Archeological and Bioarcheological Resources of the Northern Plains Edited by George C
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Tri-Services Cultural Resources Research Center USACERL Special Report 97/2 December 1996 U.S. Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory Archeological and Bioarcheological Resources of the Northern Plains edited by George C. Frison and Robert C. Mainfort, with contributions by George C. Frison, Dennis L. Toom, Michael L. Gregg, John Williams, Laura L. Scheiber, George W. Gill, James C. Miller, Julie E. Francis, Robert C. Mainfort, David Schwab, L. Adrien Hannus, Peter Winham, David Walter, David Meyer, Paul R. Picha, and David G. Stanley A Volume in the Central and Northern Plains Archeological Overview Arkansas Archeological Survey Research Series No. 47 1996 Arkansas Archeological Survey Fayetteville, Arkansas 1996 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Archeological and bioarcheological resources of the Northern Plains/ edited by George C. Frison and Robert C. Mainfort; with contributions by George C. Frison [et al.] p. cm. — (Arkansas Archeological Survey research series; no. 47 (USACERL special report; 97/2) “A volume in the Central and Northern Plains archeological overview.” Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-56349-078-1 (alk. paper) 1. Indians of North America—Great Plains—Antiquities. 2. Indians of North America—Anthropometry—Great Plains. 3. Great Plains—Antiquities. I. Frison, George C. II. Mainfort, Robert C. III. Arkansas Archeological Survey. IV. Series. V. Series: USA-CERL special report: N-97/2. E78.G73A74 1996 96-44361 978’.01—dc21 CIP Abstract The 12,000 years of human occupation in the Northwestern Great Plains states of Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota is reviewed here. Syntheses of the archeological and bioarcheological resources under the guise of human adaptation types reveals significant gaps that future re- search should address. Series Editor: Hester A. Davis Cover Design: M. Jane Kellett (after a Sioux buffalo robe, Museum fur Volerkunde, Berlin) Production: Lindi Holmes, Mary Lynn Kennedy Proofreading: Rima S. Peterson Offset Printing: Phillips Brothers Printing, Springfield IL Contents Figures and Tables iv Foreword v 1 Introduction, by George C. Frison and Robert C. Mainfort 1 2 Archeology of the Northwestern Plains, by George C. Frison, David Schwab, L. Adrien Hannus, Peter Winham, David Walter, and Robert C. Mainfort 8 3 Lithic Sources in the Northwestern Plains, by James C. Miller 41 4 Rock Art of the Northwestern Plains, by Julie E. Francis 50 5 Archeology of the Middle Missouri, by Dennis L. Toom 56 6 Archeology of the Northeastern Plains, by Michael L. Gregg, David Meyer, Paul R. Picha, and David G. Stanley 77 7 Bioarcheology of the Northwestern Plains, by Laura L. Scheiber and George W. Gill 91 8 Bioarcheology of the Northeastern Plains, by John Williams 120 9 Human Adaptations in the Northern Plains, by George C. Frison, Dennis L. Toom, and Robert C. Mainfort 150 References Cited 161 Index 203 Figures 1. The subareas of the Northern Plains overview 1 9. Plains Village sites, Middle Missouri 73 2. Great Plains physiographic province 3 10. Historic sites, Middle Missouri 75 3. General vegetation patterns 4 11. Mortuary excavation by decade, Wyoming 93 4. Paleoindian projectile points 10 12. Organizations recovering burials, Wyoming 93 5. Mammoth bone pile at the Colby site 11 13. Publications in Wyoming bioarcheology by decade 93 6. The Hell Gap Casper site bison bonebed 14 14. Mortuary excavation by decade, Montana 95 7. Paleoindian projectile points 14 15. Organizations recovering burials, Montana 95 8. Bison types 14 16. Publications in Montana bioarcheology by decade 95 9. Paleoindian and Archaic projectile points 15 17. Mortuary distribution in Northwest Plains 97 10. Foothill-Mountain Paleoindian projectile points 17 18. Burial site distribution by drainage 98 11. Paleoindian site locations 17 19. Burial site by drainage and recording agency 99 12. Archaic projectile points 18 20 Burial site distribution by vegetation type 99 13. Typical Archaic period tipi ring 21 21. Burial site distribution by vegetation and period 99 14. Typical Archaic period stone-filled pit 22 22. Analysis of burial sites by affiliation 100 15. Projectile points: Late Archaic, Late Prehistoric 23 23. Radiocarbon dates and burial sites 102 16. Plan view of the Besant Ruby site 25 24. Key Northwest Plains bioarcheological sites 102 17. Archaic site locations 26 25. Age distribution by time period 103 18. The Kobold Buffalo Jump 29 26. Sex distribution by time period 104 19. Ceramic vessels 31 27. Projectile points in Late Prehistoric burials 105 20. Bison bone in Vore Buffalo Jump 31 28. Carious teeth by age and sex 110 21. Mountain sheep trap 33 29. Alveolar bone pathology by age and sex 110 22. Late period site locations 34 30. Carious teeth by time period 110 23. French and Spanish locations and explorers 35 31. Alveolar bone pathology by time period 110 24. Protohistoric metal projectile points 35 32. Skeletal