Native American question

[osage outlaw]

Does anyone know if native americans built stone walls?  There are a couple of these short sections of stone walls on our property.  This one has fell over.  They are next to dry creek beds and around 20 yards long.  The other wall is in the next valley over.  I don't think they were used for keeping anything fenced in since it's only one straight line.  I was wondering if they were used to control deer movement or even as a blind.  I have found stone points in the creek bed a few yards away from it.  I know this isn't a natural formation.  I remember the wall being neatly stacked up when I was a kid.  The other one has areas that are still standing.

[JW_Halverson]

Low walls and "stone men" were used by the Inuit and Inupiak to direct the migrating caribou.  Similar walls have been found at high elevation in Wyoming as well.

[osage outlaw]

That's kind of what I thought they were for.  It's a good hunting spot.  I have a stand right over top of it. 

[nclonghunter]

In WV there are stone walls documented to have been made by early native folks. They are mostly on or near ridge tops near the Kanawha  River. Here is a link to some info on it; http://www.stonestructures.org/html/mount-carbon.html

Is that an osage tree beside that wall?

[Hawkdancer]

There are several such sites in Rocky Mountain National Park, I haven't seen them, sort of a rough hike to get there.
Hawkdancer

[Eric Krewson]

The sheep eaters left these types of structures on century old sheep travel paths in the Rockies.

Yours could be used to funnel deer, elk or bison and would have lasted for thousands of years.

[osage outlaw]

In WV there are stone walls documented to have been made by early native folks. They are mostly on or near ridge tops near the Kanawha  River. Here is a link to some info on it; http://www.stonestructures.org/html/mount-carbon.html

Is that an osage tree beside that wall?

No, that tree growing right next to it isn't an osage.  I have my tree stand in a gnarly osage a few feet away from it though. 

[Parnell]

Cool that you've got that on your place, Clint.  Must make it fun to hunt with that in mind. 

I've come across structures like that over the years and growing up in different spots.  I lived on top of a ridge line in NJ for a few years in high school and would wander the woods finding structures like that.  Washington's army wintered there during the Revolution...I figured they were related to that.  Now you've got me wondering...

[JEB]

I would think more for the military. Was there any military action in your area? If you have a metal detector I would detect that area good.  You may be surprised what you might come up with and it may answer your question.

[willie]

not sure where you are at, but is that a virgin forest or is there a chance the land has been cleared for ag in the past few hundred years?

if thy were stacked up when you were a kid, they might not be that old

[PEARL DRUMS]

Early flood control perhaps? Or, maybe they dug that limestone out of a section in order to deepen pools to gather more usable water.

[BowEd]

Depending on how long the property has been in your family talking to your father or grand father might shed some light on that.I suspect it was made within the last 100 years.Speaking with someone that knows the history of your area could help too.Maybe even neighbors.

[bjrogg]

I'd be interested in Jeb's theory. Maybe civil war winter camp? Just a wild guess though. Might want to do more investigating.
Bjrogg

[PEARL DRUMS]

Metal detector time.

[Buffalogobbler]

We have them here in western new york, some of them are quite long.
I always thought they were farm boundaries from the old homestesders.
 I always found them in second growth forests.

Kevin