Experimental Archaeology Applied to Archaeological Investigations in Range Creek Canyon: Emery and Carbon Counties, Utah

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Experimental Archaeology in Range Creek Canyon, Utah" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological investigations in Range Creek Canyon, in east-central Utah, have led to the identification of 500 prehistoric sites. The majority of sites that can be affiliated are linked to the Fremont Culture, semi-sedentary horticulturalists occupying the region 300–1175 CE. Sites range from long-term habitation sites, artifact scatters, rock art, and granaries. Examples of each category can be found from the valley floor to the towering cliff. Some site types are found clustered together, particularly multi-structural habitation sites and artifact scatters. The Range Creek Field Station, operated by the Natural History Museum of Utah at the University of Utah, has been focused on experimental archaeology in an attempt to understand the costs and benefits associated with subsistence strategies employed by the Fremont. These experiments include growing plots of heritage maize, monitoring water levels in the creek, and harvesting wild resources. The long-term goal of these projects is to increase our understanding of the distribution and availability of resources used by the ancient inhabitants of the canyon to better understand factors relevant to the observed patterning of these sites.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Experimental Archaeology in Range Creek Canyon, Utah   •
• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33486