Differentiating History: Criteria to Distinguish Between Historic Euro and Native American Sites in Wind Cave National Park

Summary

Wind Cave National Park, just north of Hot Springs, South Dakota, became a National Park in 1903. Because of its location in the heart of the Black Hills, the land now protected by the National Park System has been a hotbed of human activity for thousands of years and is the location of many archaeological sites, both prehistoric and historic. However, some of the most intriguing sites that can be found within the park’s boundaries are those of indeterminate origin. Sites with both historic (ie. Metal) and prehistoric artifacts (ie. Lithics) raise many questions about exactly how archaeologists determine the difference not between historic and prehistoric sites, but between historic Native American and historic Euro American sites. Using both a known Euro American site and a known Native American camp as controls, criteria have been created that will allow testing not only of multiple other sites within Wind Cave, but across the American West. By conducting pedestrian survey and metal detecting at indeterminate sites in Wind Cave and comparing the assemblages found there, it has been possible to test the validity of the criteria in regards to the identification of historic sites as Euro or Native American in origin.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage