Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Activity Area Analysis For The Sanders Site (45kt315), Emily Elizabeth Laplante, Rylee A. Chadwick

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

The Sanders Site (45KT315) was excavated in the 1970s by Central Washington University. The site is located on the Yakima Army Training Center some 12 kilometers up Johnson Canyon from the Columbia River. The site was occupied from as early as 9,000 years ago; however, the heaviest occupations with features and activity areas date closer to 3000 years ago which are associated with Frenchman Springs Phase. We are interested in how food processing and animal use at this seasonal upland site compares to sites on the river that may have been occupied year-round during the Frenchman Springs Phase.

https://source2022.sched.com/event/111rv/activity-area-analysis-for-the-sanders-site-45kt315

Hanford Nuclear Site Cultural Resource Gis Analysis: A Case Study Investigating Pre-Contact Travel Networks And Site And Artifact Locations, Luciana R. Chester

All Master's Theses

This thesis uses Global Information Systems (GIS) to investigate travel networks and site locations on the Hanford Nuclear Site. I construct a spatially referenced base map of historical travel routes, compare amounts of areas with and without archaeological survey, and analyze the location of archaeological sites. Government Land Office maps (GLO’s) mapped trails between1860’s and 1890’s. GIS analysis helps calculate relative frequencies and the densities of site and artifact types within 2 km buffers along the Columbia River corridor and trails. Collaboration between agencies and tribes facilitates consultation on all matters related to Hanford, and shared management of data covering …

Raw Material Usage And Stone Tool Manufacture In The Elwha River Valley, Zachary C. Allen

All Master's Theses

Archaeological investigations stemming from the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams of the Elwha River Valley in 2014 resulted in the identification of nine archaeological sites and collection of 6,870 pre-contact lithic artifacts, primarily composed of fine-grained volcanic stone. Regional models of this raw material usage and site location within a glacially-carved riverine environment place these sites within the Old Cordilleran/Olcott cultural tradition that has been widely observed in the Salish Sea. This study is focused on the variation in raw materials used in the production of stone tools in the Elwha River Valley to understand if similar …

An Analysis Of Tachylyte And Other Volcanic Glasses In Washington Archaeology, Mallory M. Triplett

All Master's Theses

Within archaeological literature, a discussion of volcanic toolstones from Washington State is uncommon. Washington’s volcanic glass landscape is relatively sparse, with low-quality sources scattered within and on the east side of the Cascades, including tachylyte, obsidian, and vitrophyric obsidian. Tachylyte is a volcanic glass that forms within low-silica, basalt flows while obsidian comes from high-silica, usually rhyolitic, eruptions. Vitrophyric is a textural term used to describe an igneous rock that has a glassy groundmass with conspicuously large crystals. The low-quality and dispersed nature of these toolstones are reflected in Washington’s archaeological record by the more common occurrence of out-of-state volcanic …

Evaluating The Analytical Contribution Of 1/8-Inch (0.32 Centimeter) Lithic Debitage At The Sunrise Ridge Borrow Pit Site (45pi408), David R. Davis

All Master's Theses

Due to a relatively recent trend toward universal use of screens with ⅛-inch (0.32 cm) mesh-sized openings, archaeologists in the Pacific Northwest have expressed concerns regarding the overall utility of collection and analysis of 0.32 cm (⅛-inch) mesh-sized lithic debitage. Recovering and analyzing these small-sized artifacts is a time-intensive endeavor that adds costs to fieldwork and laboratory tasks. The information potential from attribute analysis of 0.32 cm (⅛-inch) mesh-sized lithic debitage when a site’s lithic assemblage consists of mainly debitage is largely missing from the programmatic literature. The Sunrise Ridge Borrow Pit Site (45PI408), located on the slopes of Mount …

A Functional Analysis Of Recorded Pre-Contact Archaeological Sites On Lopez Island, Washington, Julia Kunas

