The Allen Site: A Paleoindian Camp in Southwestern Nebraska

302 Pages·2007·16.04 MB·English

by  Douglas B. Bamforth (Editor)

T A S

HE LLEN ITE
A Paleoindian Camp
in Southwestern Nebraska
Edited by
DOUGLAS B. BAMFORTH
The Allen Site

THE ALLEN SITE
A Paleoindian Camp in Southwestern Nebraska
DOUGLAS B. BAMFORTH
Edited by
University of New Mexico Press / Albuquerque
In Memory of
Edward Mott Davis
(1918–1998)
© 2007 by the University of New Mexico Press
All rights reserved. Published 2007
Printed in the United States of America
12 11 10 09 08 07 1 2 3 4 5 6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The Allen Site : a Paleoindian camp in southwestern Nebraska /
edited by Douglas B. Bamforth.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-8263-4295-9 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Paleo-Indians—Nebraska—Medicine Creek Valley.
2. Paleoethnobotany—Nebraska—Medicine Creek Valley.
3. Paleoecology—Nebraska—Medicine Creek Valley.
4. Excavations (Archaeology)—Nebraska—Medicine Creek
Valley. 5. Medicine Creek Valley (Neb.)—Antiquities.
I. Bamforth, Douglas B.
E78.N3A55 2007
978.2’835—dc22
2007023286
design and composition: Mina Yamashita
C
ontents
List of Figures / vii
List of Tables / xii
Acknowledgments / xv
chapter 1: Introduction (Douglas B. Bamforth) / 1
Chapter 2: Previous Paleoindian Research at Medicine Creek (E. Mott Davis) / 9
Chapter 3: Landforms, Alluvial Stratigraphy, and Radiocarbon Chronology at
Selected Paleoindian Sites around Medicine Creek Reservoir (David May) / 17
Chapter 4: Cultural and Paleoenvironmental Implications of Freshwater Mussels from the
Allen Site (Robert E. Warren) / 47
Chapter 5: Growth Increment Analysis of Freshwater Mussel Shell from the Allen Site
(James C. Chatters) / 69
Chapter 6: Paleoenvironmental Interpretations of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene
in Southwestern Nebraska: The Pollen and Phytolith Evidence (Linda Scott
Cummings, Thomas E. Moutoux, and Reid A. Bryson) / 77
Chapter 7: Early Holocene Vegetation of the Central Great Plains Based on Paleobotanical and
Paleoethnobotanical Remains from the Medicine Creek Area (L. Anthony Zalucha) / 98
Chapter 8: Archaeology of the Allen Site: Introduction, Fieldwork, and Provenience Data
(Douglas B. Bamforth) / 109
Chapter 9: Spatial Structure and Refitting of the Allen Site Lithic Assemblage
(Douglas B. Bamforth and Mark Becker) / 123
Chapter 10: The Allen Site Lithic Assemblage (Douglas B. Bamforth and Mark Becker) / 148
vi / Contents
Chapter 11: Other Archaeological Evidence (Douglas B. Bamforth) / 184
Chapter 12: Faunal Evidence for Subsistence and Settlement Patterns at the Allen Site
(Jean Hudson) / 194
Chapter 13: Synthesis: Paleoindian Occupation of the Allen Site (Douglas B. Bamforth) / 227
Chapter 14: Beyond Medicine Creek: The Allen Site and Plains Paleoindian-Period Ways of Life
(Douglas B. Bamforth) / 245
References Cited / 259
Contributors / 279
Index / 281
vii
L f
ist of igures
1.1: Locations of the Medicine Creek Paleoindian sites. / 7
3.1: Map of sites around Medicine Creek reservoir referred to in the text. / 17
3.2: Map of spatial extent of Terrace 2 (shaded areas) in Medicine Creek Valley in the vicinity of
Medicine Creek reservoir. / 18
3.3: Three stratigraphic sections at the Allen site (25FT50) with the provenience and conventional
radiocarbon ages of three charcoal samples shown. / 25
3.4: Lime Creek site (25FT41) stratigraphic section. / 26
3.5: Results of laboratory analyses of samples from the lower 3.7 m of Lime Creek Core 3. / 29
3.6: Complete Lime Creek site (25FT41) stratigraphic section drawn to scale. / 31
3.7: Red Smoke site (25FT42) stratigraphic section. / 32
3.8: Medicine Creek cutbank as viewed toward the southeast from the creek. / 37
3.9: Lower 2 m of alluvium exposed at the base of the Medicine Creek cutbank. / 40
3.10: Stafford site cutbank along Lime Creek above Medicine Creek reservoir. / 41
3.11: Stafford site cutbank between depths of approximately 220 and 640 cm. / 43
4.1: Map of the Medicine Creek Dam locality in southwest Nebraska. / 48
4.2: Freshwater mussels from the Allen site (medial views). / 50
4.3: Shell scraping tool from the Intermediate Zone at the Allen site. / 54
4.4: Zoogeographic distributions of six mussel species represented at the Allen site. / 58
4.5: Long-term decline of the pondhorn mussel (Uniomerus tetralasmus) and rise of the mapleleaf
mussel (Quadrula quadrula) in archaeological assemblages from the Medicine Creek Dam
locality. / 61
4.6: Habitat scores of freshwater mussel assemblages from three archaeological sites in the Central
Plains. / 62
4.7: Model of Late Pleistocene and Holocene landscape history of the Medicine Creek Valley. / 64
5.1: Posterior end of the resilial tuberosity of specimen 1215-47, Quadrula quadrula. / 70
5.2: Annual growth pattern of freshwater mussels. / 71
