exchange of information
and ideas. The organization is based in San Angelo, Texas. The membership is made up of a
vocational and professional archeologists. The CVAS has been involved in many projects in
the Concho Valley area for over 30 years.

Landowner and CVAS member, Fred Campbell, discusses the area with CVAS Director, Larry
Riemenschneider and project team members Tom Ashmore and Jack Pool.

                                        Location
The Paint Rock pictographs and surrounding historic camping sites are located on the 2,500
acre Campbell Ranch on the north side of the Concho River in Concho County, Texas. On the
south side of the river, opposite the ranch, sits the town of Paint Rock. Both the town of Paint
Rock and the Campbell Ranch sit off the north-south running Highway 83, about halfway
between Ballinger and Eden and 30 miles east of San Angelo.

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ARCHEOLOGICAL IҬVESTIGATIOҬS PAIҬT ROCK 1800S HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290) - COҬCHO COUҬTY, TEXAS BY TOM ASHMORE - PRODUCED FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY ...
Historiography and Archival Research
The Campbell Ranch has been in the Sims family since 1877. Fred and Kay Sims Campbell
are the current owners and in addition to running the ranch operations they oversee the painted
rocks with historic education programs and guided tours.
The nearby town of Paint Rock sits about a mile to the south, across the river. Paint Rock is the
county seat for Concho County, established in July 1879. By 1884 it had become a shipping
center for wool, hides, pecans, and mutton and had a population of 100. The population rose to
800 by 1914 and reached its peak of 1,000 by 1931 before declining to approximately 300
today. (Handbook of Texas History Online)

During historic times this area was significant due to several fording points along the river,
three of which are directly in front of the pictograph area. The larger of these fording areas is a
hard rock bottom ford, very favorable for wagons and later motorized vehicles. Because of
this, the early military survey chose this spot for the Concho River crossing point on the Fort
Mason to Fort Chadbourne military road. It was listed in 1856 surveys of the Concho River
land sections as the “San Antonio to Fort Chadbourne road.” Fort Mason was established in
1851 and Fort Chadbourne in 1852. The road from Fort Mason to Fort Chadbourne is 115
miles. As documented in historical records held at Fort Chadbourne, it was 72 miles from Fort
Mason to the Concho crossing and 43 miles further to Fort Chadbourne. Military travel with
wagons under normal conditions would take approximately 8 hours to travel 35 miles. So the
travel between forts took approximately three days under normal conditions. This made the
painted rocks location a likely stopping point for the second day out from Fort Mason or first
day out of Fort Chadbourne. It also made it a good stop because of the clear running spring
coming out of the rocks, shade, as well as water and forage for the animals.

Fort Chadbourne was established October 1852 for the protection of settlers against hostile
Indians. It was abandoned by the U. S. troops in March 1861 upon the approach of the Civil
War. After the Civil War it was again occupied for a short period from May to December
1867. During the period prior to the Civil War troops would make a weekly journey from Fort
Chadbourne to Fort Mason to pick up and deliver mail. These troops were likely camping at
the painted rocks area. Artifacts from the period found at this location - described further in
this report - support this.

In December 1855 Colonel Joseph E. Johnston marched his Second Cavalry into Texas via the
northern route across the Red River. After visiting Camp Cooper he took his troops down to
Fort Chadbourne and on to Fort Mason on the military road. The weather was especially bad
as he marched his wagon train southward. It is not known if he camped at the painted rocks
during this journey, but he did pass through on the military road. Camping under the bluffs
would have been good protection against the howling Norther he encountered. He reached
Fort Mason on January 14th 1856. (Rister)

During the Texas Indian Campaign, Robert E Lee, while commander of Camp Cooper and on
an Indian scouting patrol, camped at this location. The date was July 16th and 17th, 1856. Lee
                                                 5
ARCHEOLOGICAL IҬVESTIGATIOҬS PAIҬT ROCK 1800S HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290) - COҬCHO COUҬTY, TEXAS BY TOM ASHMORE - PRODUCED FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY ...
was ordered to detail troops from Camp Cooper, Fort Chadbourne and Fort Mason and make a
wide and sweeping search for Indians. He was on his return of this sweep and decided to send
several details on one last sweep in several directions and to meet up at the Concho crossing of
the Fort Chadbourne to Fort Mason military road. He waited for two days while the scouting
details reported in. As there was no success in finding any sign of Indians, Lee released the
details to return to their home garrisons and took his own troops back to Camp Cooper.
(Rister) Their son, Scott Campbell, of Buda, Texas, first brought this to the attention of the
Campbells, which was a major influence in taking on this particular project.

