See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324952655 A First Look at the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene Record of Guano Valley, Oregon, USA Article · May 2018 DOI: 10.1080/20555563.2018.1460183 CITATIONS READS 0 3 7 authors, including: Derek Reaux Richard Rosencrance University of Nevada, Reno University of Nevada, Reno 2 PUBLICATIONS 0 CITATIONS 3 PUBLICATIONS 0 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Paleoindian Record of West Virginia View project LSP-1 Debitage Analysis View project All content following this page was uploaded by Derek Reaux on 04 May 2018. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. PaleoAmerica A journal of early human migration and dispersal ISSN: 2055-5563 (Print) 2055-5571 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ypal20 A First Look at the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene Record of Guano Valley, Oregon, USA Derek J. Reaux, Geoffrey M. Smith, Kenneth D. Adams, Sophia Jamaldin, Nicole D. George, Katelyn Mohr & Richard L. Rosencrance To cite this article: Derek J. Reaux, Geoffrey M. Smith, Kenneth D. Adams, Sophia Jamaldin, Nicole D. George, Katelyn Mohr & Richard L. Rosencrance (2018): A First Look at the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene Record of Guano Valley, Oregon, USA, PaleoAmerica, DOI: 10.1080/20555563.2018.1460183 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/20555563.2018.1460183 Published online: 04 May 2018. Submit your article to this journal View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ypal20 PALEOAMERICA, 2018 Center for the Study of the First Americans https://doi.org/10.1080/20555563.2018.1460183 Texas A&M University RESEARCH REPORT A First Look at the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene Record of Guano Valley, Oregon, USA Derek J. Reaux a, Geoffrey M. Smitha, Kenneth D. Adamsb, Sophia Jamaldina, Nicole D. Georgea, Katelyn Mohra, and Richard L. Rosencrance a aGreat Basin Paleoindian Research Unit, Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA; bDesert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA ABSTRACT KEYWORDS Surface sites play a vital role in interpreting terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene (TP/EH) lifeways in Great Basin; Paleoindian the Great Basin. Two years of work in Oregon’s Guano Valley by crews from the University of archaeology; X-ray Nevada, Reno have revealed a rich record of Western Stemmed Tradition occupations associated fluorescence spectrometry; with an extensive delta system that brought freshwater into the valley from the adjacent Western Stemmed Tradition tablelands. To date, we have recorded nearly 700 diagnostic TP/EH artifacts within the relatively small delta, making it one of the densest concentrations of Paleoindian artifacts in the region. This paper presents preliminary results from our archaeological and geomorphological investigations in Guano Valley as well as an extensive toolstone source provenance analysis. 1. Introduction complex graben down-dropped from a broad basaltic plateau, similar to the Warner and Alvord basins to Cave and rockshelters have provided a wealth of infor- the west and east, respectively. Relative to those mation about early lifeways in the Great Basin (Goebel neighboring basins, Guano Valley is small and has a et al. 2011; Jenkins et al. 2013); however, most Paleoin- drainage basin of only ∼2200 km2 (Figure 1). Mean dian sites are found in open-air settings. While they annual precipitation ranges from about 50 cm/year present some interpretive challenges (e.g., a paucity of near Hart Mountain northwest of the basin to about datable materials and subsistence residues), open-air 30 cm/year on the playa in the northern valley (Daly sites are common and comprised of abundant lithic et al. 2008). The main drainages feeding Guano Valley artifacts, many of which are manufactured from obsi- include Catnip and Rye creeks as well as an unnamed dian or fine-grained volcanic (FGV) toolstone. Their stream coming from the south, Sagehen Creek coming high visibility and rich assemblages amenable to source from the northeast, Guano Creek coming from the provenance analysis make open-air sites critical to northwest, and Jack and Piute creeks coming from studies of Paleoindian land use and mobility (e.g., the west, all of which drain to the playa (about Adams et al. 2008; Jones et al. 2003; Madsen, Schmitt, 1582 m above sea level (asl)). Guano Valley has one and Page 2015;Smithetal.2015). In this paper, we outlet – Guano Slough – which carried water down- present preliminary results from two years of archae- stream into Catlow Valley during wet periods in the ological and geomorphological fieldwork in Guano past. Valley, a small basin located in southeastern Oregon. Prior to our work, little was known