The Kelso Site, near

Mullen Mullen is a surname of Irish and Scottish origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Alex Mullen (born 1992), Australian professional footballer *Andrew Mullen (born 1996), British Paralympian swimmer *Ann A. Mullen (1935–1994), Ameri ...

Hooker County, Nebraska Hooker County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 736. Its county seat is Mullen, which (as of 2019) is the county's only community of substantial size. In the Nebraska license pla ...

, United States, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1974. It was the site of a prehistoric village. The

archeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

is designated by

Smithsonian trinomial A Smithsonian trinomial (formally the Smithsonian Institution Trinomial System, abbreviated SITS) is a unique identifier assigned to archaeological sites in many states in the United States. They are composed of one or two digits coding for the sta ...

of 25 HO 23. According to Nebraska History: "Kelso is located on a sand dune overlooking the Middle Loup River near the town of Mullen. It is important as a rare example of a little known Woodland culture of the Sand Hills, Panhandle, and eastern Colorado dating A.D. 500-1100." The archeological site was partially excavated in 1947, when the proposed Mullen Reservoir project was planned. This was "the only major excavation of a Woodland site in the Sand Hills proper. Approximately one-quarter of the Kelso site was excavated. Two hearths were uncovered, but storage pits or architectural ruins were not located. Artifacts included pottery, stone tools, animal remains, and a bone awl. The animal bone sample reflected an emphasis on smaller game. The site is somewhere between 950 and 1,350 years old.". Includes photo of Kelso Site excavation in progress.

References

National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska Archaeological sites in Nebraska Buildings and structures in Hooker County, Nebraska {{Nebraska-NRHP-stub

See also

References