Was the “Late Spot” at the Longest Site a missed opportunity?

The Longest Site (34JF1) in south central Oklahoma offers an example of the benefits of focusing on metal detecting and identifying artifact distribution patterns within farmed historic Native American sites. Metal detecting at the Longest Site defined 13 artifact concentrations within the 50-acre village site. Decades of collecting from fields resulted in the definition of two metal artifact scatters, one a pattern of dispersed lead balls and the second a concentration of flintlock gun-related artifacts along with a variety of early 1800s “domestic” artifacts indicating a post-Native American pre-Civil War presence. Although it could be a trash dump near Spring Creek, the scatter could be the location of a log shed workshop built by a trader who provided gun supplies but did not repair guns. It is unfortunate that the Wichita Project was not continued because, even half a century later, the Longest Site still has a story to tell.