Although not visited as much during the Fort Concho period, we know it was reported being
visited at least once by scouting patrols. On November 8th, 1878 a 13-man scouting patrol out
of Fort Concho reported that during a sweep of the Kickapoo Creek area they marched to
“Painted Rocks, on the Concho River” and camped.

In the early 1880s, the land north of Paint Rock became open range cattle country. According
to the memoirs of ranchman John A. Loomis, “During severe winters cattle from north Texas
used to drift south, sometimes ranging all the way to southern Texas… As a natural
consequence the north Texas ranchmen complained that many of their cattle were stolen. One
year in the early [eighteen] eighties these men conceived the idea of establishing a dividing
line south of which their cattle would not be permitted to roam. They located camps for
cowboys, with instructions to turn the drift cattle north. One of these lines was the Concho
River, north of my ranch.” (Loomis) John Loomis founded the Silver Cliff Ranch, 10 miles
west of the town of Paint Rock and south of the Concho River. The line camps Loomis talked
about needed to be occupied continuously for this period of time in order to maintain the drift
line. Although Loomis does not specify where these camps were located, the painted rocks
area would have been a prime location for a line camp, especially in the winter, due to its
protection under the rock bluffs from the bitter Northers that can blow up that time of year.

The town of Paint Rock, being so close to the famous painted rocks, also affected the
archeological history of the area close to the rock bluffs. A written account of the people and
town of Paint Rock in the early 1880s by William Preston Rachford gives an example of this.
Rachford wrote, “During the 80’s and 90’s it was the custom for various committees to have
barbecues: the 4th of July or some local anniversary serving as an occasion. The first one of
these that I remember was in the spring of 1880 celebrating the first anniversary of the County
organization. It was held at the Painted Bluff where the spring flowed out of the hill toward
the river.”

As part of the history we also decided to document in this report the names and dates of
travelers and locals that were written on the painted rocks from the mid 1800s. Although this
is considered graffiti in some cases due to the writings being placed on top of the Indian
pictographs, it is an historical record and was painstakingly recorded by the landowners. This
information can be found in Appendix A.

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ARCHEOLOGICAL IҬVESTIGATIOҬS PAIҬT ROCK 1800S HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290) - COҬCHO COUҬTY, TEXAS BY TOM ASHMORE - PRODUCED FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY ...
Archeological Investigations
Before determining the locations for the focused search, two earlier survey trips were made by
a small team of CVAS members. It should be noted that some of the areas searched were
attempting to investigate the possibility of evidence of the story of the Battle of Paint Rock.
The Battle of Paint Rock is a story that has been published in numerous magazines and books
purporting a battle between Jack Hays and 40 Texas Rangers and approximately 200
Comanche Indians in 1856. The description of the battle area is very specific and an area
fitting the description on the eastern end of the painted rocks was looked at very closely with
metal detecting of both the low areas around the river and the upper areas overlooking the
river. Although we are not able to say whether the battle did or did not take place, we could
find no evidence of a battle in this area or any other areas we searched.

The search area was chosen due to positive hits during the pre-surveys, as well as previously
found artifacts by both the landowner and former archeological investigations. CC290 was
determined to have the most potential of all the areas searched. The search area extends for
about 150 yards to the west, is about 30 yards in width and parallels to the bluff. This area is an
area very close to the former Fort Mason to Fort Chadbourne military road ford and is one of
the most likely areas for camping, mainly because it is the closest spot to the spring outlet and
has a wide area for grazing. Prior to the flood of 1882 a grove of pecan trees ran all the way
from the bluff to the river. In the summer the pecan trees would make good shade and during
the winter a place close up to the bluff would block the north winds. The distance from the
bluff to the water at this point is 200 yards. The distance to the end of the bluff, where the
military road entered this area from the northwest, is approximately 400 yards.

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ARCHEOLOGICAL IҬVESTIGATIOҬS PAIҬT ROCK 1800S HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290) - COҬCHO COUҬTY, TEXAS BY TOM ASHMORE - PRODUCED FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY ...
Artifacts indicating camping were most concentrated close to the bluff and the spring. Older
military artifacts were concentrated in the area closest to the spring. Artifacts, mostly
consisting of later period cartridges, were found scattered down the bluff to the west.

