Aboriginal Adaptations on the Colorado Plateau: A View From the Island-in-the-Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Author(s): Alan J. Osborn; Jesslyn Brown; Galen Burgett; Linda Scott Cummings; Ralph J. Hartley; Susan Vetter; Jennifer Waters; Tony Zalucha

Editor(s): F. A. Calabrese

Year: 1995

Summary

This final report documents the results of archeological inventory, excavation, and analysis of prehistoric cultural resources within a 45-kilometer (28-mile) long corridor in the Island-in-the-Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. During three field seasons of survey, mapping, and excavation in 1983-1985, the research team recorded 32 artifact scatters, plotted 90,000 prehistoric artifacts and 250 historic items, completed 600 one-square-meter test pits, and conducted 10 block excavations. Block excavations at two locations in Gray's Pasture revealed a plant processing/hunting field camp (42SA16858) and a disturbed pithouse (42SA8506). Associated features and materials included a puddled clay-lined hearth, a slab-lined pit, a cached Mesa Verde Black-on-white on a, six additional restored ceramic vessels, chipped and ground stone tools, human remains, animal bone, and macrobotanical material. Radiometric determinations for these locations ranged from 1335 B.P. (corrected A.D. 690- 795) to 940 B.P. (corrected A.D. 620-895). Radiometric dates for sites examined within the project area ranged from 2990 B.P. (corrected 1400-925 B.C.) to 120 B.P. (corrected A.D. 1655-1950). Research problems for this project included aboriginal patterns of land use, paleonutrition/diet/health, food storage, and caching strategies. Special emphasis was given to the investigation of artifact assemblage-diversity at varying spatial scales within surface artifact scatters.

Cite this Record

Aboriginal Adaptations on the Colorado Plateau: A View From the Island-in-the-Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Alan J. Osborn, Jesslyn Brown, Galen Burgett, Linda Scott Cummings, Ralph J. Hartley, Susan Vetter, Jennifer Waters, Tony Zalucha, F. A. Calabrese. Occasional Studies in Anthropology ,33. Lincoln, Nebraska: Midwest Archeological Center, National Park Service. 1995 ( tDAR id: 375735) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8D21XBW

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Keywords

Culture
Anasazi • Ancestral Puebloan • Archaic • Basketmaker II & III • Folsom • Formative Period • Kayenta • Late Archaic • Paiute • PaleoIndian • Pinto Cultural Period • San Rafael Fremont

Material
Ceramic • Chipped Stone • Fauna • Ground Stone • Human Remains • Macrobotanical

Site Name
42GR2025 • 42GR910 • 42GR911 • 42GR912 • 42GR913 • 42SA16858 • 42SA3278 • 42SA415 • 42SA421 • 42SA8495 • 42SA8496 • 42SA8497 • 42SA8498 • 42SA8499 • 42SA8500 • 42SA8501 • 42SA8502 • 42SA8503 • 42SA8505 • 42SA8506 • 42SA8507 • 42SA8508 • 42SA8509 • 42SA8510 • 42SA8511 • 42SA8512 • 42SA8513 • 42SA8514 • 42SA8515 • 42SA913 Show More

Site Type
Agricultural Field or Field Feature • Agricultural or Herding • Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex • Domestic Structures • Hearth • Hunting / Trapping • Resource Extraction / Production / Transportation Structure or Features

Investigation Types
Data Recovery / Excavation • Systematic Survey

General
Aboriginal Patterns of Land Use • Block Excavations • Bone Tools • Bull Creek Point • Butchering / Processing Areas • Caching Strategies • Cottonwood Points • Desert Side Notch Points • Elko Points • Food Storage • Gatecliff Contracting Stem Point • Humbolt Concave Base Points • Hunting Field Camp • Juniper Corrals • Kayenta Ceramics • Legamorph Bone Fragments • Lithic Scatter • Livestock Trails • Mesa Verde B / W Ceramics • Mining Claims • Northern Side Notched Point • Paiute Ceramics • Paleodietary Information • Paleonutrition • Pinto Series Projectile Point • Pithouse • Plant Processing • Puddled Clay-Lined Hearth • Rock Cairns • Rose Springs Corner Notched Point • Slab-Lined Pit • Sudden Side-Notched Point • Wind Deflation Show More

Geographic Keywords
Canyonlands National Park • Gray's Pasture • Island-in-the-Sky District • Murphy Point • Upheaval Dome Road • White Crack • White Rim

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: -1400 to 1950 (Dates for sites examined within the project area)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -110.435; min lat: 37.697 ; max long: -109.613; max lat: 38.548 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Sponsor(s): United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, MIdwest Archeological Center

Submitted To(s): Rocky Mountain Region, National Park Service

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