Wetlands and Watersheds: Folsom in Idaho

Summary

This is an abstract from the "From Channel Flakes to Bison Jumps: Current Investigations of the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene Archaeological Record in Southern Idaho" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In this paper, we present the most up-to-date dataset of Folsom points in Idaho, the results of x-ray fluorescence analysis on obsidian specimens from the region, and the environmental settings that appear to have been attractive during the Younger Dryas Chronozone (YD). Archaeological surveys and publications have documented at least 47 Folsom locales in the region, most of which appear to fall within the Terreton Basin. Existing paleoclimate data suggest that the Big Lost River and Lake Terreton hydrographic system would have remained a productive wetland, despite a significant drop in lake levels between 15,000 and 12,900 cal. B.P. While Clovis points have been recovered from southern Idaho, their density is significantly lower that the occurrence of Folsom technology, suggesting that human occupation expanded in the region immediately following the onset of the YD. Cooler, wetter conditions during this period also likely prompted the expansion of bison herds. Although investigations are on-going, the data currently suggest that the people utilizing Folsom technology were well acquainted with the area, its landforms and its resources, including local tool stone.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• From Channel Flakes to Bison Jumps: Current Investigations of the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene Archaeological Record in Southern Idaho

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53157