Military Artifacts: The military artifacts found in this area support the historical information
that this was used as a military stopping point and temporary camping spot along the Fort
Mason to Fort Chadbourne road. Artifacts found included four uniform buttons. One is an
enlisted man’s general service coat button with the eagle and shield. The back stamp is
SCOVILL MFG CO. WATERBURY. The shield is level with the eagle rather than being
raised, making it 1854 – 1875 period button. The back stamp narrows it down to 1850 – 1865.
The second type button is a pair of Federal Great coat "US" two-part flat buttons. This button
is from a Civil War Union coat, worn during the Texas post-Civil War period. It is 20mm in
diameter. A fourth button appears to be a one-piece pewter flat button. It is military, but it is
too deteriorated to read. A circular back stamp can be seen, but is also too deteriorated to read.
Pewter one-piece buttons were generally pre-Civil War era. It is 18.2 mm in diameter.

                            military buttons (front and back side)

Also found were two .58 caliber Minie balls. Springfield arms used a bullet with three grooves
or cannelures with a cavity at the base consisting of a perfect cone. Initially, Minie balls were
adapted for flintlocks, but quickly became the main cartridge for the Model 1861 Springfield
musket. The Model 1861 was a single-shot, muzzle-loading gun detonated with a percussion
cap. It's estimated that more than a million Model 1861s were manufactured during the Civil
War. It was the most common firearm in use by both Union and Confederate forces. The .58
caliber Minie and 1861 Springfield musket were commonly used at Fort Chadbourne in its
brief post Civil War period in 1867 and probably at Fort Mason.

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ARCHEOLOGICAL IҬVESTIGATIOҬS PAIҬT ROCK 1800S HISTORIC CAMP SITES (41CC290) - COҬCHO COUҬTY, TEXAS BY TOM ASHMORE - PRODUCED FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY ...
.58 caliber Minie balls

Five .69 caliber round balls were found. The .69 caliber ball was used in weapons such as the
Remington conversion of the Model 1816 musket, designated the Model 1842 musket. Under
magnification three of these balls show dimple marks common to the “Buck N Ball” load. A
"Buck-n-Ball" cartridge usually contained one .69 caliber round ball and three buckshot (.22,
.25, .32 caliber). When fired, the buckshot would spread out from the .69 caliber ball, which
increased the chances of hitting the intended target. These dimple marks indicate these balls,
although in very good condition, were probably fired, with the dimples being caused from the
extreme pressure of the ball pushing the buckshot out the barrel. The Buck-n-Ball load was
primarily for military use. These were probably from the pre-Civil War period and likely from
Fort Chadbourne troops. Another possibility is these were from Frontier Regiment troops
traveling through the area during the Civil War period.

                 .69 caliber musket balls                 typical Buck-n-Ball buckshot

Nine 50-70 cartridges, probably from at least three, possibly four different rifles were found.
At least three have Farrington primers and one a Benet primer. The Benet primed 50-70 is the
oldest, probably from the 1866 – 1873 period. These were probably military cartridges since
all were crushed after firing. In fact, one was crushed and then bent over and crushed again.
Crushing cartridges was a common practice to ensure Indians could not reuse the cartridges
found on the battlefield. It had been found that Indians were reloading inside primed .45-70
and .50-70 cartridge cases that were discarded by the Army. This was accomplished by
                                                9
inserting a percussion cap in a hole punched in the base of the copper case, filling the case with
black powder, and inserting either a newly cast or a reclaimed bullet. The practice of crushing
cartridges was officially endorsed by the War Department in General Order 13, Feb 16th 1876.

We found the broken hammer from an 1861 Remington Army .44 caliber cap & ball revolver
in the general area as the other military items. Used almost as widely as the 1860 New model
Army Colt revolver, the Remington 1861 was the other Union Army favorite. We found one
44 caliber ball and one 45 caliber ball that would have fit this revolver.

             broken hammer from 1861 Remington Army 44 caliber revolver

A copper powder flask for the Colt cap and ball pistol came out of the same area as the other
military artifacts. This was called the “Eagle and Stars” powder flask. Across the bottom of
the flask it has E.PLURIBUS UNUM. A search of existing Colt sets with this flask indicates it
was usually included with the 1849 .31 caliber Colt pocket revolver, also known as the “Baby
Dragoon.” This model was in production until 1872. Many were given as gifts to, or bought
by new recruits going into the Federal Army who quickly found anything excess - such as the
larger Dragoon revolvers - was undesirable on long marches.

