Dendrochronology in the Absaroka Mountains, Wyoming: How Ancient Wood Frames a High Montane Archaeological Landscape

Summary

The Big Horn Basin in Wyoming was one of the last areas in the West explored and settled by early Euro-Americans. Thus, first-hand historical accounts from this region are sparse, especially from the Absaroka Mountains which flank the basin on the west. Tree-ring samples collected from ancient wood at high elevation sites in the Central Absarokas, including from prehistoric culturally peeled trees, archaeological features, and historic cabins, provide a unique window into this region’s past. Combined with some of the early historical documents from the area, tree-ring data offer intriguing insights into both past human land use and the paleoenvironment.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Dendrochronology: Social and Cultural Aspects of Wood in Archaeology

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-50,02