When is a Pithouse a Pithome?: Reconstructing a Fremont Household Underneath the Book Cliffs of Utah.

Summary

Perched along the northern edge of the Colorado Plateau, the Tavaputs Plateau is best known among archaeologists for its interior canyons, including the incredible rock art in Nine Mile Canyon and the well-preserved Fremont communities located in Range Creek Canyon. Despite the greater water resources and arable land along the Book Cliffs escarpment of the plateau, it has received little professional attention. This research program focuses on a small segment along the Grassy Trail Creek, a formerly perennial stream with several village and single structure sites well-known to local collectors. This drainage serves as a gateway to both Nine Mile Canyon and Range Creek Canyon. Initial studies suggest that this drainage may be best considered as a dispersed community, although the lack of temporal data precludes any rigorous statements about occupational overlap between sites. Recent excavations at a site called the Martinez Pithouse have revealed a burnt and collapsed structure with an intact floor and associated assemblage. This excavation provides the first dates for the Fremont occupation of this drainage as well as an opportunity to examine the household structure of the people who called this place their home.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16265