                                                10
Eagle and Stars flask         1849 .31 caliber Colt pocket revolver

We found one especially intriguing piece of china at this spot. It is a piece of white
graniteware, probably from a plate and marked with the Anthony Shaw coat of arms. Anthony
Shaw established the Mersey Pottery in Burslem, England in 1850. They made white
graniteware, especially for the American market. (Jewett) This particular mark was used from
1850 to 1882.

           Anthony Shaw white graniteware                 full coat of arms

What makes this piece of graniteware so intriguing is a passage from Robert E Lee’s diary
from the time he was assigned to Texas. In March [1856], just before leaving San Antonio for
Fort Mason [and on to Camp Cooper] he instructed his young Polish subaltern, to procure
supplies, which they would need on their long journey and after they had arrived at Camp
Cooper. He found that “white crockery cost as much in San Antonio as French chinaware in
Baltimore,” but he purchased one dozen plates, four dishes, two vegetable plates, six cups and
saucers, and tea and sugar pots. He did this, he explained, because he got “very tired of tin,
when used constantly.” (Lee Family Digital Archive)

As stated in the historiography section, Lee camped at Paint Rock while out on a scouting
patrol July 16th and 17th, 1856. It would be very unusual for anyone, even during the later
                                               11
period of the town of Paint Rock and its celebrations, to bring such expensive china to this
area. A possible explanation is this could have been a discarded broken plate from Lee’s
personal collection.

Three brads from a military haversack were found. These brads are commonly found at 1860s
period military camp locations. Two are the common size (1.2cm) and the third is a smaller
size (7.85cm).

 haversack brad and smaller brad          typical Civil War haversack with brads

                               on-specific Period Artifacts

Guns and cartridges

A great number of cartridges were found scattered along the length of the bluff. Many of these
were either small caliber or shotgun cartridges. (Numbers and types can be found in Appendix
B.) There is no way to be sure, but it is very likely that many of these were from local
residents of Paint Rock doing some rattlesnake “plinking.” The bluffs are well known as being
a haven for rattlesnakes, which have probably been there for millennia. Many of the cartridges
were found in front of areas the landowner pointed out were especially numerous in the
summertime. In at least one case it appears that some target practice was taking place. One
round was found in the center of one of the only remaining Pecan trees at this location. As
stated in the historiography section, there was a large number of Pecans in this area that were
washed away in the 1882 flood.

                                               12
Bullet hole in Pecan tree

Most of the cartridges appear to be from the turn of the century era or before. The cartridges
cover a wide range of calibers. The greatest number of the same caliber is the famous 44-40.
All the 44-40s have been fired and they appear to come from five different guns, based on the
firing pin strikes. The .44-40 Winchester was introduced in 1873. From 1873 to 1885 the
cartridges did not have an identifying head stamp. It was the first center fire cartridge offered
by Winchester, and was brought out as the standard chambering for the new Winchester Model
1873 rifle. Some of the older cartridges were the 44 Henry and the 56-50 Spencer.

The landowner found the frame of a small pistol and a barrel in the area of the spring. The
barrel was made with a unique spiral twist and is .25 caliber. We could find no example of this
type of barrel being made commercially. The pistol frame is probably a .22 or .25 caliber
pistol frame. The trigger guard is the exact size of the Colt .22 Peacemaker trigger guard.
However, the handle design is different.

                      small caliber pistol frame and .25 caliber barrel

                                               13
Recreational

                   3 Merry Widows condom case, harmonica reed

Clothing accessories

           Left to right, top: buckle, suspenders clip
           Left to right, bottom: woman’s hair comb, female dress button, lipstick

                                         14
The suspenders clip is marked “Armstrong Brace.” There is a patent marking on the back of
“Mar 13 1877.” The lipstick is marked “The GEO W. LUFT CO. INC. New York New York,
Made in U.S.A.” The shade is Pink Rhapsody. This is from the early 1900s. We also found a
lipstick case cover from the same period marked Tangee.

