Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2009-03-13 Fremont Site Distribution in the Upper Escalante River Drainage Deborah C. Harris Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Anthropology Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Harris, Deborah C., "Fremont Site Distribution in the Upper Escalante River Drainage" (2009). Theses and Dissertations. 1707. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/1707 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Fremont Site Distribution in the Upper Escalante River Drainage by Deborah C. Harris A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Anthropology Brigham Young University April 2009 Copyright © Deborah C. Harris 2009 All Rights Reserved BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY GRADUATE COMMITTEE APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by Deborah C. Harris This thesis has been read by each member of the following graduate committee and by majority vote had been found satisfactory. Date Joel C. Janetski, Chair Date James R. Allison Date David J. Johnson Date Richard K. Talbot BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY As chair of the candidate’s graduate committee, I have read the thesis of Deborah C. Harris in its final form and have found that (1) its Format, citations and bibliographic style are consistent and acceptable and fulfill University and department style requirements; (2) its illustrative materials including figures, tables, and charts are in place; and (3) the final manuscript is satisfactory to the graduate committee and is ready for submission to the university library. Date Joel C. Janetski Chair, Graduate Committee Accepted for the Department Joel C. Janetski Graduate Coordinator Accepted for the College Susan S. Rugh Associate Dean, Family, Home and Social Sciences ABSTRACT Fremont Site Distribution in the Upper Escalante River Drainage Deborah C. Harris Department of Anthropology Master of Arts A Fremont site distribution model for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument during the period A.D. 500—1050/1100 posits that the Fremont subsistence strategy (seasonal mobility with dependence on both agriculture and hunting/foraging) is reflected by a site pattern of low-investment, seasonal or short-term habitation sites and isolated storage facilities at “lowland” elevations, and high-investment, long-term residence sites at “upland” elevations (McFadden 1998, 2000). This research assesses the model to evaluate its general precision, looking particularly at its success in modeling site locations for long-term residential versus seasonal/short-term habitation sites. A database including more than 400 Fremont sites was created to evaluate the model. Data variables examined in this thesis included elevation, distance-to-water, and primary landform. Analysis of the elevation data demonstrates that the McFadden model does not fit the actual distribution of Fremont sites identified from survey. Further analysis also established that distance-to-water is not an effective variable in accurately modeling Fremont site patterning over this region. The association between functional site types and primary landforms, however, does appear to more accurately reflect site distribution as observed on the ground. Based on these results, a new model for Fremont site distribution in the upper Escalante River drainage is proposed. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe debts of gratitude to many for their help, not only with this thesis, but also for the opportunities they have made available to me, allowing me to experience many different aspects of theoretical research and practical archaeology. I am particularly grateful to the members of my thesis committee. Dr. Joel Janetski has offered advice and motivation to finally complete this work. Dr. Jim Allison’s non-judgemental assistance with the statistical aspects of this research has been invaluable. Dr. David Johnson’s willingness to take a risk on a completely inexperienced student to excavate in Jordan actually started the whole process, and I am eternally grateful for that -- and other -- opportunities he’s provided. Rich Talbot has been editor, employer, mentor, and friend, and has helped me in uncountable ways to see this project through. I am also grateful for the ideas, comments, and support from Drs. Cynthia Finlayson and Glenna Nielson-Grimm as I struggled to come to terms with the details of coursework, overlapping projects, and thesis research. Dr. John Clark listened, and provided positive insight to concerns and difficulties. Evie Forsyth has coached me through the paperwork snafus that I constantly manage to create, and has also held me up through times of personal distress. Perhaps the best part of my graduate experience has been the opportunity to work in the Office of Public Archaeology with outstanding archaeologists and technical personnel. Along with Rich Talbot, Lane Richens has patiently put up with me, both in the office and