The Potomac Gorge

Summary

The Potomac Gorge is a canyon through which the river passes through the Falls Zone from Great Falls down to Washington, D.C. Ever since John Smith met Indians fishing below Little Falls in 1608, it has been widely assumed that the Potomac Gorge was a prime Native American fishing spot. The numerous prehistoric archaeological sites along this stretch of the river have often been interpreted as fishing stations. However, re-examination of the archaeological record in the Gorge, carried out as part of multi-year archaeological surveys in Rock Creek Park and the George Washington Memorial Parkway, suggests a more complex picture. Most of the known Archaic and Woodland sites are in places that make them unlikely fishing spots. This discovery directs attention to other ways ancient Native Americans might have used the gorge: as a boundary, as a transportation corridor, and as a possible approach route for dangerous outsiders that had to be carefully watched.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20307