about Guano Our work has revealed an extensive surface record Valley’s hydrological or cultural history. One of Israel of Western Stemmed Tradition (WST) occupations Russell’s assistants visited the valley during an early associated with a fluvial system that fed pluvial Lake reconnaissance trip to southern Oregon and reported Guano during the terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene that Guano Valley must have contained a shallow Qua- (TP/EH). ternary lake (Russell 1884). They failed to note Guano Slough or any shorelines but mentioned the small playa lake. The next year, Russell (1885) included pluvial 2. Background Lake Guano in his Lake Lahontan monograph; this Guano Valley is located about 70 km east of Lake- remains one of the few representations of the lake view, Oregon in the northwestern Great Basin. It is a in the literature (also see Orme 2008). Since then, CONTACT Derek J. Reaux [email protected] © 2018 Center for the Study of the First Americans 2 D. J. REAUX ET AL. Figure 1 Overview of Guano Valley with locations mentioned in the text. Guano Valley has received minimal attention from projects conducted in a piecemeal fashion throughout Quaternary geologists. Similarly, limited archaeological the valley. research has occurred. Luther Cressman (1936) traveled through the valley, recording excavations at Guano 3. Project goals and methods Cave and some artifacts near Shirk Ranch in the north- ern valley (see Figure 1). Subsequent work has con- Since 2010, the University of Nevada, Reno’s Great Basin sisted mostly of cultural-resource management (CRM) Paleoindian Research Unit (GBPRU) has focused on PALEOAMERICA 3 developing a better understanding of Paleoindian land use above their respective playas. This is not the case in in the northwestern Great Basin. Five years of research in Guano Valley. The lack of obvious high shorelines in Oregon’s Warner Valley revealed that groups using fluted Guano Valley suggests that either there was never a and WST points occupied the shores of pluvial Lake War- deep lake there or that a lake was present so long ago ner prior to and/or during the Younger Dryas (about that traces of it have been largely erased. The presence 12,900–11,600 cal yr BP) (Smith et al. 2015; Wriston and of the relatively low elevation outlet at the north end of Smith 2017). As the lake receded, groups using WST Guano Valley, which flows downstream into Catlow Val- points moved onto the valley floor, which was dry by ley, indicates that the former scenario is likely. The about 9650 cal yr BP. To place our Warner Valley results elevation of the outlet’s sill probably controlled the maxi- into a broader context, we refocused our efforts on nearby mum level of Guano Lake though time. The exact location Guano Valley, which was essentially a blank spot in our and elevation of the sill are equivocal because infilling of understanding of regional TP/EH archaeology. Our pri- the outlet channel by Holocene alluvium from both the mary goals were: (1) reconstruct Guano Valley’s hydrolo- east and the west may have occurred. Modern topography gical history; (2) locate and record Paleoindian sites; (3) interpreted from 1:24,000 scale topographic maps and a collect tools and debitage for technological and source pro- 10-m DEM derived from them indicate that Guano Val- venance analysis; and (4) compare Guano Valley’s record ley’s playa is closed at an elevation of about 1586 m to those of neighboring basins, with the ultimate goal of ASL. At that elevation, the playa is separated from Shirk creating a regional model of Paleoindian land use. The Lake to the north by a broad (about 200–300 m) curvi- final goal is a long-term endeavor; here, we focus on pre- linear sandy ridge. The surface of the ridge is slightly irre- liminary results related to the other three goals. gular and ranges in elevation from 1586 to 1590 masl. The In 2016, our geomorphological investigations focused feature may be a beach ridge, lunette dune, or combi- on basic features including a weakly developed shoreline, nation of both landform types. The variability in its crestal the playa floor, the outflow channel to Guano Slough at height may be a function of eolian reworking and depo- the valley’s north end, and a series of anastomosing chan- sition. Directly north, the minimum elevation of the outlet nels at the valley’s south end fed by Catnip Creek, Rye channel for Shirk Lake is about 1590 masl, but this chan- Creek, and another unnamed drainage. Additionally, we nel appears to have been cut across the toe of an alluvial opened two backhoe trenches across two of the channels fan/fan delta built at the mouth of Guano Creek as it to gain an understanding of their hydrological history enters the valley. If the Guano Creek fan is a Holocene fea- and attempt to locate datable organic material.