All Master's Theses

Lopez Island, Washington has been the subject of archaeological study for over a century. Through an evolutionary archaeology framework, this thesis uses a functional analysis of recorded precontact sites on Lopez Island to determine how previous sampling and research strategies have influenced what is known about the island’s archaeology. Knowing what is currently known about the island’s archaeology shows how recorded sites can be further investigated to address regional Salish Sea research questions. I developed and applied a paradigmatic classification to 54 sampled sites from the Washington DAHP’s WISAARD database by their level of previous research, microenvironment, and archaeology. This …

Lithic Technological And Functional Variability Between Mesa And Riverine Environments In The Mid-Columbia River Basin, Josh Allen

All Master's Theses

This study develops a theoretically informed method and technique to compare variability between pre-contact riverine and hinterland Mesa archaeological resources of the mid-Columbian River Basin in Central Washington. To test the developed model, the study follows suggestions made by Dr. William Smith (1977:82) to “develop a testable hypothesis” using Mesa sites and other site types across environments with a more “sophisticated system for the classification of both artifacts and features.” Three sites (Mesa 06, 12, and 36) are compared to a riverine site (45DO673) to determine how the frequency of technological and functional traits of lithic stone tools and debitage …

The Origin Of Dark Mats At The Sunrise Ridge Borrow Pit Site (45pi408) Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, Sean Stcherbinine

All Master's Theses

The Sunrise Ridge Borrow Pit Site is a precontact archaeological site located in the upland forest soils of Mount Rainier National Park. Site stratigraphy is complicated, consisting of tephra deposits from mostly known origins that are intercalated with dark sediments of unknown origin, referred to here as dark mats. Precontact occupation has been split previously into two components based on the ambiguous depositional history of the dark mats, notably their unknown parent material, depositional environment, and relationship with adjacent tephra strata. Stratigraphic samples from excavation units, features, and one off-site excavation unit was used to investigate these data gaps. Grain …

Vertebrate Faunal Analysis Of The Anderson Creek Site (45kp233), Robert Holstine

All Master's Theses

The Anderson Creek archaeological site (45KP233) was excavated by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in 2015, as part of a fish passage replacement project in Puget Sound. Faunal analysis of remains from this excavation was completed by the author in collaboration with Dr. Megan Partlow. Analysis documented a variety of mammal and fish remains, consisting primarily of salmon, flatfishes, deer and elk. In addition to general faunal results reported to WSDOT, I discuss bone fragmentation, herring in regional sites, and the value of 1/16” fine screen sampling and analysis. To address the last, I compared fish identifications from …

Talus Features Of The Middle Columbia River: Typological And Locational Analyses, Jeremy Ripin

All Master's Theses

The form and function of talus features of the Columbia Plateau are the subject of archaeological investigations and cultural resource evaluation and protection programs. Depressions excavated in talus slopes, most often circular to oval in shape, are called talus pits. Pit features are also located in colluvium and alluvial fans, and at the base of cliff overhangs. Over 568 of these features have been documented for 48 sites within the project area of the Priest Rapids and Wanapum reservoirs. Pits may have been used for hunting blinds, storage (food and/or equipment), burial, and/or and spirit questing. The size of pits …

Species Identification Of The Stylohyoid Bone For North American Artiodactyls, Thomas A. Hale

All Master's Theses

Zooarchaeologists cannot identify mammal species by their stylohyoid bones. Current trends in zooarchaeological research stress the need for rigorous and accessible identification methodology. I examined the stylohyoids of 15 hooved mammals: cattle, bison, domestic sheep, bighorn sheep, Dall sheep, mountain goat, domestic goat, elk, caribou, white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope, domestic pig, and horse. Objectives included documenting how to side the stylohyoid (left or right), and producing species identification criteria based on large samples. A total of 325 samples were measured from eight repositories. Written descriptions, photographs, and success ratios for metrics and distinct traits are included for …

Mapping And Radiocarbon Dating Archaic Period Monuments: La Alberca Structure Complex, Highland Michoacán, Mexico, Mark F. Steinkraus