Food and beverage preparation and serving

                                         bottle glass

Several types of bottle glass were found in this area. One appears to be a milk bottle. Two
bottle bases could actually be generally dated from markings. One was dated         8-5-26,
probably dating it to Aug 5, 1926. The other is marked S.B & G Co. This is the marking for
the Streator Bottle & Glass Company, Streator, IL. This company specialized in the
production of beer bottles from 1881 to 1905.

We found whiteware that appears to be from one or several bowls, as well as the Anthony
Shaw white graniteware plate referenced above.

Eighteen broken pieces of cast iron cookware were dug up. One appears to be the top handle
of a Dutch oven. Another is annotated “...SET IRON No4.” This is probably another piece of
the Dutch oven top. The other pieces were unidentifiable. The presence of these pieces lends
credence to the possibility of a semi-permanent camp being at this location at one time. One
possibility would be the cowboy line camp period.

                                             15
pieces of Dutch oven top                    antique dutch oven at auction
                                                            (for comparison)

Two three-tine forks were found. These are likely from the late 1800s. They are similar to
military kit forks, except these are wooden handled with copper or brass rivets holding the
wood. The forks also appear to be brass. These would have been expensive flatware and not
the types used by military or cowboys. They may have come from one of the local town
celebrations referenced in the historiography section.

A variety of tin can tops were dug up throughout the area. These covered both pre-1900 cans
with the solder circle tops and post 1900 crimp top cans. The circle solder can was invented in
1810, but became a thriving industry during the Civil War. By 1870 the output was 30 million
                                              16
cans per year. The newer “sanitary” crimp top cans began serious production in 1904. Other
than an interesting wide span of time there was no way to determine anything in particular
from the variety of tin can items found at this location.

                                   Circle solder tin can top

Horse tack

Texas martingales, like the one found at this site, have been found at both Civil War
Confederate sites as well as homesteads and along cattle drive trails.

                                      Texas martingale

                                               17
saddle rings, unidentified saddle piece, horseshoe nails, picket pin

                     two horse bridal rosettes

                                18
Construction artifacts

Square nails of many sizes were found in the area. One possibility is military or civilian
supply boxes being discarded and the wood deteriorating away, leaving just the nails. Another
is they may have come from temporary cowboy camps during the 1870s. Small, temporary
picket shelters were common in the 1870s. The landowner knows of no buildings, temporary
or otherwise, being located near the spring. However, there is a small rectangular area
bounded by medium to large rocks, which made up a wall of about 2 feet in height. It
measures 13 X 15 feet. One theory held by the landowners is this might have originally been a
shelter for an Indian medicine man involved in the making of the pictographs. The
construction does have similarities to shelter remains in the Texas Trans Pecos region called
the La Junta area, which was the early Jumanos Indians and this is the same tribe credited with
many of the pictographs. The possibility of later reuse and being constructed into a small
picket shelter by cowboys is not unreasonable. The oldest of the tin cans found in this area
(circle solder top) was buried inside this rectangular area, as was the Dutch oven handle.

The dotted line indicates boundary of rectangular area. Strewn rocks were originally
part of a 2-foot wall.

                                              19
corner of shelter area

 Rocks fired on one side only strewn around enclosure area. Indications of fireplace
(white man) or reflector stone wall next to hearth (Indian).

                                           20
Example of similar rock remains from a late Prehistoric wickiup site in the Eastern
                       Trans Pecos region (from TARL archives)

                                       Summary
Although many people visited the area next to the spring since the mid 1800s, there are two
significant periods that stand out and support historical documents. It was definitely used by
the military as a stopover camping location. The artifacts indicate this was mostly during the
pre- and early post-Civil War period. This fits with the period of Fort Chadbourne’s
occupation and the use of the Fort Mason to Fort Chadbourne military road. There is also
some evidence of a semi-permanent camping period at this location that points to non-military
occupation. This may well have been during the cowboy line camp period described in the
historiography section. Although many cartridges and bullets were fired in this area, it appears
the great majority were either target practice or dispatching rattlesnakes. Some may have been
used for defensive purposes, but there is not enough evidence to support such actions.

