Folsom: New Archaeological Investigations of a Classic Paleoindian Bison Kill

389 Pages·2006·5.94 MB·English

by  David J. Meltzer

FOLSOM

FOLSOM
NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
OF A CLASSIC PALEOINDIAN BISON KILL
DAVID J. MELTZER
with contributions by
MEENA BALAKRISHNAN TODD A. SUROVELL
DONALD A. DORWARD JAMES L. THELER
VANCE T. HOLLIDAY LAWRENCE C. TODD
BONNIE F. JACOBS ALISA J. WINKLER
LINDA SCOTT-CUMMINGS
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished univer- Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
sity presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by
advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural Meltzer, David J.
sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and Folsom : new archaeological investigations of a classic
by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For Paleoindian bison kill / David J. Meltzer; with contributions by
more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. Meena Balakrishnan... [et al.].
p. cm.
University of California Press Includes bibliographical references and index.
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California ISBN 0-520-24644-6 (case : alk. paper)
1. Folsom Site (N.M) 2. Folsom culture—New Mexico—Colfax
University of California Press, Ltd. County. 3. Folsompoints—New Mexico—Colfax County.
London, England 4. Excavations (Archaeology)—New Mexico—Colfax County.
5. Animal remains (Archaeology)—New Mexico—Colfax County.
© 2006 by the Regents of the University of California 6. Colfax County (N.M.)—Antiquities. I. Balakrishnan, Meena. II. Title.
E99.F65M45 2006
978.9'2201—dc22
2006002482
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 09 08 07 06
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
∞
of ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
Jacket illustrations: Looking east across the South Bank, where the
first Folsom point (inset) was recovered in 1927. Background photo
by David J. Meltzer; inset photo courtesy Denver Museum of Nature
and Science.
In memory ofGeorge McJunkinandCarl Schwachheim,
who thought Folsom worth telling others about,
and toJoseph& Ruth Cramer,
whose extraordinary generosity made that telling possible