All Master's Theses

Ongoing collaborations with the Comunidad Indígena de Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro hold great potential for exploring the origins of sedentary ranked communities that predate others in Mesoamerica by as much as one thousand years. Three carbon samples from the lower buried portions of the Central Structure at La Alberca Complex yield a date range of 7245-6470 cal B.P. The carbon sample laying on an upper tier of the feature yields a date of 4780 cal B.P. These dates suggest that the feature is 7000 to 6000 years old and may have been in use as recently as 5000 to 4000 …

Alternatives To Charcoal For Improving Chronometric Dating Of Puget Sound Archaeological Sites, James W. Brown

All Master's Theses

Radiocarbon dating of archaeological sites in the Puget Lowlands can be problematic. Dating specific cultural events associated with features and sites is difficult due to the ubiquity of charcoal in forest soils and poor preservation of bone in acidic soils. These conditions have impeded the development of regional cultural chronologies. The lack of dates for critical time periods also inhibits testing processual models of cultural change. Evidence for the timing and rate of ecological, economic, and political change is critical for testing evolutionary models in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Radiocarbon dating highly burned bone (calcined bone) and luminescence dating fire-modified …

Using Satellite Image Analysis For Locating Prehistoric Archaeological Sites In Alaska's Central Brooks Range, Robert Hickey, J. Keeney

Geography Faculty Scholarship

In this pilot study, we apply satellite image analysis to archaeological site prospection in Alaska's Brooks Range. Our goal was to test whether satellite remote sensing, which has been successful in locating large archaeological features associated with sedentary peoples, could be applied to arctic interior sites associated with mobile hunter–gatherers. In particular, we strove to develop a relatively straightforward and inexpensive model using existing data which could be used to help guide archaeology surveys. Using 1-m resolution IKONOS imagery of Lake Matcharak along the upper Noatak River, we produced a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and tasseled cap transformation of …

A Zooarchaeological Analysis Of The Monashka Bay Site (Kod-026) Kodiak Island, Alaska, Ayla Aymond

All Master's Theses

This thesis involved the initial analysis of fauna recovered in 1989 by Christopher Donta at the Monashka Bay site on Kodiak Island. Analysis included all vertebrate remains (n = 36,273) larger than 1/8” from bulk samples collected in Area 3, a midden dating AD 1550-1670 during the site’s Koniag occupation. Results indicated a focus on cod (68% of fish identified to order), with modest amounts of sculpin, and small amounts of flatfish, salmon, herring, bird, and sea mammal. The predominance of cod is likewise seen at other Koniag-era sites in the vicinity, though the lack of salmon, which composed 2% …

Rediscovering An Upland Site: The Manastash Pines (45kt346) Kittitas County, Washington, Christopher J. Moose

All Master's Theses

The Manastash Pines site (45KT346) was excavated in 1979 and 1980 by Dr. James Alexander as part of a Central Washington University (CWU) field school. The excavation included 63 units (1 x 1 m) and three trenches, collecting lithics, fauna, charcoal, and sediment samples. The recovered artifacts were set aside to be analyzed at a later time. Starting in 2012, as part of a larger CWU project revisiting prior university excavations, I catalogued over 18,000 artifacts, scanned excavation records, and analyzed all of the fauna and a sample of the lithics from the site. A total of 2,586 faunal specimens …

Significance Evaluation Of The Forgotten Creek Site, Joy D. Ferry

All Master's Theses

Archaeological research has recognized the importance of montane environments in the subsistence and settlement strategies of pre-contact peoples. Yet little is understood about variation in the manner in which pre-contact peoples were using upland environments. In order to ascertain whether there is functional and/or technological variation between montane sites in comparable environmental settings, four lithic assemblages (45PI406, 45PI408, 45PI429, and 45PI438) from sites in the upper maritime forest and subalpine zone of Mount Rainier were compared. An evolutionary archaeology model was applied to define and measure variables relevant to stone tool manufacture and use. Statistically significant non-random associations were contextualized …