in the field. Scott Ure’s expertise with GIS mapping and design has made the presentation of this thesis immeasurably better, and Debbie Silversmith has provided both technical and personal assistance in all manner of ways. Although he has moved on from OPA, I must also thank Shane Baker for the training he provided in historic research and records searches. Dr. Steve Nelson and Dave Tingey, of the BYU Geology Department, have also contributed significantly to my general training and development, allowing me to expand my practical knowledge by working with them in the 14C lab. I also greatly value the discussions and field experiences shared with other students, particularly Dave Yoder, Julie McDonald, Holly Raymond-Hughes, Jake Skousen, and Aaron Woods. I could not have completed this work without the assistance offered by the Utah State Historic Preservation Office. Kevin Jones authorized my thesis research hours in the SHPO offices without charge. Arie Leeflang and Renee Weider provided assistance as needed and encouraging support at all times. I also appreciate the work of, and conversations with, BLM Archaeologists Doug McFadden and Gardiner Dalley. Millenium Science and Engineering Company of Salt Lake City kindly made proprietary Escalante River watershed data available to me Sometimes, help comes from unexpected places. Ben Tyler, neighbor and friend, offered his expert editing skills and perspectives of the thesis from a layperson’s view. His comments not only drastically improved the text, but helped me to more clearly express the basic theory of, and analytical processes involved in the production of this work. Finally, but most important of all, are the thanks I owe my family. They have not only patiently suffered through the highs and lows of the research and writing process, but they have each taken over many of the daily responsibilities essential to staying alive. Aaron and Cara have always been ready to take on the battles I didn’t feel I could fight, while Nate and Trina have helped me find the “tao” to realize that maybe I didn’t have to fight all of them. Matt and Drew have not only practically raised themselves over the past several years, but have astounded me as they have grown to become amazing, caring, and dynamic young men. And to my husband, Ron, there are no words -- I just hope that you understand that nothing could have been done without you. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT . v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . vi 1 INTRODUCTION . 1 Research Question/Problem Statement . 2 Study Area . 4 Thesis Organization . 5 2 PREVIOUS RESEARCH. 8 Recent Research. 9 3 THE FREMONT . 12 Spatial Context . .14 Temporal Context and Material Culture . 14 Fremont Chronologies in the GSENM. .17 4 ENVIRONMENT. .24 Geology . 25 Escalante Drainage . 31 Water . 34 Vegetation . 36 Faunal Resources. .38 Climate . 41 Paleo Climate. .43 5 SITE DISTRIBUTION/SETTLEMENT STUDIES . 45 Development of Settlement Patterning Studies . .45 Important Settlement Pattern Studies in the Great Basin . 50 Important Settlement Pattern Studies on the Colorado Plateau . 51 GSENM/Escalante Drainage Settlement Pattern Studies . 52 6 ASSUMPTIONS AND METHODS . 56 Analytical Issues . 56 Challenges. .56 Data Collection. .57 Determination of Site Type. .58 Cultural Association . 59 Definitions. .60 Site Typology. .61 Data Collection . .66 viii Geographic Characteristics . .71 7 Data . 75 Site Type Distribution. .75 Elevation . 77 Distance-to-water . .83 Primary Landform . .85 Statistical Analysis . 88 Elevation . 88 Distance to Permanent Water. .97 Primary Landform . 101 8 DISCUSSION. 106 Assessment of the Model . 106 Analytical Results. 107 Elevation . 108 Distance-to-water . 111 Primary Landform . 113 Summary and Conclusion. 119 Modified Fremont Site Distribution Model: Upper Escalante River Drainage . 119 Implications for Fremont Site Distribution . 121 Directions for further research . 123 REFERENCES . 125 APPENDIX A . 146 APPENDIX B . 162 APPENDIX C . 174 APPENDIX D . 178 APPENDIX E . 182 APPENDIX F . 186 ix LIST OF FIGURES Chapter 1 1.1 Fremont Cultural Area . 3 1.2. Study area map and surrounding region . 5 Chapter 3 3.1. Three topographic sections of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 18 Chapter 4 4.1. Index map showing location of GSENM and other federally managed lands. 25 4.2 Geologic Map of the study area and surrounding region . 26 4.3. Geologic block diagram of the Kaiparowits Plateau section of the GSENM . 27 4.4. Block diagram across the Escalante Canyons section of the GSENM. 28 4.5. Topography and elevation ranges across the Escalante watershed . 32 4.6. Major tributaries of the Escalante River Watershed . 33 4.7. Average annual precipitation in the Escalante River watershed . 35 4.8. Vegetation and soils in the Escalante River watershed . 37 4.9. GAP vegetation analysis of the upper Escalante River watershed. 39 4.10. Riparian vegetation in the riverbottoms ofthe Escalante River below Death Hollow. 40 Chapter 6 6.1.