Our firm excavated a lot in downtown (late 1880s) Ventura, California and found a fully articulated donkey on what we believe was the original ground surface. The top of the skull was shattered and had two flattened bullets in the mouth area. Our interpretation was that the animal was euthanized by two shots to the head. What was difficult to understand was that the animal didn't appear to be in any pit or that any attempt had been made to cover it up. We assume it was covered minimally by soil and possibly by lime but certainly the efforts were less than optimum. The lot next door consisted of a wood frame residence and had several pigs (based on a photograph) and we can surmise that the threshold for some odors was less stringent than what we have today.
John M. Foster, RPA
Greenwood-Associates.com
310.454.3091 tel/fax
310.717.5048 cell
________________________________
From: Charles Neel <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Friday, June 6, 2014 10:19 AM
Subject: Re: Colonial Horses Part 2
You might look up local ordinances/laws governing disposal of dead animals. I remember an iconic late 19th century photo of a man sitting on a dead horse in the middle of Main Street. Just can't remember where the photo came from.
Charles Neel
Red River Archaeology
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 6, 2014, at 12:01 PM, "Carl Steen" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> On 6/6/2014 12:32 PM, Bill Liebeknecht wrote:
>> Thanks, It's all helpful!
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan
>> Walter
>> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2014 11:39 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: Colonial Horses Part 2
>>
>> Many of these things were fed to the pigs.
>> If they were nearby, Gypsies ate "dead meat"
>> Farmers here that I asked - in the 1900s, mind - they buried them.
>> My uncle's family in Montana dumped carcasses in a ravine and let the
>> scavengers have them.
>> A local butcher told me he butchered them for local families who ate them.
>> None of this is early 18th century though, just what I've gotten by asking.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Bill Liebeknecht" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2014 4:51 AM
>> Subject: Re: Colonial Horses Part 2
>>
>>
>>> Questions:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 1. If you lived in a rural early 18th century setting and your horse
>>> died, what would you do with the body?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 2. The smell would become putrid rather quickly and let's face it
>>> horses weigh a ton, so would you salvage what you could, hide, hooves .???
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 3. Then what, would you quarter it much like you would do when elk
>>> hunting to haul it away from your homestead? This should leave cleaver
>>> marks but not cut marks.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 4. During the first half of the 18th century what mechanisms were in
>>> place to dispose of old, dead or sickly horses? Later there were glue
>>> factories, dog food companies and fertilizer companies.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Any thoughts would be appreciated.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Bill Liebeknecht, RPA
>>>
>>> Hunter Research, Inc.
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ----
>>
>>
>>
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>> 14:43:00
> I don't know of horses being eaten here in SC, but it wouldn't surprise me. Maybe Martha Zierden or Elizabeth Reitz could help. I do know that Stan South excavated a horse burial at Charlestowne (in an 18th c context as I recall). And I found some horse bones buried under a hearth in the cellar of the main house at Pine Grove plantation, near Charleston, in a 19th c context.
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