remains of Frontier Blacks 113 25. Conical pole lodge 36 33. Skeletal remains of Frontier Whites 114 26. The fur trade frontier 37 34. Skeletal remains of Frontier Chinese 117 27. Nineteenth century trails and railroads 38 35. Skeletal remains of mixed Indian/White 118 28. Indian reservations and battles 39 36. Burial sites by county and time period 120 29. Some military camps and forts 40 37. Burial sites by county and context 121 30. Major rock art traditions 50 38. Burial sites by context and level of analysis 122 31. Craven Canyon pictographs 51 39. Level of analysis by time period 122 32. Trapper Canyon designs 52 40. Organization type by county 122 33. Bighorn Mountains figures 52 41. Organization type and level of analysis 122 34. Dinwoody tradition petroglyphs 52 42. Excavation type by county 123 35. Petroglyph Canyon figures 53 43. Excavation type by level of analysis 123 36. Water Ghost Woman figure 55 44. Distribution of sites by watershed 123 37. Middle Missouri archeological regions 56 45. Chronology of subareas 124 38. Taxonomic model 65 46. Archaic burial sites, the Dakotas 126 39. Ahler taxonomy cultural complexes 70 47. Woodland burial sites, the Dakotas 129 40. Ahler taxonomy cultural phases 70 48. Sonata burial sites, the Dakotas 130 41. Northeastern Plains archeological regions 77 49. Arvilla burial sites, the Dakotas 130 42. Profile of soils and archeological complexes 78 50. Middle Missouri burial sites, the Dakotas 136 43. Paleoindian site locations 81 51. Coalescent burial sites, the Dakotas 137 44. Archaic site locations 82 52. Demographic profile of burial sites 138 45. Woodland site locations 84 53. Demographic profile of burial sites 139 46. Plains Village site locations 88 54. Individuals by tradition 139 47. Fluctuating levels at Devils Lake 90 55. Life tables by period 139 48. Age distribution by time period 108 56. Life expectancy and age interval 139 49. Distribution of preadults by time period 108 57. Mortality rate and age interval 139 50. Age-specific adult mortality 108 58. Percentage of deaths 139 51. Sex distribution by time period 109 59. Crude death rate 139 52. Dental pathology by time period 110 60. Sex distribution of Woodland burials 140 53. Burial contexts by time period 111 61. Sex distribution by populations 140 54. Age at death compared for three populations 115 62. Osteoarthritis by site 141 55. Mortuary sites per county in North Dakota 120 63. Vertebral osteophytosis by site 142 64. Fractures by site 142 65. Nonfracture trauma 142 66. Periostitis by site and age 143 Tables 67. Periostitis by site 143 68. Porotic hyperostosis 144 1. Common edible plants 25 69. Caries incidence 145 2. Postulated climatic episodes 60 70. Interproximal grooving 145 71. Enamel hypoplasias 146 3. Site inventory reports 62 72. Linear enamel hypoplasia episode 146 4. Site survey and testing projects 64 73. Bone count 147 5. Paleoindian sites, Middle Missouri 66 74. Mortuary modification 148 6. Plains Archaic sites, Middle Missouri 67 75. Aggression modification 148 7. Plains Woodland sites, Middle Missouri 68 8. Lehmer/Caldwell taxonomic model 69 Foreword This research was coordinated by the Arkansas Archeological Survey under the Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program. The contracts were administered by the Tri-Services Cultural Resources Research Center at the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (USACERL), Champaign, IL. The contract manager and Principal Investigator was Dr. John S. Isaacson. Col. James T. Scott is Commander and Dr. Michael J. O'Connor is Director of USACERL. Mr. Larry Banks, formerly U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Southwestern Division archeologist, consulted extensively on the project. The Central and Northern Plains Archeological Overview project includes four studies: the northern Great Plains (the Rockies east to the Minnesota River), the northwest woodlands (the Minnesota River east to the Great Lakes), the central Great Plains, and the central prairie- timberlands of Missouri. Using the concept of human adaptation, these overviews place cultural resources within cohesive environmental and cultural areas rather than arbitrary political boundaries such as states. These syntheses make clear why properties are significant, where there are gaps in archeological and bioarcheological knowledge, and what the future directions are for cultural resources planning by Department of Defense installations, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal agencies. In addition to the four archeological volumes, all citations are being entered in the National Archeological Citation Data Base. Other volumes included as part of this project are management guidelines, an executive summary, the bioarcheological sections of each area combined into a single volume, and a citations CD. Taken together with the volumes from the Southwestern Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Overviews (Arkansas Archeological Series Nos. 31- 38), there are now syntheses of the current archeological record for almost one-half of the United States.