Several lines of evidence led archaeologists to believe that ritual activities had taken place at the Evans site. First was the discovery of two large pits along the site's eastern edge. These pits were lined with dark organic soils and filled with yellow clay that had been processed to remove impurities. Researchers interpreted the pits as places used for clay storage.
Second, along the western edge of the site, investigators found pits that contained debris from making of mica crescents for interment with the dead. Charred seeds of native cultigens (squash, maygrass, goosefoot, and sunflower) recovered from these pits suggested that manufacturing mica objects was associated with ritual feasting.
Third, toward the site center, they found evidence of burning, concentrations of fire-cracked rocks in a pit, yellow clay, ash, and burned bones in a large shallow basin. They interpreted this basin as the place where mourners had cremated the dead prior to mound interment.