Utah Statewide Archaeological Society Newsletter, Volume 8, Number 4, December 1962

UTAH .STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 603 EAST SOUTH TEMPLE INDEXED SALT LAKE CITYt UTAH '

IJIIIII ',elllle.'." ;; A Newsletter

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Petroglyph figures from the naming Gorse reservoir area 7ryoming~

UTAH ARCHAEOLOGY is published quarterly by the UTAH STATEWIDE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. .

J Subscrition is included in memberehip. Membership in the society is available from the secretary-treasurer at ~2.00 per year. Correspondence concerning the activities of the :s ociety should be· directed to the president. All • manuscripts and news items <should be sent to the editor: .htoytl Piel'~elt, Al'efics Na.tiet'ttl:l ~ft...

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UTAH 5TA'IEVllDE ARC:IAE01.OCnCAL SOCIElY

PRESIDENT. John L_ Crose, S60 South lOt!1 East, Orem, Utah VICE PRESlrENTt Franois Haesel 906 Rnncho Blvd. Ogden, Utah S~CRETARY-'lRF..ASURER: Veone Gale, 143~ Sunview Dr., Ogden, Utah ADVISORs Dr. Jesse D. Jennings, Univ. of utah, Salt Lake City 12, utah EDITOR: W. n. Paok, 310 South 3rd East, Preston, Idaho

EDI'IOR'S NO'lES We the members at the Utah Statewide Archaeological Society salute Dr. Jennings on his being selected to give the Reynolds Lecture this year in Kingsbury hall Feb. 4 at 8:15 P. M. '!his is the 27 annual lecture, and is ¡used each year to spotl1ght outstanding work of a distinguished faoulty member ~ We would all find 1t very interesting if \'le are in or around Sal t Lake at this time. 'Dr. Jennings has had 31 years of experience in field work and will discuss "Anthropology and how it affects the various aspects ot the world- of Science."

In the back of this issue we have a torm to sign and send in with our dues for another year. It we would all set ourselves the goal of getting one more member, we could certainly strengthen our Society and increase the good it could do. We all know there are many people in the State interested 1n some aspects and problems we have 80 we shoUld all be interested in giving them an invitation to join.

The two articles we are sending out this t~e on the work this summe~ at Olen Canyon and Flaming Gorge are written by two impressive young men who have and wUl make a real contribution to this area. I was especially impres... sed by the amount of material that had been collected this sl.mllTler and t~e tremendous amount of work that stUl has to be done before this wOJ;"k wlll be comPleted. I personally am looking forward to the complete analysis of this work and what it wUl add to the archaeology of our area.

We are loold.ng forward to seeing all of you to our annual meeting this spring. We will let you know about the time and place in our next issue.

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A PRELDJINABY REPORT OF 1962 ARCHEOLOGICAL EXCAVAnONS IN OLEN CANYON

b.1 Floyd W. Sharrock The .1962 field season was the tinal tull-s~as9n ot the Olen Canyon Sal.vage Pro3ect by' the Ubiversity of Utahj The intent was to examine several soattered al'eas that ·we considered not yet adequately sampled, and to re-exam1ne sites that seeroed to warrant further ~ork • .Consequently) sites ~avated are scattered throughout the San Juan Triangle.. " The field season extended from June 15 to September·l. During the first five weeks operatiOns were river borneJ two s1tes tooting onto the river terrace and three s~.tes in SliclQ"ock canyon were exc8'V&ted. Leaving the river at Kane Landing, the field party transferred to a permanent camp at Green water Spring in Castle Wash several miles to the eaet.. From that camp, Castle wash s1 tee were tested and excavated, as were ei tea 1n steer Pasture, a t .r ibutary to Castle. Wash. TWo s1 tes were excavated and a third tested on Cedar 'Mesa trom a stub camp established there. . <

Field crew members werel William Palmer, nontana state University) Ernst Schurp.1", Yale UniversitYJ Larry Bryant, Weber CollegeJ John Baldi, university of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Keith Hottinger, Allan Howard, Dave Reed' and Vanoe Fowler, University of utah. WUliam Byers, a pa1~logist trom ,the University or Arizona Geochron~logy laboratory, accompanied ~ the first five weeks. At Green ·Wa1ier Spring we were joined by the fJ,aming Gorge crew wh~ remained tlU-oUgb Augusta Kent C. Day, Universi t7 of Utah; Mike USeem, tJn1vers1 ty of Michigan, Ri~hard Ellis, west Virginia, and 'Ibm Brockman, Northwestern University.

Several sites pro~ed to be interesting and important. Some ot them are described in the fOllowing paragraphs. Because none has been extensively analyzed. however, the intormat.ion here is not definitive.

