That is an interesting story about the Mule team, if not morbidly
humorous. I understand that the disposable income was sparse, and still
is amongst farmers, but I was referencing an apparent trend I have
noticed. Working dogs seem to be afforded more attention than draught
animals. This is interesting to me for a couple of reasons. 1) The trend
of commemorating working dogs are all in a pastoralist type context,
whereas there doesn't seem to be a similar activity with
agriculturalists; 2) The level of time and monetary investment in a
draught animal, as well as the amount of discernable return in labor
value (e.g. how much value that farmer places on the animal) is
equivalent if not higher with draught animals, what's more many farmer's
have a similar personal relationship with their draught animals that one
would have with their dog, so why not treat their death in the same way?
Moreover, the shepherd dog is intrinsic to the livelihood of the
pastoralist in the same way a Shire would be to a Potato Farmer. I have
seen people cry when their car dies, let along the Horse you need to
survive. A dead or ill draught horse for a small scale, lower income
farmer would be financially devastating. It seems to me it is a simple
matter of marking the grave, or better yet, the size of the animal makes
burials a bit more difficult. 

As far as disposable income is concerned, all of the animal burials I
have seen were within the property and utilized opportunistic materials,
i.e. nearby stones, wooden storage boxes, or a wall cladding board so
there was not a high level of monetary investment involved in the
burial. Basically just a plank or stone set at the presumed head of the
burial. 

Sean M.A. Doyle, B.A.

 

Historic Resources Specialist

SWCA Environmental Consultants

295 Interlocken Blvd. Suite 300

Broomfield, CO. 80021
303-487-1183 x.149
-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lyle
E. Browning
Sent: Monday, April 11, 2011 12:15 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: University archaeologists start Tregaron elephant dig

On Apr 11, 2011, at 1:43 PM, Sean Doyle wrote:

> In the cases where they went so far as to identify the markers they
only had the name, Demon, Runner, and what not. No indication of species
or capacity on the marker. I wonder why the same treatment was not
afforded draught animals in agriculturalist sites I've had the
opportunity to work on?
Beef and dairy operations in VA have a designated area where natural
loss animals are hauled for "open-air" burials. These are invariably in
ravines at the margins of the pasture and in an intermittent drainage.
That said, half a mile downwind in the summer the odor is noticeable and
within a quarter mile it is sickening. VA has two seasons; winter and
July so the decomp season is March to November with frozen or nearly so
in between in the higher elevations.

Draught animals often did get burials, but not with markers. The farmers
knew where they were and used the area as needed. One such situation was
related in that a team of mules used to haul freight in wagon to the
steamboats for riverine transport would not stop backing up and went
over the end of the dock into the Pamunkey River. The crop was lost as
were the animals. A pit was dug by hand and the animals were rolled in.
The last one rolled in and came to rest with legs up. Alterations were
made with a chainsaw to allow dirt to cover the multiple grave. No other
markers exist. This happened about 80 years ago and is still current
with the great-grandchildren of the folks to which it happened.
Ethnohistory would undoubtedly relate more of same.

I have encountered horse "graveyards" with markers with the name and
dates. It would appear that the farther down the status ladder the
animal, the less likely it was to be commemorated. And it would have
much to do with the economic means and mindset of the owners.
Commemoration in cement is more prevalent in agrarian sites than
formalized tombstones. One has to remember that most of these animals
were working animals, and not household pets. The distinction is
important when disposable income is scarce on farming profit margins.

Lyle Browning, RPA


> 
> Susan Walter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Very true.
> I have thought of visiting one of our local pet cemeteries; not yet
made a 
> big enough excuse to do so.  Just wondering if a working dog would
have been 
> marked as such on his/her marker.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Sean Doyle" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, April 11, 2011 10:07 AM
> Subject: Re: University archaeologists start Tregaron elephant dig
> 
> 
> The one's in Western Colorado varied between fieldstone and wooden
markers. 
> East Texas on the other hand were invariably of stone, at least of the

> examples I have seen. We did in fact know they were dogs as in all
three 
> cases the landowners explained the burials to us.
> 
> I wanted to add that I should have said "working dogs" instead of
simply 
> hunting dogs. The Colorado examples were located in the Piceance and
were 
> intermixed with sheep dogs. They always fascinated me, good
representations 
> of how much the human relied on and trusted this animal during its
lifetime. 
> As much a colleague as a pet.
> 
> Susan Walter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> With fieldstones?
> Did you know they were dogs?
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Sean Doyle" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, April 11, 2011 9:02 AM
> Subject: Re: University archaeologists start Tregaron elephant dig
> 
> 
> Not so much pets, but hunting dogs. I have seen a great deal of marked
> hunting dog burials on various rural hunting tracts in both East Texas
and
> Western Colorado.
> 
> ________________________________
> 
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY on behalf of Susan Walter
> Sent: Mon 4/11/2011 9:01 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: University archaeologists start Tregaron elephant dig
> 
> 
> 
> Not elephants, BUT often on rural sites I've stumbled (sometimes
literally)
> on what appear to be fieldstone grave markers.  In my own yard, our
> fieldstone markers denote pet burials.  Everyone (except Mr. McCoy,
who was
> exhumed and moved to a now unidentified final resting place) is
accounted
> for from my farmhouse, built in 1890; they are in official cemeteries.
> 
> Anyone else had pet burials marked like that?
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "geoff carver" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, April 10, 2011 12:30 PM
> Subject: University archaeologists start Tregaron elephant dig
> 
> 
>> Not quite sure what to think of this; maybe a useful training
exercise
>> (PR?), but...
>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13023965
>> What archaeological information can the grave of a circus elephant
reveal?
>> Something about burial customs for circus elephants in 19th c. Wales?
> 
> 
>
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