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Drought aids in archeological discovery on Lake Travis

06:22 PM CDT on Monday, August 28, 2006

By MICHAEL MENDOZA / KVUE News

While many are giving thanks for the rain we saw Monday, the lack of rain helped uncover a remarkable find near the shore of Lake Travis.

The drought has taken its toll on Central Texas.

No where else, is that more visible than on Lake Travis.

David Houston helped find a piece of our past around the dry shoreline.

"I saw the forearm, the skull and the lower jaw," said Houston

A pre-historic burial site uncovered by the archeological enthusiast.

"It's a once in a lifetime find for both me and for professionals. They're very rare," said Charles Hixson, an LCRA Staff Archeologist.

"At least from the style of the spear point we found at the campsite we think it dates to about 1,500 years ago," added Hixson.

He says less than 10 pre-historic burials have been found around Lake Travis.

"If we didn't retrieve it, it would have eroded into the lake and all that information would have been lost," said Hixson.

The waters of Lake Travis have receded considerably since the beginning of our drought. It's the main reason why the ancient skeleton was found. As the drought continues and the water keeps receding, more and more ancient campsites are being found.

"The problem with the lake right now is people just walking around the shoreline and picking up artifacts. Not a lot of digging just mainly picking up artifacts," added Hixson.

LCRA handed the skeletal remains to the University of Texas at Austin for further research.

They were received by UT's Texas Archeological Research Lab Monday morning located at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus in north Austin.

The bones will not be exhibited out of respect for Native Americans.

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