A Review of Historical and Ethnographic Literature Pertaining to Wickiups: Conical Timber Lodges within Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park, Shoshone National Forest, and Yellowstone National Park
Summary
A variety of wooden shelters exist in the northern Plains; among these are conical timber structures popularly referred to as "wickiups". A study focusing on lands administered by Bridger-Teton National Forest (BRTE), Grand Teton National Park ( GRTE), Shoshone National Forest (SHOS), and Yellowstone National Park (YELL), shows the term "wickiup" to be imprecisely used in reference to a variety of structures, so the study uses the architecturally descriptive term "conical timber lodge" (CTL) instead. Known CTLs in BRTE, SHOS, and YELL are discussed in detail, and illustrations are provided when available. Historical and ethnographic information is reviewed for each of the 26 tribes currently consulted by GRTE and YELL, as well as for nine other tribes that used similar structures.
Characteristics that could potentially distinguish CTLs built by certain tribes are often indistinguishable on extant CTLs, and indeed it is often difficult to tell whether a given timber structure site is a CTL or another similar sort of shelter. Development of a predictive model that would suggest where additional CTL sites might be found in the subject jurisdictions proved to be impossible, as a result of a small sample of sites and because data relevant to a predictive model are often missing from site forms.
A variety of management recommendations are provided, including better recordation of CTL sites; placement of rebar or some other form of permanent datum point(s) on timber feature sites; and, for certain sites, fencing or posting with signs.
Cite this Record
A Review of Historical and Ethnographic Literature Pertaining to Wickiups: Conical Timber Lodges within Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park, Shoshone National Forest, and Yellowstone National Park. David R. M. White. 2007 ( tDAR id: 475315) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8475315
Keywords
Site Type
Conical Timber Lodges
•
Wickiup
Investigation Types
Archaeological Overview
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Ethnographic Research
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Heritage Management
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Historic Background Research
Geographic Keywords
Bridger-Teton National Forest
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Grand Teton National Park
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Shoshone National Forest
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Yellowstone National Park
Spatial Coverage
min long: -111.463; min lat: 42.159 ; max long: -108.334; max lat: 45.332 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Bureau of Land Management, Utah State Office
Submitted To(s): National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park
Record Identifiers
Contract Number(s): P158040592
File Information
| Name | Size | Creation Date | Date Uploaded | Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007_White_ReviewHistoricalEthnoWickiups.pdf | 45.45mb | May 17, 2023 10:29:50 AM | Confidential |
Accessing Restricted Files
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Contact(s): Bureau of Land Management, Utah State Office