Signal Butte

Signal Butte in western Nebraska is a major prehistoric archaeological site whose preserved layers record repeated Native American occupation over roughly 5,000 years, reaching back to the Middle Archaic Period. Rising above the plains near Robidoux Pass and Gering, it yielded stone projectile points, drills, bone awls, storage pits, hearths, and other evidence of use. Excavations led by archaeologist William Duncan Strong in 1931 and 1932, followed by later work in the 1940s and 1950s, helped identify the site as a series of seasonal hunting camps. It also became important in archaeology as one of the first sites to produce a radiocarbon date and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1961.

Mitchell, Nebraska · United States