CONTENTS
CONTRIBUTORS LIST ix Hydrology 56
Drainages, Topography, and Site
PREFACE xi
Approaches 59
Present Climate 62
1. Introduction: The Folsom Paleoindian Site 1
Thinking about Hunter-Gatherer Land Use 66
A Synopsis of Earlier Work 3
Modern Flora 67
Why Go Back to Folsom? 7
Modern Fauna 76
A Framework for Reinvestigation 8
Bison Diet and Its Isotopic Implications 78
Folsom Paleoindians: Open Questions and
Historic and Modern Land Use Patterns 80
Unresolved Issues 9
What Has Been Learned from the Modern Site
Probing the History of Archaeology 18
Setting . . . 81
The SMU/QUEST Folsom Project: A Brief Summary 19
. . . And What This Suggests of Late Glacial
Plan for the Volume 19
Environments and Adaptations 81
Notes 21
Notes 82
2. Folsom and the Human Antiquity Controversy in
America 22 4. Archaeological Research Designs, Methods, and
Results 84
Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb? 22
Background to Controversy 24 The Colorado and American Museum
Forerunners to Folsom: Two Creeks, One Toad 27 Investigations 84
Snake Creek 27 The 1926 and 1927 Seasons 84
Lone Wolf Creek 28 The 1928 Season 87
Frederick 30 Fieldwork at Folsom, 1929–1996 94
Credible or Incredible? 33 The SMU/QUEST Investigations 96
Folsom, 1908–1928 33 The Folsom Site as It Appeared Prior to Our
Why Folsom? 40 Investigations 96
Some Are More Equal Than Others 42 Field Strategies, Tactics, and Guiding Results,
History Repeats Itself 45 1997–1999 99
What Folsom Wrought 45 Collections Research 108
Conclusions 46 2000–2004 Field Activities 110
Epilogue: The Elephant in the Room 48 Notes 111
Notes 49
5. Geology, Paleotopography, Stratigraphy, and
3. Situating the Site and Setting the Ecological Stage 51 Geochronology 112
Regional Geology and Geological History 51 Initial Efforts to Resolve Folsom’s Age 112
Glacial Activity 56 Establishing a Stratigraphic Framework: The Folsom
Soils and Sediments 56 Ecology Project 116
Recent Investigations into the Geology of the Folsom Investigating Folsom Assemblage Variability 255
Site 118 Assembling an Analytical Sample 255
Geological and Geophysical Methods 119 Patterns in Lithic Raw Material Procurement 261
Mapping Bedrock and Reconstructing Morphology and Morphometrics of Folsom
Paleotopography 120 Projectile Points 273
Maneuvering for the Bison Kill 124 Folsom Point Hafting 277
Site Stratigraphy and the Geological Context of the Projectile Point Life Histories 279
Bison Bonebed 126 Patterns and Processes of Breakage 283
Radiocarbon Dating and Geochronology 136 Loss and Discard 287
Summary: The Quaternary Geology of the Folsom Other Tools from the Folsom Site 289
Site 150 Summary: The Folsom Artifact Assemblage 291
Notes 152 Notes 293
9. Folsom: From Prehistory to History 295
6. Late Glacial Climate and Ecology 154
Answered and Unanswered Questions 295
Reconstructing Folsom Paleoenvironments 157
Folsom in Historical Context 295
The Pollen Core from Bellisle Lake 157
The Paleoindian Occupation at Folsom: Some
Pollen and Charcoal from the Folsom Bonebed 166
Conclusions 297
Land Snails: Taxa, Distribution, and Habitats 174
Coda 307
Land Snails: Carbon and Oxygen Stable Isotopes 189
Bison Bone: Carbon and Nitrogen Stable
APPENDIX A: FIELD PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLS 309
Isotopes 195
The Folsom Grid System 309
Summary: The Late Glacial Environment of Folsom 200
Excavation Levels 312
Notes 202
Mapping 312
A Brief Digression on Piece-Plotting 312
7. The Faunal Assemblage and Bison Bonebed
Surface Survey 312
Taphonomy 205
Excavation and Recording Procedures 313
Early Views of the Folsom “Bone Quarry” 205
Closing Up 314
Questions of Bison Taxonomy 206
Note 315
The Structure of the Bonebed 209
Taphonomy and Bone Preservation 212
APPENDIX B: THE FOLSOM DIARY OF CARL
Numerical Matters I 212
SCHWACHHEIM 316
Bison Killing, Butchering, and Processing 213
Background Entries 316
On the Utility of the Collections from the Original
The 1926 Field Season at Folsom 317
Investigations 213
The 1927 Field Season at Folsom 318
A New Look at an Old Bison Bonebed 213
The 1928 Field Season at Folsom 319
Assessing the Sample 213
Exploring the Taphonomic History of the Folsom
APPENDIX C: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE
Bison Bonebed 219
FOLSOM SITE 325
The Folsom Bison Herd: Age, Sex, and Season of
Methods 325
Death 235
The 1926–1927 Camps 327
Numerical Matters II 236
The 1928 Camp 328
Segmentation and Use of the Carcasses by Folsom
Hunters 240
APPENDIX D: SEDIMENT MINERALOGY AND BONE
The Non-bison Remains from Folsom 243
PRESERVATION 331
Summary: The Folsom Bison Bonebed 245
Methods 334
Notes 246
Results 335
Discussion 336
8. Artifacts, Technological Organization, and Mobility 247
Folsom Projectile Points—First Impressions 247 APPENDIX E: DEFINING FOLSOM: THEME AND
Important Points about Folsoms 248 VARIATIONS 338
Folsom Manufacture and Technology 249 Note 344
Defining a Point Type/Defining a Culture 250
A Tally of Fluted Points Recovered, 1926–1928 251 REFERENCES CITED 345
Other Classes of Artifacts from Folsom 254
Was a Cache of Folsom Points Found Nearby? 254 INDEX 367
viii CONTENTS
CONTRIBUTORS LIST
Meena Balakrishnan Linda Scott-Cummings
Department of Geological Sciences Paleoresearch Institute
Southern Methodist University Golden, Colorado
Dallas, Texas
Todd A. Surovell
Donald A. Dorward Department of Anthropology
Department of Anthropology University of Wyoming
Southern Methodist University Laramie, Wyoming
Dallas, Texas
James L. Theler
Vance T. Holliday
Archaeological Studies Program
Department of Anthropology
University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
University of Arizona
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Tucson, Arizona
Lawrence C. Todd
Bonnie F. Jacobs
Department of Anthropology
Environmental Science Program
Colorado State University
Southern Methodist University
Ft. Collins, Colorado
Dallas, Texas
David J. Meltzer Alisa J. Winkler
Department of Anthropology Department of Geological Sciences
Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas Dallas, Texas