                                               21
Appendix A: 1800s Graffiti on painted rocks
1800s Graffiti on painted rocks
Name                              Date        Other Writings
John Barfoot                      1879
G.O. Beck                         186_        San Antonio
E.P. Berrey                       1897
J.L. Brown                        1868
P._ Brooks                        1878
J. Bursey                         1868
J.C. Criner                       1868
J.I. Carter                       -           Mayfield, KY
C.C. Culwell                      188_
O.C. Clark                        1888
J. Davis                          12/25/18_
Rosa Eubanks                      2/27/1890
John Frazier                      1884
L.C. Gibson                       Aug 1880    Cherry Springs, Texas
J.L. Gibson
W.F. Gibbons                      1887
Billy Godby
T.J. Gimbill                      May 9 1879
_ Glossbrenner                    11/1883
W. _ Glossbrenner                 1883
W.E. Glossbrenner                 1883
Max G. Glossbrenner               1883
Penn Girls                        1878
J.B. Howell                       7/15/1877
J.B. Howell                       9/19/1877 Hood Co., Texas
A. Henniger                       Aug 4, ____
_ Hoban                           1856
S.J. Kemp                         1861
B.E. Kemp                         1876
W.A. McCormick                    8/2/1883
Joseph Neaglin                    11/1869
E.S. Nance                        9/12/1868 KKK
John Lill_                                    San Antonio
H.A. Navan                        1872
W.J. Ponder                       1868
_ill Perry                        July 1897 (poss Hill Perry)
J.C. Rinert                       1868
W.R. Rice                         1893
Francisco Rico                    1869
F.T. Sims                         188_
W.M Wells                         1883
Mrs. E. Wells                     1883
S.B. Wood                         1860
T.T. Turner                       1863

                                                        22
Appendix B: Paint Pock Pistol & Rifle Artifacts

      Paint Rock           Pistol/Rifle Artifacts
Cartridge               Stamp                       Company                         Period                                  Comments
.22 short/40 grain      US                          United States   2   no data, very old         obsolete, took a long 40 grain bullet
.22 short/40 grain      diamond                     Western         2   no data, very old         obsolete, took a long 40 grain bullet
.22 short/40 grain      H                           Winchester      2   no data, very old         obsolete, took a long 40 grain bullet
.22 short/40 grain      Peters HV                   Peters          1   no data, very old         obsolete, took a long 40 grain bullet
.22 short/40 grain      U                           Remington       3   no data, very old         1 in display case, obsolete, took a long 40 grain bullet
.22 short/40 grain      P                           Peters          1   no data, very old         obsolete, took a long 40 grain bullet
                                                                                                  At least 8 different guns

.22 long                H                           Winchester      3   unknown                   produced circa 1873 to current
.22 long                U                           Remington       3   unknown                   produced circa 1873 to current
.22 long                P                           Peters          2   unknown                   produced circa 1873 to 1934
.22 long                unk                         unk             1   unknown                   produced circa 1873 to current
                                                                                                  At least 3 different guns

.22 WMR                 F                           Winchester      1 introduced 1959

25-20                   25-20 U.S.C.CO.             United States   1 introduced 1893-1895        for 1892 Winchester lever action

30 short rimfire        no stamp                    unknown         1 introduced early 1860s

30-06                   R A H 18                    Remington-UMC   1 WWI ammo                    in dispay case

.32 Smith & Wesson      no stamp                    -               1 introduced 1878             no stamp indicates older cartridge

.32 long                diamond                     Western         1 introduced 1861             in display case, rimfire, obsolete since unknown

38 short rimfire        no stamp                    unknown         2 introduced post Civil War   produced circa 1866 - 1940

38-40                   W.R.A. Co. 38 W.C.F.        Winchester      1 introduced 1874             obsolete since 1937

38-55                   U.M.C. 38-55 SH             UMC             1 introduced 1884             pre 1911 cartridge, bullet stuck down inside cartridge

41 short Derringer      H                           Winchester      1 introduced 1863             obsolete since 1935

.41 long Colt           41 W.R.A.CO. L.DA.          Winchester      3 introduced 1877             not chambered since 1930, used in 1877 Colt Lightning,
                                                                                                  New Army, Army Special, Single Action Army, Bisley
                                                                                                  all from same gun, 1 in display case

44 Henry Flat rimfire   H                           Winchester      5 introduced 1861             1 in display case, obsolete since 1934
44 Henry Flat rimfire   P                           Peters          3                             obsolete since 1934
44 Henry Flat rimfire   no stamp                                    3

44 Bull Dog             no stamp                    -               1 introduced 1880             obsolete since 1939

44 Merwin & Hulbert     no stamp                    -               1 introduced 1882             obsolete circa 1920

44 Webley               no stamp                    -               2 introduced 1868             obsolete since 1940

44-40                   no stamp                    -               10 1873-1885                  no stamp indicates older cartridge, 1 in display case
                                                                                                  At least 5 different guns
44-4- extra long        no stamp                    -               1
                                                                        23
45 auto                  45 A.C. W.R.A.CO.   Winchester       1 introduced 1911

