Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Geoarchaeological Site Formation Model At Alm Shelter, Wyoming, Cayla Kennedy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alm Shelter, located in north-central Wyoming, is an archaeological site with a long history of human occupation. This study addresses new contextual information in the form of dated sediment deposits, analysis of sediment types, and a computer model to assist with identifying climate conditions that may have led to periods of significant change. Using the model, it is possible to estimate the timing of environmental shift as well as other events that may not be directly dateable. This information is then compared to other sites containing climate records to determine if conditions at Alm Shelter are connected with other locations …

The Baker Cave Bison Remains: Bison Diminution And Late Holocene Subsistence On The Snake River Plain, Southern Idaho, Ryan P. Breslawski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis investigates that paleoecology of southern Idaho bison and their role in prehistoric subsistence with two articles. The first article investigates the trajectory of bison diminution in southern Idaho with bison morphometrics from Baker Cave, a late Holocene archaeological site. Results indicate that local bison followed a diminution trend mirroring the diminution trend documented on the Great Plains. This suggests that similar bottom up ecosystem controls acted on bison in both the Great Plains and in southern Idaho through the Holocene.

The second article examines the role of bison in seasonal subsistence strategies. I hypothesize that winter fat scarcity …