Widowe Ledge (1.28a633 ~. Widows Ledge 1n S1ickrock Canyon is the largest a rch1tectUril site yet discovered in the Olen canyon by the University of .u tah. In an alcove 150 ft. "bove terraoe level, it 1s reached by a steep boul.der talus. ' The final 10 ft. is climbed via an aboriginal. slab staitway.

The hUge alcove 1s divided into two subalcoves. 'nle more substantial. struotures-4ive wetlaid gxoanaries (two very well preserved), four dwellings, and an unusu.al. kiva - are perched on the ledge noor in the westernmost subalcove.

Ever.y available foot ot ledge surfaoe had been utilized tor structures or 88 "use-eurtaces." Trach was 'intentlonally dumped into crevices for level1ng, and in some areas, reeds were laid to fnl depression in the ledge. The entire ledge 1s fronted by a 2 to 5 ft.-high maso~y retaining wall. Perhaps the most interesting struoture was what we interpret 88 a kiva. Approximately 10 by lS ft., the structure is ~~t 2 to 5 ft. into a partially prepared, partially natural, pit. There are three walls ,- an inner ~ ot coursed sandstone slabe laid with mortar, a dryla1d outer wall of stacked slabs. and a center wall

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trash an d ~ r&~er.'M. vn.1'\ll y p~ a.~ ec! E'n.v'Jfl elu.YT!ps.. The outer wa.U rests partially a foundat1:m of bundler of' g':"'e.u~~ ~~he p:,:oopa~ed clay kiva noor is daubed over grass. A f'irepit 7.~lUJlle1 with clt.y wan fil~ed to overflowing vd th ash. At the bottom at the tirepi t we:t'e numerous u.,burned flint oores, obviously placed after the ashes had accumula'Ged~ Eastward across a rock spur lay the second sUbalcove. Here there were eight sandstone stl'Uctures, ot which all but one (a gre,nary) were laid without benefit of clay mortar. This site was relatively rich i n intentionally d1a oa:t'~ed artifacts (few complete objects were recovered).

Apparently it VlSS systematically abandoned. of.

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loH..stake Alcove (4~Sa63St. This aloove site is approXimately 1 mile upetreamTr'Om Widow teage. t is smaller, containing only tive structures - two wetla1d granaries, an aboveground kiva, a brush arbor and a circular masonry dwelling. 1be site had been so- extensively gutted by vandals that 1 lttle artifaoti tious matel"1al. remaine d. Firepi ts WGre rippe d out; the brush arbor had collapsed, and all till was disturbed. A structure on the talus slope 100 ft. below the site is 9 ft. in dia., wetlaid, and bas a ventilator opening into the structure at noar level. The function is unknOYlDS simll~rly situated s.tructures oocur with some regularity at simUar sites.

BenChmark Cave (42Ka43'). Benchmark cave, on the Coloradp River, was a re..opeMng of' excava « on 'begun in 1958. Using and extending the old trench a,atems, excavations ere carried -to or near bedrock - approximately 14 ft. below the surface. StrAtified cUltural deposit was almost-continuous from top to bottom, however, no long time range seems invol ved4 Apparently .the site w4S' little more than a stopping-off place for travelers who left their debris scat. tared in rapidly accumulating natural. flll. Strata are obvious but seldom distinctly separate. An unusual feature ot the site is a number ot roasting ~itsl each used only one time - apparently_to roast succw.ent cacti (tewns ot which compose much or the site till), which stUl grow in profusiQn on the broad terrace fronting the ri. ver~ Perhaps the JQOst intriguing site feature is Cl defJosi t of white clay settled ·i n a large b;1sin lS ft, 12l.ow the present 8urtace and approximately SO ft. above the present river bed. All evidence 8uggests this was river-deposited. Ceramics were rare. SOMe historic art1f'actsl dating perhaps from the last century, were on the surface.. steer Palace (.42Sa4S4). Steer· Palace is an open site in Castle Wash, __ cavatloh or wfilCh was 6e'gun in 1961. structures included an underground ld.va, sever$J, surface structures and a pit bouse. The kiva was circular. The lower wal1s 1 terminat~ at a 81a~ved bench, were lined wi th sandstone slabs.

Above the bench, the walls of the excavated pit had been left bare. Masonry pUlars resting on the bench were spaced around the structure. The noor was prepared olaY4\ An adul t burial, tightly flexed, was in the slab-iLined firepit.

Between the t1repit and deflector an infant had been buried in extended position.

