Oklahoma Historical Society Collections

Bryson-Paddock is an archaeological site associated with the Wichita people, an American Indian tribe, in north-central Oklahoma along the Arkansas River near the Kansas-Oklahoma border. This was an important site because the Wichita were able to use the flint and chert to make tools and the site was protected by surrounding open prairie. Bryson-Paddock is where the French and Wichita traded goods such as hides and guns. Before the archaeologists excavated the site they surveyed the thirty acres, which is equal to thirty-nine football fields, and looked for evidence of artifacts and features.

After surveying, they excavated the features they found and recorded their context. Some examples of the features are the postholes that the Wichita dug for the fences that held livestock. They also found hearths, which are holes that are dug into the ground for fires. They found several middens and found many artifacts. Some of the artifacts in the matrixes included bison bones, stone hide scrapers, French gun parts, glass beads, and fabric. After excavation, the archaeologist went back to the lab and placed the artifacts into classifications, typically using seriation, to better understand the evidence that was discovered.

Diane, Clay. "Contact Commerce." American Archaeology (Fall 2008): 20-25.

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