Friends of Bear Paw, Big Hole & Canyon Creek Battlefields

"...In addition to having been constructed by historic and prehistoric native peoples, cairns were also constructed by historic Euro-Americans-particularly while clearing cultivated lands of stone. In determining whether specific cairns are associated with the activities of past Native Americans or historic Euro-American activities Rennie and Brumley (1994) define four primary characteristics of a cairn: 1) the location of the structure in relation to evidence of other prehistoric or historic materials or activities; 2) the extent of sodding around the stones comprising a cairn; 3) the extent of lichen cover on the exposed surfaces of the stones comprising a cairn; 4) the nature of any associated cultural materials..."
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