Ju~1ng from charred remains 1n -the flll~ a cribbed root had spanned the structurer In a oircular pit house north of the ldva, remnants of five meal1ng bins were spa qed over the fioor. Near the pit house was an adult buried with .even pottery veeeels, a bracelet of black beads and turquoise, and a necklace of small beade'~ Pottery dates the site as Pueblo III.

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The Wat~htowâ&#x201A;Źr (42f1':(:J63) c L~cE':bed in st,ee~ Pea'l;'l~~e: the area ot occupation of the warcntower-:rB~~~UFtaoe of a 13~&c 6-wne and a massi7e bloak of sandstone resting near the base of the sands tune oanyon w&l.l.. Vii thin the boulder o~evice3 and beneath overhangs were several ma~onry structures including a tw~ s'tory, Vletlaid granary. Structures on the dune were a semisubterranean room, tlree slab-lined f1repits, and a clay-rimmed firepit. structures, a single occupational soil zone, and artifaots indicate an uninterrupted ocoupat1on, probably during Pueblo III time.

On Cedar Mesa two ~i tea Vlere excavated and a third tested. 42Sa313 consisted of several slab~lined shallow pits, approximating 5 ft. in dia. These apparently were roofed storage ciatsw Only plain gray potteryw8a recovered, suggesting a possible Basite1:maker III origin. 42Sa314 oonsisted of a large subterranean circular kiva (carved into the hsrd cay, with maeonry p:lllars extendi~ from noor level. through the olay benoh upward to support a oribbed log roof), a shallovr pit house, and indications or other pit houses now largely eroded away. It2Sa315. the tested site, was s1ritUar to /,26a314, except that s tructuree there Vlere coursed masonry.

PRELIMINARY REPORT OF THE FLAMING GORGE SURVEY bY'

Kent C. Day

t1Bdep eontraot to the National Park Service, personnel of the Upper ColQooolo

rado River Basin Archeological Salvage Projeot of the university. ot Utah have

made several brief archeological surveys of the naming Gorge reservoir area ~ince 1958. The most extensive survey was conducted in the Wyoming segment ot the proposed reservoir in August, 1960. Final Survey of the reservoir and peripheral areas in Wyoming and utah \Vas completed during the 1962 field season.

The Flaming Gorge Dam" oompleted in November, 1962,. wQS constructed across the Green RIver in Red canYon near Dutch John, Utah. water now beginnIng to rise behind the dam will .fill the naming Gorge Reservoir., At maximum pool level of 6040 tt., the reservoir will extend 9.1 mi. north of the dam. Thirty udles ot the reservoir will lie in Daggett Count,y, utah, with the remainder in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. Reaching to V1i thin 4 rot'" of Green River, wyoming, the reservoir vTill inundate a total of abou'{; 66 sqo mi. ,. ,i ncluding the lower reaohes of m.acks Forlt in Wyoming and }!enrys Fork in Utah and Wyoming.

The reservoir area crosses tv/o

d~.util1ct

topographic zones.

1hree~uarter8

ot the reQ ervoir is located in the M.gh desert of the Green River Basin in

Wyoming and extreme northeas'liern Utah" l ~ost of the utah segment, however, 1s located within the Uinta Mountain :.... angeo

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WYVl'l~.ug) t~(; Gl.'e~n RiV'll' r.hanrle:' 11es in a terraced valle1 'UPPG~"" C4."etace~ue ar:d 1.")'W6:':' T;)rt:!.ary d:lposi t ::; of the Green River Basin.

Geog~aphicallYtl this is part vi tha t.lgh aJ.'ti tude de:1er~ or colc steppe provinoe

ir., sO".lthvtes-ljer:1

cut into

that covere much of Wyoming V/eF.l't, of the Continental Uivide. The high open table.. lands on both aidos ot the Green River are largely barren of eoU. At lowe%' elevations, particUlarly the floodplain of the Green River and the floors of its tributaries, there is a signifioant deposit of alluvial SoUSe At present, however, these deposits are being a otively cut by the river and its perennial and ephemeral tributaries. The principal Plant oover throughout the area oonsists of sagebruch, shadscale and greasewood. Stands of oottonwood and juniper trees are lim! ted to the riverbanks and slopes adjacent to streams~ The entire phySiography changes a lOIl4f t .he course of the Green in the oanyons downstream from the naming Gorge. 'The breach in the Uint$8 through which the Green River flows 1s generally thought t.o be the result of the complex raul ting in the mountains (Unterman and Unterman, 1954) G lIere the river gorge parallel to the Uinta crest nas a ma x1murn depth of about 1700 ft.

