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Of the Lower Alaska Peninsula

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Of the Lower Alaska Peninsula • The Ar~hae()logy 1.1 , of the Lower Alaska Peninsula " J H'erbert D. G. Maschner, Ph.D. James W. Jordan, M.A. B~ian W. Hoffman, M.A. ~ Tina M. Dochat, Ph.D. ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE LOWER ALASKA PENINSULA: FIELD REPORT OF THE 1995 AND 1996 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE IZEMBEK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AND ADJACENT LANDS BY 1 2 HERBERT D.G. MASCHNER , Ph.D. JAMES W. JORDAN , MA. 3 BRIAN W. HOFFMAN , MA, AND TINA M. DOCHAT\ Ph.D. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF 5 6 JESSICA CZEDERPll..TZ , MEGAN PARTLOW , MA, 7 8 9 KATHERINE L. REEDy , BA, ANDY ZEIGERT , CAROLINE L. FUNK , MA, lO ll BRIAN J. VAN PAY , BA AND TY BECK REPORT 4 OF THE LABORATORY OF ARCTIC AND NORTH PACIFIC ARCHAEOLOG~UNIVERSITYOF WISCONSIN-MADISON SUMBITTED TO: THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE; THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION; THE ALEUT CORPORATION; THE ALEUTIANS EAST BOROUGH; THE COMMUNITITIES OF COLD BA~ FALSE PASS, AND KING COVE; THE ALASKA STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE; AND THE GREATER ALASKA ARCHAEOLOGICALCOMMUNITY; 15 MAY 1997 Reference as: Maschner, Herbert D. G., James W. Jordan, Brian W. Hoffman, and Tina M. Dochat (1997). The Archaeology ofthe Lower Alaska Peninsula. Report 4 of the Laboratory of Arctic and North Pacific Archaeology, University ofWisconsin - Madison. 1,3,5,6,7,8,9,11 Department of Anthropology, 5240 Social Science, University ofWisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. 2 Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. 4 Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. 10 Environmental Remote Sensing Center, University ofWisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report represents our fIrst attempt to consolidate and summarize the available archaeological data from the lower Alaska Peninsula. To do this we have drawn heavily on the field notes and map data collected over the last two field seasons, on the geological and geomorphological observations made by TIna Dochat (1997), James Jordan (1997), and James Funk (1973), on previous archaeological reports by Allen McCartney (1974), Steve Klingler (n.d.), Michael Yarborough (n.d.), and the BIA-ANCSA (US BIA 1991). For the sites that were discovered prior to our investigations, or were only briefly visited by our project, the site descriptions already in the literature are the most complete. Thus, many ofthe site descriptions presented inthis report for sites originally investigated by the USFWS (Klingler and Yarborough) and the BIA ANCSA (US BlA 1991), are either paraphrases, direct quotes, or summaries ofthese previous, well organized descriptions. We have done this so that all ofthe critical information about the sites in the project area can be found in a single document. The BIA data collected and described by Joseph D. Bartolini, D. Randall Cooper, Brian W. Hoffman, and David P. Staley have been critical to the success ofthis project, both in presenting the site descriptions and in the analysis and interpretation ofthe findings. Throughout we have used standard Alaska State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) nomenclature (AHRS#) for the archaeological sites. The site numbers used by the BIA ANCSA and other, previously used numbers, are reported where applicable. In some cases descriptive, native, or idiosyncratic site names have been assigned and are used as welL As the reader will become aware, this is a report in progress. We are in the midst ofplanning the 1997 field season, completing the GIS and photogrammetric research, and preparing for a five-year excavation program that will begin in 1998. Papers on specific aspects ofthis project will be presented at the 1998 Annual Meeting ofthe Alaska Anthropological Association. TIna Dochat's dissertation on the glacial history ofthe lower 2 Alaska Peninsula is now complete. Dissertations by Brian Hoffman on late Aleut household organization and by Jim Jordan on the coastal geomorphology ofthe region will be completed in 1998. - The 1995-1996 fieldwork was done by archaeologists Herbert Maschner, Caroline Funk, Kate Reedy, Izaak Sawyer, Neal Endacott, Brian Van Pay, Trent Deboer, Abe Smith, and geologists Tina Dochat and Jim Jordan. Portions ofthe data presented in this report were collected as part ofthe BlA­ ANSCA 14(h)1 surveys, and we would especially like to thank Ken Pratt, Randy Cooper, and Steve Street ofthe BlA-ANSCA office for providing critical data and reports. We would like to thank Steve Klingler for access to data from the 1979 Izembek survey that was led by Michael Yarborough. Jessica Czederpiltz analyzed the fish and bird remains from a number ofsites. Andy Zeigert sorted and described bulk samples from three