I Tt R Summer 981

I tt r Summer 981 Early n it In• ToB eserv The Archaeological Conservancy has obtained an option to points and found in a number of early man sites in the Great purchase the Borax Lake Archaeological Site in Lake County, Basin and Great Plains, but not on the Pacific Coast. California, 75 miles north of San Francisco. The Borax Lake site Since the site lacks adequate stratigraphy and no other dating is believed to be at least 10,000 to 12,000 years old making it one technique was available to him at the time, Harrington was left of the oldest human sites in North America. with only the type style of the pOints on which to base an estimate of a date for the site. His conclusion that the Borax Lake site dated from 10,000 to 15,000 years ago challenged previous beliefs that man did not reach the Pacific Coast until much later, and stirred a great controversy in the archaeological community. Harrington's conclusions were challenged on a number of levels. First, major geologic events have disrupted the stratigraphy of the cultural remains. At the time Harrington published the Borax Lake findings, archaeologists relied heavily on stratigraphy as a relative dating technique. Archaeologists in the United States first adapted this technique from the science of geology, applying it to the field of archaeology in the Southwest in the early 1900's. The basic assumption in stratigraphic analysis is that the latest material deposited on the site is on the surface, and that deeper layers were formed in earlier times. The collection of artifacts from Borax Lake posed another problem for Harrington. He had recovered fluted projectile points with con Borax Lake Archaeological Site, California. cave bases which he thought had been left during an occupation of the site by Folsom people, dated at other locations at 10,000- Considered to be one of the most significant archaeological 12,000 years ago. In addition, he had excavated points with con sites in California and the entire Pacific Coast, the Borax Lake site cave bases that lacked fluting as well as crescent-shaped chipped contains at least three distinct occupations. Artifacts recovered objects that had not previously been found at early man sites. from the site have stirred great controversy among scholars and Continued on Page 2. have caused a re-interpretation of the settlement of North America. Located near the town of Clearlake, the site consists of appro ximately 24 acres on the shore of Borax Lake. Borax Lake is a remnant Pleistocene lake that has usually been nearly dry in re cent decades, but is now full and overflowing, supporting a large population of waterfowl. A mature walnut grove now occupies the site, but it has been legally divided into city lots. It is adjacent to a large deposit of obsidian, a material used in tool making by primitive people. For the past twenty years, the property has been ('''''''ed by the Hodges Family, who have conscientiously pro- sdit. In 1948, M.A. Harrington published the results of his research at Borax Lake. In addition to the kind of projectile points archae ologists would expect to find in northern California, he reported finding fluted points similar to those found in a number of widely scattered locations associated with extinct animals such as mam- Obsidian Folsom pOil7t base from Borax Lake showing the , moth and giant bison. These are known as Clovis and Folsom diagnostic fluting and concave base stemmed points. This horizon is related to the Middle Central Cali Borax cont. fornia complex. These are the points mistakenly called Folsomoid by Harrington. Without a relative dating technique to guide his interpretation, Harrington was unable to adequately describe the sequence of . None of the three distinct time periods overlap, and none of cultural events at Borax Lake. He estimated that the whole site the artifacts found in one period is also found in another. Thus dated to the late Pleistocene, and concluded that the different with use of obsidian hydration dating, Meighan and Haynes .-- - types of artifacts were left by a number of different bands of people, firmed Harrington's earlier conclusion of the age of the E visitors to the site who came and went within a few centuries of Lake site. each other. Conventional opinion on the settlement patterns of the New In 1960, a new dating technique, termed obsidian hydration, World was challenged. Until recently, it was believed that early was developed by geologists Irving Friedman and Robert Smith. man crossed the Bering Strait and followed a migration path They discovered that obsidian, a black volcanic glass, slowly ab through the interior of Alaska and down into the Great Plains and sorbs moisture available from the air or from the soil. When early Great Basin, bypassing the West Coast. Man did not reach the man created a stone tool from a piece of obsidian, its