Transactions of the Regional Archeological Symposium for Southeastern New Mexico and Western Texas: 1983 Page: 77
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Thle records indicate that, over the next two decades, a number of
different units were sporadically stationed at Meyer's. The artifacts
and ruins that remain today indicate occupancy for a considerable length
of time. For the white man, the ridges and water of Mever's Spr,ing were
a place of military power
On several field trips between 1977 and 1980, the McCamey Junior
Historians visited Meyer's Spring. The students made surveys and records
to help recover the site's neglected past. Additionally, surveys were
made of the surface of the surrounding area. Several vtrah zfnes were
searched for signifiant rtifacts' (See iW e1
The students recorded al__ the dimensioes of! :e ec sting walls and
floors. This information was placed on notecards, along with sketches of
details. Numerous slides were also taken of the activities and of the site.
Materials were collected from an extensive trash dump of cans, bottles,
and metal scraps along the slope of a nearby ridge. Later, documentary
records were researched to supplement at in io n f -d at the site.
The original military camps insisted or tents or o.rner temporary
shelters. As the bivouacs lengthened, more permanent structures were
built using native stone quarried from the nearby canyon. The buildings
were either square or rectangular structures of rock, cut into rough blocks
and stacked and fitted with a loose mortar.
Some buildings clearly show more work th an others. Most appear to
have had rock walls to a height of six or seven feet. They were then
roofed over with a thatch cover of bunched grass and sotol stalks. A
cross-section examination of the walls reveals they were actually double
walls with a fill of caliche and rock chips between them, The walls
average 1.7 feet in width.
The major remaining structure clearly shows that it served as a
residence of some sort. Alternately, it could have been used as a
headquarters building. Its dimensions are- f.rty F,et y -weoty feet
with the long axs running north to sou.
Theo north end ci this strucur:ntL naa ins e of th uttndn
architectural features of the site. It is a beautifully constructed
fireplace of native stone, with an arched opening. The keystone arc
across the front still spans a five-foot hearth. It is even more
remarkable when one recalls that the builders were probably ordina
soldiers, though someone obviously had a knowledge of masonra o
struction.
While it: is more than. likely thaL one or more gioups f soldi
constructed these buildings (the area artifacts support this conclusion.),
the identity of the builders and the dares of their construction has not
been definitely established. The spring was occupied on more -Than ore
occasion by different military units while the Spring was a sub-post2
Though there were many different military units associated with
Meyer's Spring, one group stands out above all others. The unit whose
name is most closely linked with the sub-post is the Seminole Negro Scouts,
under the command of First Lieuteniat John i. Bull is. These Scots haveII
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Index to the proceedings of the regional archeological symposium including separate lists by subject, title, author, and volume along with subject categories, a map of regions, and Texas county abbreviations.
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Transactions of the Regional Archeological Symposium for Southeastern New Mexico and Western Texas: 1983, book, 1984; United States. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1661464/m1/85/?q=+date%3A1945-1972: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Southwestern Federation of Archaeological Societies.