sites. Katherine Reedy and Erin Kester analyzed the largest shellfish collections and cataloged many ofthe remains. Megan Partlow analyzed most ofthe mammalian fauna. Brian Van Pay did analyses oflithic raw materials and is now organizing the geographic information system. Hee-Bum Lee did most ofthe photogrammetric work which will be presented inthe next version ofthis report. David McJunkin ofthe OW radiocarbon facility prepared many ofour samples for accelerator mass spectrometer dating and arranged for their analysis at the University ofArizona and at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. Elizabeth Pillart, Director ofthe OW Department ofZoology comparative collection graciously provided access to her research collections for our faunal analyses. Brian Hoffman assisted with many aspects ofthis project, provided critical data, and directed student research in the lab. 3 Much appreciation is given to The Aleut Corporation and the Isanotski Corporation ofFalse Pass for access to their lands and sites. Debbie Corbett and Chuck Diters ofthe US Fish and Wildlife Service (Anchorage) and the entire staff ofthe Izernbek National Wildlife Refuge, Cold Bay (Greg Siekaniec, Bob Schulmeister, Sue Schulmeister, Chris Dau, and Kathryn Hermann) who contributed in so many ways that this project would have been a complete failure without their assistance and we shall be forever grateful for their encouragement. Carole Seyfrit, Noel Broadbent, Douglas Seigel-Causey, all ofthe Office ofPolar Programs at the National Science Foundation, provided critical and important advice and assistance throughout the last two years; we are lucky to have such great people at NSF. The field data described in this paper were collected with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Graduate School ofthe University ofWisconsin, an EPA Dissertation Fellowship awarded to Jim Jordan, National Geographic Society grant 5728-96 awarded to Dave Mickelson and Tina Dochat, NSF Grant OPP-9630072 awarded to Maschner, and NSF Grant OPP-9629992 awarded to Maschner and Hoffman. The entire cast ofproject would like to thank Debbie Corbett for letting us sleep on her floor, use her house as a base ofoperations before Cold Bay, and for the general good nature she puts forward when 14 people and 6000 pounds ofgear appear on her door step once a year. Finally, Maschner would like to specifically acknowledge Brian Hoffman, an extraordinary student and friend, who introduced him to the lower Alaska Peninsula. All errors, omissions, and faults oflogic are Maschner's (but you can blame Jordan, Hoffman, Dochat, Dave McMahan, Debbie Corbett, Steve Street, Owen Mason, or any other ofmy friends if they are closer at hand). 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS lltlePage 1 Preface and Acknowledgments 2 Table of Contents 5 List ofFigures 8 - List ofTables 9 Introduction 10 Background 17 Regional Environment 17 Previous Archaeological Research 20 The Lower Alaska Peninsula Project 23 Field Methods 23 Field Results 28 Glacial History 28 Coastal Geomorphology 37 Archaeology 47 Site Recording and Methods 52 Radiocarbon dating 53 Geographic Summary ofthe Survey Locales 57 Moffet Lagoon- Joshua Green River 57 Izembek Lagoon 58 Kinzarof Lagoon- West Cold Bay 59 Morzhovoi Bay- Little, Middle, and Big Lagoons 60 Settlement History and Initial Observations ofVillage Evolution 62 Russell Creek Phase? 63 Moffet Phase 63 Kinzerof Phase 71 Early Izembek Phase 74 Late Izembek Phase 76 Cape Glazenap Phase 79 Big Lagoon Phase 82 Morzhovoi Phase 85 Trends is Settlement and Village Organization 87 Conclusion 91 Investigations at Previously Recorded Archaeological Sites 93 XCB-OOI 94 XCB-002 97 XCB-003 100 XCB-004 103 XCB-005 107 XCB-006 109 XCB-021 112 XCB-022 116 XCB-023 118 XCB-024 122 XCB-025 124 5 XCB-026 127 XCB-027 129 XCB-028 132 XCB-029 137 XCB-030 142 XCB-031 149 XCB-032 151 XCB-033 151 XCB-036 151 XCB-037 152 XCB-038 152 XCB-039 153 XCB-040 154 XCB-041 155 XCB-042 155 XCB-043 157 XCB-044 157 XCB-045 158 XCB-046 158 XCB-047 162 XCB-048 162 XCB-049 163 XCB-050 163 XCB-051 164 XCB-052 165 XCB-053 165 XCB-054 166 XCB-055 169 XCB-On 169 XCB-073 169 XCB-074 169 XCB-075 169 XCB-076 169 XCB-077 169 XCB-078 169 XCB-120 170 XCB-121 172 XCB-122 175 Investigations at Newly Recorded Archaeological Sites 177 XCB-079 177 XCB-080 177 XCB-081 177 XCB-082 179 XCB-083 179 XCB-084 182 XCB-085 182 XCB-086 182 XCB-087 184 6 !s,_~ XCB-088 184 XCB-089 184 XCB-091 184 XCB-092 184 ~ XCB-093 185 XCB-094 185 XCB-095 190 XCB-096 190 XCB-097 194 XCB-098 194 -~ XCB-099 197 XCB-lOO 200 XCB-lOl 200 ~ XCB-102 203 XCB-103 203 XCB-I04 205 XCB-105 205 XCB-106 208 XCB-I07 208 XCB-I08 208 XCB-109 208 XCB-110 211 XCB-lll 214 XCB-112 214 XCB-113 214 XCB-114 214 XCB-115 216 XCB-116 216 XCB-117 /-., 216 XCB-118 217 XCB-119 217 XCB-122 217 L:'" References Cited 218 ~) 7 LIST OF FIGURES 1. Map of the North Pacific showing the project area.
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