surface Pacific Coast area until much later, perhaps thousands of years began absorbing moisture immediately, starting a time clock that later. The data from Borax Lake forces a re-examination of these wouldn't be read for another 10,000 years. By studying a cross hypotheses. section of an exposed obsidian surface under a microscope, it is The dating controversy at Borax Lake underscores the impor possible to measure the rate of moisture absorption, visible as a tance of protecting archaeological sites for later examination. The thin uniform rim. The rate of moisture absorption is not constant, chronology of events at the site could not be understood until the but varies with the exact composition of the obsidian and discovery of obsidian hydration as a relative dating technique. temperature. Obsidian gains moisture at a faster rate in warmer More than 80 percent of the site remains undisturbed, and pro climates. mises to yield much new information regarding the earliest inha bitants of the Pacific Coast. The Conservancy will maintain the Borax Lake site as a per manent archaeological preserve and manage its cultural resources into the future, ready for a new technological breakthrough to un lock more of its mysteries and expand on our understanding of the past. Only by maintaining these sites in situ, can the informa tion they contain be preserved for future generations. Like all Con servancy preserves, it will be available for qualified researchers practiCing conservation archaeology. The Conservancy is working to acquire a number of impo( + sites in central California, a area where development and '"_" culture has already destroyed much of the archaeological record. The Conservancy has two years in which to raise the funds to complete the purchase of the Borax Lake site. A total of $230,000 is needed for the project. Caddo Project Extended The Conservancy has extended an option to purchase the Hudnall-Pirtle Mounds in Rusk County, Texas until early 1988. Two sides of a Folsom point from Borax Lake. This 100 acre tract contains a six mound Caddo ceremonial center located along the banks of the Sabine River near Tyler. Since 1960, the technique of obsidian hydration dating has The Conservancy initiated a project in late 1984 to preserve been widely used by archaeologists. Increased use of the techni what little is left of the Caddo culture. Most of the major sites have que combined with improved calibrations of absorption rates for been destroyed by land leveling and looters. In 1985, the Conser various types of obsidian has led to greater accuracy. vancy acquired the Grobin Davis Mounds in southeastern Okla Armed with this new technique, the Borax Lake site was re homa, a pristine seven mound ceremonial complex. In 1986, the examined by Clement Meighan and Vance Haynes in 1964. Their Faskin Mounds and Cabe Mounds, both in Texas, were acquired. study determined that there were at least three distinct occupa In addition to the Hudnall-Pirtle Mounds, the Conservancy is tion periods at the site. seeking to acquire the Hale Mounds, also in Texas. Additional First, an early Folsom occupation dating from 10,000 to 12,000 Caddo sites in Arkansas and Louisiana are being studied for years ago, represented by artifacts which include fluted, concave possible acquisition as well. base points and chipped crescents. These are the points similar The Conservancy has formed an eleven member Texas Ad to Folsom points found in other very early sites in the United visory Committee to assist in the completion of the Caddo project States. in Texas and to make recommendations for future Texas preser A second occupation period, with the probable introduction vation projects. The Committee is comprised of archaeolor· ., of seed-gathering, occurred at approximately 6,000 to 8,000 years and interested citizens from all sections of the state. ago. Artifacts associated with this period include wide-stem Borax Hundreds of individuals as well as the Atlantic Richfield, Frost Lake points and some coarse single flake blades, as well as manos and Kempner Foundations have contributed to the Caddo project. and metates. This was probably the period of greatest occupation. But an additional $78,500 is needed in 1987 to exercise the The third occupation period, which is about 3,000 to 5,000 Hudnall-Pirtle option, stabilize and fence all of the preserves and years old, includes the concave-base points without fluting and complete the project. Field School ffered Tour Space Still Avai The Archaeological Conservancy invites members of all ages Limited space is still available on two of the Conservancy's fall and backgrounds, with or without previous experience, to join re archaeology tours, the Navajo Country Tour and the Ohio Mound search teams excavating two major Anasazi sites near Mesa Verde builders Tour.

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