Cultural Resource Management of Denman Wildlife Area, Southwestern Oregon

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) currently manages the 1,858 acre Denman Wildlife Area, located within the Rogue Valley of southwestern Oregon. The Denman Wildlife Area contains a dynamic fluvial and cultural history that makes archaeological management and habitat restoration of the wildlife area challenging. Included within the boundaries of the wildlife area is the confluence of the Rogue River and Little Butte Creek. The Rogue River has shifted course at least four times between 1855 and 1983. Additionally, the confluence of the Rogue River and Little Butte Creek is the reported location of several precontact village/camp sites as well as the described location of the Lupton Massacre, a devastating event that started the Rogue River War of 1855-1856. Following all of this, the area was then utilized for a World War II training encampment known as Camp White. None of this history has been well documented archaeologically. This study presents the results of background research and initial field work on the Denman Wildlife Area and presents recommendations for how best to manage future work, both archaeological and habitat restoration, on the wildlife area.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39404.0