45 Colt                  no stamp                             2 introduced 1873             2 separate guns by firing pin markings

46 short rimfire         no stamp            Remington        2 introduced 1864             Remington single action Army revolver

50-70                    no stamp            United States    2 introduced 1873-1876        Farrington primer
50-70                    no stamp            -                1 1866-1873                   Benet primer, oldest of all primers
50-70                    no stamp            -                5 introduced 1873-1876        2 in display case, Berdan primer, used through 1880s
50-70                    no stamp            Remington        1                             Berdan primer, raised ring

56-50 Spencer rimfire no stamp                                2 introduced 1861             Probably post Civil War period

9mm auto luger           Remington-UMC       Remington        1                             in display case, modern

                                             total            74

Shotgun Shells

UMC 10G                  STAR                Union Metalic    1    introduced 1886          in display case
Winchester 12G           LEADER              Winchester       1    introduced 1900          in display case, used into 1950s at least
US 12G                   AJAX                United States    1    Introduced 1910 - 1920
US 12G                   ROMAX               United States    2    introduced 1910 - 1920   in display case
Winchester 12G           NEW RIVAL           Winchester       3    introduced 1935          in display case
Winchester 12G           STAR                Winchester       3    introduced 1884
UMC 12G                  NEW CLUB            Remington        5    introduced 1891 - 1905
Winchester 12G           REPEATER            Winchester       1    introduced 1900          used for decades
US 16G                   AJAX                United States    1
Peters 12G               PREMIER             Peters           1                             Peters went out of busines 1934
Peters 12G               LEAGUE              Peters           2                             Peters went out of busines 1934
UMC 12G                  CLUB                Union Metallic   1    introduced 1888          first factory loaded shells by this company
Winchester 12G           RANGER              Winchester       1    introduced 1930s
Western 12G              FIELD               Western          2    unknown                  Western was bought by Winchester
Winchester 12G           NUBLACK             Winchester       1    introduced 1935
Winchester 16G           SuperSpeed          Winchester       1    introduced

                                             total            27

Lead Bullets

unidentified                                                   5                            deformed
.32 caliber                                                    3
.36 caliber ball                                               1
.38 caliber                                                    4
.38 caliber ball                                               1                            in display case
.44 caliber                                                    5                            in display case
.45 caliber ball                                               2                            Probably used in 44 caliber cap and ball revolver
.50 caliber ball                                               3                            one in display case
.54 caliber ball                                               1                            in display case
.58 caliber Minie ball                                         2                            in display case, unfired, 1861-1865 Springfield musket
.69 caliber ball                                               5                            three in display case
                                             total            33

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References

Barnes, Frank C.
       2006 Cartridges of the World, 11th Edition
              Gun Digest Books
Concho
       2009 Military scouting reports and official orders, 1866 – 1880
              Fort Concho Historical Archives

Cruse, J. Brett
       2008 Battles of the Red River War, Archeological Perspectives of the Indian Campaign of
       1874
                Texas A&M University Press

Handbook of Texas Online, “Paint Rock,” s.v. ","
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/PP/hlp2.html (accessed February 23, 2010)

Jewett, Llewellynn
        1878 The Ceramic Art of Great Britain from prehistoric times down to present day
               Virtur & Co. Limited

Lee Family Digital Archive, “Robert E. Lee in Texas, III Reconnaissance” s.v. “,”
http://www.leearchive.info/shelf/rister/03.html

Loomis, Herman J,
      1982 John A. Loomis, Texas Ranchman: The Memoirs of John A. Loomis
             Chadron, Nebraska: Fur Press, 1982

Rister, Carl Coke
        1946 Robert E Lee In Texas
               University of Oklahoma Press

TexasBeyondHistory.net, “Paint Rock Pictographs,” s.v. ","
http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/plateaus/images/he4.html

Turpin, Solveig; Riemenschneider, Larry; Robinson, David
        2002 “Archeological Investigations of Campbell Ranch, Paint Rock, Texas,” s.v.”,”
              Texas Historical Commission Magazine of November 2002
http://www.cvassanangelo.org/uploads/paint_rock_1999.pdf

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