Prehistoric Use of the Wind Creek Locality at Fort Riley, Kansas

Summary

Fort Riley Army Installation in northeastern Kansas is bordered by Wildcat Creek, a tributary of the Kansas River that has a high density of prehistoric sites, including Smoky Hill hamlets and base camps. We review the CEMML surveys and site exams along Wind Creek - a tributary of Wildcat Creek - that have produced an unexpected density of upland prehistoric sites.

In this context, we discuss the prehistoric sites types found along Wind Creek and explore how they are part of settlement patterns within the larger Wildcat Creek watershed. We also examine differences in the artifact assemblages from 40 sites along Wind Creek, including the presence/number of hafted bifaces, scrapers, expedient tools and various types of debitage. Notably, the diagnostic hafted bifaces found along Wind Creek indicate that the area was used, at least sporadically, during the Archaic, Woodland and Late Prehistoric periods. A number of scrapers found at sites along Wind Creek conversely indicates the importance of hide-processing or perhaps wood-working in the area. We suggest that the Wind Creek locality contained important resources, perhaps available seasonally, that were exploited by prehistoric groups with habitations and base camps along Wildcat Creek.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20814