Using Zooarchaeology and Stable Isotope Analysis to Explore Animal Husbandry Practices in 19th Century San Jose, California

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Life and Death in the San Francisco Bay: Multi-Disciplinary Approaches to Historic Lifeways", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In the 19th century, Santa Clara County, California, was known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" for its importance as an agricultural and farming region. Although historical accounts abound, our understanding of the practice of raising and tending domestic livestock is limited. By 1869, San Jose became part of the national economy with the transcontinental railway and vast numbers of people were drawn to the burgeoning city. During construction activities at Tamien Station (CA-SCL-690/H) in San Jose, archaeological monitoring and excavation yielded a variety of domesticated species including dogs, cats, horses, pigs, chickens, and pheasants. This array of fauna seems to reflect historical records of a diversified farming approach in the late 19th century when poultry and swine were added to dairying and wool production. Using stable isotope analysis, we explore the shift from open grazing to the use of forage crops and feeding sheds for animal husbandry.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Life and Death in the San Francisco Bay: Multi-Disciplinary Approaches to Historic Lifeways

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow