Faunal Analysis of Two Columbia River House Feature Sites: Hole-in-the-Wall-Canyon (45KT12) and French Rapids (45KT13)

Summary

As part of ongoing thesis work, a taxonomic and taphonomic faunal analysis was completed for the zooarchaeological collections (n≈5,000) of two house feature sites, Hole-in-the-Wall Canyon (45KT12) and French Rapids (45KT13). Both sites are located near Vantage, Washington, within the inundated area of the Wanapum Reservoir, and date ca. 2400 – 200 B.P. Originally excavated as part of large scale archaeological salvage work prior to dam construction in the summers of 1961-62, the fauna was never analyzed. The study area represents a significant spatial gap in analysis and reporting of faunal data along the Columbia River. While fauna from house feature sites has been reported for areas to the north and south along the Columbia River, as well as for sites along the Snake River, almost no significant quantifiable faunal data has been reported for the Columbia between its confluence with the Wenatchee River (river mile 468) and Snake River (river mile 325). Preliminary identifications include deer, sheep, rabbit, dog, muskrat, sucker, salmon, minnow, and mussel, and further analysis is underway. The thesis will report on differences and similarities between the analyzed faunal collections and other reported house feature faunal assemblages along the Snake and Columbia Rivers.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16626