A Glimpse at the Archaeological Landscape of Black Mountain and Upper Thirsty Canyon, Nevada Test and Training Range, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada

Part of the Nellis Air Force Base (DRAFT) project

Author(s): Jeffrey Altschul; Michael K. Lerch; Margaret Beck; Robert M. Wegener; Kathleen L. Hull

Year: 2006

Summary

The study resulted in the identification of 46 archaeological sites. Among these are extensive habitation areas, a spectacular rock art gallery, and a rockshelter containing baskets that appear to represent a woman’s personal belongings. Projectile point and ceramic types provide insights on changing settlement and subsistence patterns, technology, and external relationships. During the five millennia or more that people have lived in the Black Mountain area, it has served both as a place of power and as a region of refuge. Larger numbers of projectile points of types used before and after the adoption of the bow and arrow suggest an increase in hunting activity from 1300 B.C. to A.D. 1300, consistent with similar patterns throughout the Great Basin. Although the paucity of published ethnographic information on the study area seems to indicate that it was little used in comparison with other nearby areas, abundant Late Archaic evidence such as ceramics and the presence of perishable materials such as basketry argue otherwise. We suggest that the lack of previously recorded ethnographic data may reflect use of the Black Mountain area as a region of refuge during the historical period and a concomitant withholding of information about a sensitive area still in use.

Cite this Record

A Glimpse at the Archaeological Landscape of Black Mountain and Upper Thirsty Canyon, Nevada Test and Training Range, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Jeffrey Altschul, Michael K. Lerch, Margaret Beck, Robert M. Wegener, Kathleen L. Hull. 2006 ( tDAR id: 455928) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8455928

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Keywords

Material
Ceramic • Chipped Stone • Ground Stone

Site Name
26NY456

Site Type
Quarry • Rock Shelter

Investigation Types
Systematic Survey

General
basket site. • Buff Ware • canyon overlook • Forks of Thirsty Canyon • gray and white wares • intermoutnain brown ware • Petroglpyh Gallery • Petroglyph Gallery • pillar spring • Pillar Spring Canyon • Rock Cairn • Tizon Brown Ware • upper pillar spring canyon

Geographic Keywords
Black Mountain Area • Clark (County) • Great Basin • Las Vegas, Nevada • Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada • Nevada (State / Territory) • Nye (County) • Oasis Valley • Pahute Mesa • Thirsty Canyon • United States of America (Country)

Temporal Keywords
Archaic Period

Spatial Coverage

min long: -116.667; min lat: 35.98 ; max long: -114.458; max lat: 37.153 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nellis Air Force Base CRM Manager

File Information

  Name Size Creation Date Date Uploaded Access
Black-Mountain-Sample-Archaeology-SRI-2006.pdf 26.47mb Jun 19, 2020 10:37:39 PM Confidential

Accessing Restricted Files

At least one of the files for this resource is restricted from public view. For more information regarding access to these files, please reference the contact information below

Contact(s): Nellis Air Force Base CRM Manager