The Identification And Historic Context Of Mining Archaeology Of The Wenatchee Mountains Within The Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Jared Valenta

All Master's Theses

A historically important metal mining region within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the Wenatchee Mountains was studied employing archival research and systematic pedestrian archaeological survey. The objective of the study was to provide a historical context for hardrock mining activities within the study area and vicinity and document any new historic archaeological sites within the study area. The results serve the scientific, scholarly, and general public by providing both a more complete archaeological record and aid in the formulation of land use policy within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Three loci of activity containing a total of 27 features with associated …

Relationships Between Snake River Paleofloods, Occupational Patterns And Archaeological Preservation At Redbird Beach Archaeological Site In Lower Hells Canyon, Idaho, Tabitha Trosper

All Master's Theses

The Snake River basin drains 282,000 km² of the northwestern U.S. and is the largest tributary to the Columbia River. Redbird Beach, an archaeological site located in the lower Hells Canyon reach of the Snake River, contains extensive vertical exposures of archaeological materials interbedded with Snake River flood sediments. Redbird Beach formed in the lee of the Redbird Creek debris fan, is composed of interfingering deposits from large floods on the Snake River and locally-derived alluvial sediments from Redbird Creek. Through stratigraphic analyses of slackwater deposits, this study compares the temporal and spatial patterns of human occupation at Redbird …

Analysis Of Historic Glass In Kittitas Valley Sites, Minori Muramoto

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to investigate a sample of the historic glass artifacts from three excavation sites in the Kittitas Valley: the Grissom Site (45KT301), the Robber's Roost Site ( 45KT800), and the Sorenson Site (no site number). I addressed five questions about the glass artifacts: 1) what was the minimum number of vessels, 2) what functional types of glass were found, 3) what technologies were used to manufacture them, 4) when, where, and which company made this glass, and 5) what Ellensburg stores or companies are represented in the sample. I also used the data to estimate …

Paleoflood Record Reconstruction At An Archaeological Site On The Owyhee River, Southeastern Oregon, Stephanie Louise Vandal

All Master's Theses

The magnitude and frequency of late Holocene floods on the Owyhee River in southeastern Oregon were reconstructed from fine-grained flood deposits at three sites in the river canyon. The stratigraphy at the Birch Creek study site (BCSS) preserves a record of seven to nine large floods from the last 2800 years. Two additional study sites, the Iron Gate and Waterwheel, within a 5-km reach of the BCSS, showed 18-26 floods from the late Holocene to 1993 A.D. and 17-22 floods from 8600 B.P. to 1993 A.D., respectively. Hydrologic Engineering Center-River Analysis System modeling of the 1993 flood and several paleofloods …

Toward A Scientific Approach To Significant Assessments Of Prehistoric Achaeological Properties At Mount Rainier National Park, Nicholas James Smith

All Master's Theses

Managing prehistoric archaeological properties at Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) is challenging. The prehistoric archaeological record is not well known, a myriad of geomorphologic processes are at work from minute to catastrophic, and until recently, archaeologists largely ignored stratovolcanoes in the Pacific Northwest. They, therefore, lack the local and regional contexts to evaluate many kinds of prehistoric archaeological properties at MORA in terms of their data potential.

Once thought to be of scarce data potential (cf. Boxberger 1998; Burtchard 1998; Daugherty 1963; Grabert and Pint 1978; Mierendorf et al. 1998; Smith 1964a; Zweifel and Reid 1991), the montane environments of …

Some Interactions In The Evolution Of Man And Tools, Gary W. Weston

All Master's Theses

This paper looks at some of the interactions between the development of tools and the evolution of man and his ancestors. It begins with a brief history of life up to the primates as a foundation. Next the use of tools by other animals is examined followed by the coverage of the period of time from Australopithecus to Modern Man showing the interweaving of physical and mental evolution of man and the development and refinement in his physical tools. Lastly, a look at possible future interactions in the physical and mental evolutionary developments in man as influenced by his tools …