In contrast to the desert, the annual precipitation in the Uinta Mountains i8 about 12 in. The h1g11 0001 mountain vfAleys are much better watered than the desert. As a resUl t of this moisture, forests of pine and groves of aspe~ COV9.r the mountain slopes) abundant grasses and shrubs till the v&1.1eys.

Pronghorn antelope. mule deer Rnd rabbits are common on the desert, but the mountainous area has a more vari,d and heavier population ot large and small animals.

Although the river now has become the habitat of carp, suckers and other trash fish, cut-throat trout, mountain whitefish and equawfish are found in the cleare~ trlbutar1es and probabl Y vlere more nUll1erous 1n the Green before it beoame polluted by sewage. The Green is also the habitat of several speo1es of waterfowl and ahore birds.

Because, present-dayantmal popUlations ot indigenous species are still numerous. it ma.y be assumed tb4t the area was rich in game during aboriginal. ocoupation. 1he orientation of site locations along major water supPlies points to human ut:tl1zat1on or theSl!i 30nes of richer faunal and fioral resources tor hunting and g3thering activities.

A total of 121 s1 tea have been recorded in the reservoir area. S1xt7~lve sites are located within the pool area near the present banks of the Green River and its major tributary 8tre~s. Limi ted investigation of adjoining areas beynnd the reservoir indicated that Significant, although less concentrated, aboriginal occupation occurred well outside the main drainage system.

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Sand dune ai tee are by tat" the most common type found on the fioodplain of the Green River a nd iiB major tributaries. The greatest concentration of such sit es occurs north of the Uinta Mountains but similar sites were found in limited areas 1n Red Canyon, upstream from the Flaming Gorge Dam. These sites are characterized by surface (:oncentra tions of li thio debris and, in most cases, unpatterned, cobble-lined hearths exposed on the windward side ot a dune.

In areal extent the sites varied from a min1.mum of about 15 by 15 yds. to a max~um of 250 by 250 yds. Surface collections made trom these sites consisted entirely of 11 thio materials. Points J blades and many heavy chopping tools were relatively common. Although not numerous, several ground stone artifacts were

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found at sand dune sites. 'lWenty-tour si tee were found on jun1per-covered slopes in higher areas in 'Wyoming, east of the Green River and 1n the foothUls and canyons of the Uinta range 1n Utah. Typically, these sites consisted of lithic conoontrations, f1re-staineej areas, and unpatterned, cobble-lined hearths. Artifact oollections from such sites inoludes points, blades and heavy orude 'dhopping tQol~•., ~lost of the limited pottery shard collection originated at this type of site.

Several sites located on slopes at the base of south-facing sandstone cllffs are notable in that there are petroglyph panels of anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and geometric figures pecked and incised into the oliff face.

A group' of six oircUlar stone alignments is located in an open parkland near· the crest of Little Mountain.. Theae stone circles or tipi rings are very common , a.r cheological features of the UontanaoeV!yoming High Plains area. Beoause of their isolation and lack of other habitation debris, 1.{u110y (1958) suggests that these stone circles are of peremenial rather than practical function.

Evidence ot human occupation was found aS80ciatedwith ~~, shelters at 10 localities. Chipped and ground stone artifacts,. and petroglyph panels were foUnd at these B1 tese Buried cobble-lined hearths were observed at five sites and deeply~ur1~d lenses of charred material were found at two.. An additional two buried Sites,." one vii th animal bone 1 the other 'w i th chipped stone artifaots, were found ex.-:. ·posed in reoent cutbanks of tributary streams.

1\'10 ahel. tered sites in Dllggei.:t County~ Utah, both near the Flaming Gorge Dam",. contained aboriginei'. ato:r:age struci:'.lTe~o Both of these rectangular struotures were (}onotructed of vertica1.1y set slaba and had pole and adobe roots. _ The larger' of. the two ~.s J f'I; ,. hig!l,9 2 1/2 ft.,; wide J and 4 ft •. long. The smaller io :3 i't .. l~~g, :2 1/'- ft .. '7!~. de $l and 1 1/2 ito high. One site in SWeetwater County!, Wyoming, nitlla'ijet1 D; iJ the ua;)E) of a M.gh butte, con·t ained two,. or poe-. s1bly three jI p~(:'l.·l Y pl'er;erved dr<Jlaid :3J.ab S true tW,'es 0 These three si tes are the only Cl.rchi·~eo ·iiuT'(J.l f3:1. tes ::.~eoorded in the reservoir area.

Petrogl~'ph

pa:ieln were fonnd at eight s:l tea, associated with q\Ul.nti ties or p!3.:~t-1.cu:tnr interest are the horned dancers, shield.. bearing, ano l!O\rgp. elaborately decorated trapejloidal··bodied male figures found at these si~eso

ot hab1 tatloilal. debrio.

