Archaeological Excavation at the Pathfinder Ranch Site (48CR332): A Stratified Multicomponent Site Located Near the Ferris Mountains of Central Wyoming

Brent A. Buenger

Archaeological Excavation at the Pathfinder Ranch Site (48CR332): A Stratified Multicomponent Site Located Near the Ferris Mountains of Central Wyoming

Year: 2014

Summary

The excavated cultural deposit at the Pathfinder Ranch site (48CR332) yielded five cultural components dating to the Uinta phase of the Late Prehistoric (Component 1), the Deadman Wash phase of the Late Archaic (Components 1-2), and the Pine Spring phase of the Late Archaic (Components 3-5). The cultural materials recovered from the five components suggests the occupations represent temporally punctuated short-term hunter-gatherer camps likely characterized by large mammal faunal resource procurement, seasonally-conditioned broad spectrum resource procurement, and in at least one instance, specialized resource procurement related to bison hunting/processing. The location of the Pathfinder Ranch site in close proximity to a perennial water source, associated riparian zones, large meadows and grassland expanses; as well as a foothill/mountain ecozone, likely conditioned the repeated use of the area by hunter-gatherers throughout a significant part of Wyoming Basin prehistory.

Cite this Record

Archaeological Excavation at the Pathfinder Ranch Site (48CR332): A Stratified Multicomponent Site Located Near the Ferris Mountains of Central Wyoming. Brent A. Buenger. The Wyoming Archaeologist. 58 (1): 33-60. 2014 ( tDAR id: 476499) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8476499