U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management NEVADA Mustang Shelter: Test Excavation of a Rockshelter in the Stillwater Mountains, Western Nevada By Robert L. Kelly Cultural Resource Series No. 18 2007 Mustang Shelter: Test Excavation of a Rockshelter in the Stillwater Mountains, Western Nevada With a report on test excavations at Dixie Shelter, 26CH1077, Foxtail No. 1, and Mad Bird Shelter Robert L. Kelly University of Wyoming With contributions by Daniel R. Bach, Shannon Gilbert, Steven Grantham, and Judith Polanich 1 Contributors Daniel R. Bach Steven Grantham High Plains Macrobotanical Services Associate State Archeologist Casper, WY California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Fortuna, CA Shannon Gilbert Judith Polanich Research Associate Museum Curator Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum Sierra District, California State Parks University of Montana Tahoma, CA Missoula, MT Table of Contents List of Illustrations............................................................................................................................3 List of Tables ....................................................................................................................................3 Acknowledgements...........................................................................................................................5 Chapter 1: Introduction.....................................................................................................................6 Chapter 2: Stratigraphy...................................................................................................................12 Chapter 3: Lithic Assemblage.........................................................................................................21 Chapter 4: Faunal Assemblage (Shannon Gilbert) .........................................................................39 Chapter 5: Basketry, Organic, and Historic Artifacts.....................................................................46 Basketry (Judith Polanich) ...........................................................................................46 Feathers, Hair, and Coprolites (Robert L. Kelly) ..........................................................55 Worked Wood and Cane (Daniel Bach) .......................................................................55 Ornaments (Steve Grantham and Robert L. Kelly).......................................................58 Historical Artifacts (Robert L. Kelly)............................................................................59 Chapter 6: Comparisons to Other Stillwater Mountains Rockshelters ...........................................60 Chapter 7: Conclusions...................................................................................................................68 References Cited .............................................................................................................................77 2 List of Illustrations Fig. 25. Cumulative curve showing overall biface complete- ness compared to hypothetical curves showing high and low remaining utility.......................................................29 Fig. 1. Location of Mustang Shelter................................... 6 Fig. 26. Cumulative curves showing the relationship between Fig. 2. Approximate locations of shelters tested in 1986 in Mustang Shelter’s overall biface completeness curve and the Stillwater Mountains. Also shown is the 1980-81 those of other selected sites.............................................29 survey boundary ........................................................... 7 Fig. 27. Flake tools from Mustang Shelter............................31 Fig. 3. Aerial photo of Mustang Shelter, facing north Fig. 28. Cores from Mustang Shelter....................................32 (shelter indicated by arrow).......................................... 8 Fig. 29. Bighorn Sheep and artiodactyls %MAU vs. MGUI45 Fig. 4. Topographic map showing location of Mustang Shel- ter.................................................................................. 8 Fig. 30. Bighorn Sheep and artiodactyls %MAU vs. bone mineral density................................................................45 Fig. 5. Photo of Mustang Shelter, indicated by red arrow, in 1990. Screening area marked by tripod screen sup- Fig. 31. Basketry fragments from Mustang Shelter ..............47 port…. .......................................................................... 9 Fig. 32. Unknown basketry fragment type from Mustang Shel- Fig. 6. Mustang Shelter, after completion of initial test in ter....................................................................................47 1986.............................................................................. 9 Fig. 33. Bundle of split serviceberry, probably basketry raw Fig. 7. Map of Mustang Shelter showing elevation contours material, from Mustang Shelter.......................................48 (10 cm interval) and locations of 1986 and 1990 test Fig. 34. Miscellaneous organic pieces from Mustang Shelter excavations ................................................................. 10 ........................................................................................48 Fig. 8. Profile of Mustang Shelter showing location of 1990 Fig. 35. Objects of wood and reed from Mustang Shelter; test excavation and datum; six-foot tall “Gatecliff Man” lower scale for Ch1082/32 only ......................................56 for scale ...................................................................... 10 Fig. 36. Ornaments from Mustang Shelter............................59 Fig. 9. Map of historic artifacts found on surface of Mustang Fig. 37. Location of Foxtail Shelter No. 1 ............................60 Shelter; these materials were not collected................. 10 Fig. 38. Map of Foxtail Shelter No. 1 showing location of Fig. 10. Interior of Mustang Shelter showing completed 1986 test unit...................................................................60 1990 test excavation ................................................... 10 Fig. 39. Photo of Foxtail Shelter No. 1, facing NNE. ...........61 Fig. 11. Mustang Shelter stratigraphy, with locations of Fig. 40. Possible pictograph in Foxtail Shelter No. 1 ...........61 uncalibrated radiocarbon dates ................................... 13 Fig. 41. Location of 26CH1077 ............................................61 Fig. 12. Photo of upper strata in Mustang Shelter, N11-E5 Fig. 42. Map of 26CH1077 with 1986 test unit… ................61 unit; tags are radiocarbon samples; the white arrow points to feature 4 ....................................................... 14 Fig. 43. Photo of 26CH1077, facing south ...........................62 Fig. 13. Graph showing the changing density of unmodified Fig. 44. Location of Mad Bird Shelter..................................62 rock in the various strata............................................. 14 Fig. 45. Map of Mad Bird Shelter with 1986 test unit. .........62 Fig. 14. Graph showing the changing density of rock from Fig. 46. Photo of Mad Bird Shelter, facing southwest. .........63 the front to the rear of the shelter in strata 1 and 2 com- Fig. 47. Location of Dixie Shelter ........................................63 bined........................................................................... 14 Fig. 48. Map of Dixie Shelter with 1986 test unit.................63 Fig. 15. Graph showing the age of the strata using calibrated Fig. 49. Photo of Dixie Shelter, facing southeast..................64 radiocarbon dates........................................................ 15 Fig. 50. The distribution of dates, with two sigma ranges, from Fig. 16. Graph showing the densities of debitage and bone Mustang Shelter, Stillwater burials and marsh sites by count in the various strata...................................... 16 (calibrated using CALIB 5.0.2; present = AD 2000). Green Fig. 17. Backplot of piece-plotted artifacts superimposed on = Stillwater highs; red = droughts. Other environmental the Mustang Shelter stratigraphy ................................ 16 events to the right............................................................68 Fig. 18. Debitage density in the lower three strata, by arbi- Fig. 51. Graph showing the changing values of the artiodactyl trary 10-cm level......................................................... 17 index across the Mustang Shelter strata. .........................71 Fig. 19. Photo of feature 3, rock-lined hearth; trowel points Fig. 52. Graph showing the relationship between the artiodac- to north ....................................................................... 18 tyl index and the ratio of carnivore to human damage of Fig. 20. Photo of the stratigraphy of north wall of N11.5- Sylvilagus and artiodactyl remains. Based on NISP counts. E5.5; red arrows, from bottom, point to features 6, 5, and . .......................................................................................72 7.................................................................................. 18 Fig. 53. The distribution of Numic languages in the western Fig. 21. Graph showing the densities of debitage and bone U.S. at the time of European contact...............................73 from the front to the rear of the shelter, strata 1 and 2 combined .................................................................... 19 List of Tables Fig. 22. Projectile points from Mustang Shelter..............