The ma~ sites located near cr on the fl~od~lains or the Green River and 1ts major trlbuta:r~.es suggp.st r.n at leant -neaGOllal or tr.ansient exploitation of the riverine en'lironntE'nt,., Uos ·~,.·o!'"' the Hite3 evidence a nomadio hunting and gather1ngJ'la..y 'of. life n. e~e8;Jitat1.r.g nn eve~.'-changing range of activities.

Beoause ot tbe lack of ,a~tifact,-bearing st~at1fied Sites, the entl~e art1fact oollection, conSisting pr1mar~ly of chipped stone, must be considered

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Petroglyph figures from the Flaming Gorge reservoir area, }':yom1ns;'

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a surface colleotion. On the basis 01 typologicaL o.mpar1eons ot the few d1spoints wi th point t,ypes from surrounding areas, it appears that aboriginal occupation of the area has spanned a considerable length of t1me.

Another problem is based in the vario'Js erude 1 heavy blades and chopper/scrapers which: by volume alone, account for most of the a~ tiÂŁact collectiono Since Renaud 91938, 1940) defined his aLacks Fork cUlture on oollections of cou~ denpo:tng" ~11ke implements tound on terrace surfaces high above the present Green River Basin waterways, typological comparison of imPlements similar to European Paleol1thic forms has become common praotice when dealing with these gene~allzed heavy tools.

Most of this material is tound with no other datable material associations and the occurence of these artifacts on barren ter~ace surfaces is relatively common throughout the western states. Some archeOlogists postUlate that these materials represent the earliest lithic assemblages in ~he tar west, pre-dating the more finely made chipped stone materials of the fiuted POint complexes. ti~ctive

Little information toward the definition or a pre-projectile polnt chopper-scraper traditi10n in western North America 1s offered by the Flaming Gorge materials. The heavier bifacial tools were found on the surface of barren terrace sites as well as on the surface of Juniper-covered lmoUa. Furthermore, the same tools ,-rere tound at sites 4Bsociated with carefully made projectilo points, pottery and steatite. 1herefore, the results of the analysis to date ot the Flaming Gorge survey collection offers no clear-cut evidence that the crude bifacial stone implement$ themselves, t,ypologically similar to European Paleoli thic forms, can be accepted as accurate time or culture markers.

Perhaps the most unexpected discovery of the survey was the recovery ot, a small collection ot Fremont sherds trom seveD sites in Daggett and Sweetwater Counties. The occurrence of Franont pottery trom areas north of the Uinta range has not previousl:y been reported. The presence of th~ ware places this area within the realm of Fremont influence, although this may be only evidence of trade relationships. 1be existence of' the slab and mortar storage structures, however, suggests even more a Fremont influence. Perhaps a tilend or Fremont and northwest plains influence is seen in tha IItlpi ring" site and the horned and shield->bearing anthropomorphic petroglyph motifs, these elements being common to both Fremont and the northwest plains., These are tentative suggestions of cultural at'tUiation based on the tew diagnostic materials found at the Flaming Gorge sites.

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U"·r~eT.'ltla'l~

1954

ll .. E" and Unterman, B.RCI. Gec·'.(j~r of Di.nosaur National Monument and Vicinity, uta~-Colorado. ~h Geolcgical and l'.t lneral"gical Survey, BulletlLri 42. Sal t Lake City•..

Mulloy II .:rillialll

1958 A Preliminary Historical Outline for the Northwestern ·P.lains.

Uni~ersi;ty

of VJyoming Publications, Vol. 22, No.1. Laramie

Renaud, E. B. 1938· '!he macks Fork Culture of Southwest '.7yoming. -.

1be Archaeological Survey of the High Westet;1l Plains, Tenth ._ Report. nenver.

1940 Further Research Work in the m.acks Fork' Basinj· -Southwest Wyoming 'lhe

.Archaeo1og~cal

ReEort.

nenver

Survey of the ·High.western Plains, 'nfelttlJ

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NO TICE 10 MEMBERS

1963 membership tees for the Utah Statewide Archeological Society are ' ~ow due.. This wU1 be your ·only notice. For your convenience, a remittance blank is attached below. Malee checks .p ayable to Utah··Statewide Archeological Societr.

Have you considere d giving a. USAS menbershlp to a friend or relative wl'io is interested i~ Utah aroheQlogy? See belar/. , I.,

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Veone Gale 14)~ ·SUnview Drive Ogden, .utah

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Enclosed is $ for 1963 me~bership dues in the Utah Statewide' ArcheologicalSoeiety at G2.00 each for the following members. (Please print or type names and addresses).

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