5.3: Growth indices from the Allen site mussels compared with control samples of Margaritifera
falcata and Anodonta berigiana. / 74
viii / List of Figures
5.4: Graph of growth indices from the Allen site compared with the combined indices from
Margaritifera falcata. / 74
5.5: Graphic representation of cumulative growth in specimens of Ligumia recta and Quadrula
quadrula. / 74
5.6: Graphic representation of cumulative growth in specimens of Lampsilis siliquoidea and
Ligumia recta from the Allen site. / 74
5.7: Graphic representation of cumulative growth in specimens of Uniomerus tetralasmus. / 75
6.1: Pollen from the Medicine Creek cutbank and Lime Creek sites. / 83
6.2: Phytoliths from the Medicine Creek cutbank and Lime Creek sites. / 84
6.3: Pollen from the Red Smoke and Stafford sites. / 87
6.4: Phytoliths from the Red Smoke and Stafford sites. / 89
6.5: Modeled temperature history for McCook, Nebraska, 14,000 RCYBP to present. / 91
6.6: Modeled precipitation history for Cambridge, Nebraska, 14,000 RCYBP to present. / 92
6.7: Modeled discharge for Medicine Creek, 16,000 cal B.P. to present. / 93
6.8: Modeled monthly (March through July) stream discharge for Medicine Creek, 16,000 cal. B.P
to present. / 94
8.1: Excavated area at the Allen site, showing the extent of excavation in 1947, 1948, and 1949. / 109
8.2: Excavations at the Allen site in 1948, view to the south. / 110
8.3: Excavations at the Allen site in 1948, view to the north. / 111
8.4: Stratigraphic profile of the southern portion of the west wall of the 1948 Exploratory Trench
at the Allen site. / 118
8.5: Stratigraphic profile of the northern portion of the west wall of the 1948 Exploratory Trench
at the Allen site. / 119
8.6: North-to-south profile along the East 35 gridline at the Allen site. / 120
8.7: Reconstructed topography of the surfaces of Occupation Level 1 and Occupation
Level 2. / 121
9.1: Vertical distribution of hearths relative to the surface of Occupation Level (OL) 1 and
OL 2. / 126
9.2: Flaked-stone artifacts per cubic foot of excavated deposits by stratigraphic unit (data from
Table 9.1). / 127
9.3: Mean flaked-stone artifacts per provenience unit from which artifacts were recovered by
stratigraphic unit (data from Table 9.1). / 127
9.4: Vertical refits among artifacts in the Intermediate Zone. / 129
9.5: Hearth locations and horizontal density of flaked-stone artifacts by excavation grid square for
below Occupation Level 1 / 130
List of Figures / ix
9.6: Hearth locations and horizontal density of flaked-stone artifacts by excavation grid square for
Occupation Level 1 Lower. / 130
9.7: Hearth locations and horizontal density of flaked-stone artifacts by excavation grid square for
Occupation Level 1 Surface. / 130
9.8: Hearth locations and horizontal density of flaked-stone artifacts by excavation grid square for
Occupation Level 1 Upper. / 130
9.9: Hearth locations and horizontal density of flaked-stone artifacts by excavation grid square for
the Intermediate Zone. / 131
9.10: Hearth locations and horizontal density of flaked-stone artifacts by excavation grid square for
Occupation Level 2 Lower. / 131
9.11: Hearth locations and horizontal density of flaked-stone artifacts by excavation grid square for
Occupation Level 2 Surface. / 131
9.12: Hearth locations and horizontal density of flaked-stone artifacts by excavation grid square for
Occupation Level 2 Upper. / 131
9.13: Hearth locations and horizontal density of flaked-stone artifacts by excavation grid square for
above Occupation Level 2. / 132
9.14: Density of point-plotted bone by excavation grid square for Occupation Level 1 Surface. / 133
9.15: Median flake size by excavation grid square for Occupation Level 1 Lower. / 134
9.16: Median flake size by excavation grid square for Occupation Level 1 Surface. / 134
9.17: Median flake size by excavation grid square for the Intermediate Zone. / 135
9.18: Median flake size by excavation grid square for Occupation Level 2 Lower. / 135
9.19: Median flake size by excavation grid square for Occupation Level 2 Surface. / 135
9.20: Median flake size by excavation grid square for Occupation Level 2 Upper. / 135
9.21: Horizontal linkages among refitted artifacts in Occupation Level 1 Surface. / 136
9.22: Hypothetical subdivision of Occupation Level 1 Surface based on linkages in Figure 9.21. / 137
9.23: Horizontal linkages among refitted stone artifacts in the Intermediate Zone. / 137
10.1: Stage 2 biface fragment refitted to Stage 3 biface fragment. / 150
10.2: Stage 3 bifaces. / 150
10.3: Stage 4 bifaces. / 150
10.4: Finished projectile points. / 151
10.5: Projectile point preforms. / 152
10.6: Perforators. / 152
10.7: Well-made beveled tools. / 153
10.8: Beveled tools made on scavenged biface fragments. / 153
10.9: Beveled tools made on minimally modified flake blanks. / 153