THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SILENT SNAKE SPRINGS HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA THOMAS N. LAYTON AND DAVID HURST THOMAS VOLUME 55 : PART 3 ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NEW YORK : 1979 ko, tl-l x V 4 jo Z-. ..Ax, 4: 4. lk 'T .74, `zi.- 4-0-1 V J *9W r-4 ;"'7W, V 'A "i. ".1. J qt 4- -A 11 AiM` jw, t7l, < 7)4, A 74 4., A, 4 Vs A V .j N A 44 g Vz, o, .T 1-. 7% A 3.1 77 .o 41 M, 41. 17 4- k v P jt. .2 7' t4 7 tn. it ix. i4 A jrl, J- 7, "I v u 5 144! 0. 4. j.K Ot' J4 A l7n., NV ,41 it A 4, P, .4 j,g g WT J X t IK '..-4-ti i4). .i IN A- AvA er, 4. AN" t: .o i;i --, "" ll.,r,.' *114't cy J V qz '15 6. 41 4", 4,ofj 14 'Z4 -V.411.' 7r- Ti, --O CT- VfAl V pq jt Al 511 jfJ Tl. 4. V 4.1 THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SILENT SNAKE SPRINGS, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEVADA THOMAS N. LAYTON Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology San Jose State University DAVID HURST THOMAS Chairman and Associate Curator, Department of Anthropology The American Museum of Natural History VOLUME 55: PART 3 ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NEW YORK: 1979 ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Volume 55, part 3, pages 249-270, figures 1-12, tables 1-5 Issued January 4, 1979 Price. $1.90 ISSN 0065-9452 Copyright © The American Museum of Natural History 1979 ABSTRACT Silent Snake Springs is a small midden site lo- that hunting and butchering were the major aborigi- cated in Humboldt County, Nevada. Test nal activites at Silent Snake Springs. A somewhat excavations indicate that the major occupation at later component is characterized by the presence of Silent Snake Springs occurred during the so-called Rose Spring series projectile points and grinding Pinto time period. This chronology is supported by stones. The settlement pattern in the Silent Snake 25 obsidian hydration readings, and a single radi- Springs region is poorly understood, but preliminary ocarbon date of 4100 B.C. + 380 (corrected). indications suggest a shift toward spring resources Nearly all the identifiable faunal remains are bighorn during the Altithermal period, roughly 5000 to 2500 sheep, and the associated tool assemblage indicates B.C. INTRODUCTION Silent Snake Springs is one of several sites find any evidence of climatic change in excava- discovered and tested by the authors during the tions at Danger and Hogup caves. summer of 1967. Layton was conducting a site More recent discussion of the Altithermal survey of the High Rock area (Layton, 1970, issue has stressed the importance of gathering 1972, 1973) and Thomas was studying the fau- additional data, and developing regional clima- nal materials recovered from these sites tic and cultural sequences (see O'Connell and (Thomas, 1968, 1969, 1970b, 1971). Hayward, 1972; Davis and Elston, 1972; Silent Snake Springs was occupied primarily Elston, 1976). In addition, the long-term ex- during the so-called Pinto period (Hester, cavations by the American Museum of Natural 1973). Well-documented Pinto age occupations History at Gatecliff and Triple T Shelters in are relatively rare in the Great Basin, the most Nye County, Nevada, indicate that any encom- notable examples being the Stahl site (Har- passing, basin-wide interpretation of climatic rington, 1957), Hidden Cave (Roust and change is bound to be overgeneralized and mis- Clewlow, 1968), King's Dog (O'Connell, 1975) leading. The so-called Pinto period witnessed a and Gatecliff Shelter (Thomas, MS.). Pinto number of settlement and subsistence changes series projectile points also occur at both Dan- in the Desert West. Fagan (1974), for instance, ger and Hogup Caves in western Utah, but the has suggested that Altithermal age sites will components are not stratigraphically distinct tend to be in association with spring localities. (Aikens, 1970). A great deal of confusion ex- We present results from limited excavations at ists regarding projectile point terminology for Silent Snake Springs because they provide this time period (see Hester, 1973, pp. 26-28); comparative evidence regarding Altithermal pe- for the purposes of the present report, we retain riod occupation in the northwestern Great the term "Pinto," recognizing that a revision Basin. will be in order as more data come to light. Some investigators, most- notably Baumhoff and Heizer (1965), have argued that the scarcity ACKNOWLEDGMENTS of Pinto-age sites can be explained as the result The Silent Snake Springs excavation was of hotter and/or drier environmental conditions. jointly sponsored and financed by the Peabody This argument contends that the Altithermal pe- Museum, Harvard University and the Nevada riod rendered the Great Basin virtually unin- State Museum in Carson City. We are grateful habitable from about 5000 B.C. to 2500 B.C. to Mr. James C. Calhoun, Director Emeritus These findings have been disputed by Jennings and Mr. Donald R. Tuohy, Curator of An- (1957, 1964) and Aikens (1970), who failed to thropology, both of the Nevada State Museum. 251 252 ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY VOL 55 Dr. Stephen Williams and Dr. J. 0. Brew at the Peabody Museum provided good council and helped arrange financial backing for the project. Dr. Martin A. Baumhoff at the Univer- sity of California, Davis assisted us in securing a three-quarter ton truck for the 1967 fieldwork. The 1967 crew consisted of the authors, Mr. Dan Andrews, Mr. Arnold Green, Mr. Steve Hayden, Mr. Steve Lent and Mr. Marc Young. Assisting Layton in 1968 were Mr. Dwight Burnham, Mr. Michael Evans, Ms. Eileen Moffat and Ms. Anne Stephenson. The artifacts were illustrated by Ms. Sarah Bandes and the additional artwork was provided by Mr. Dennis O'Brien. Obsidian hydration measurements were made by Paul Aiello of the University of California, Los Angeles. Mr. Philip Rasch, Ms. Lisa Cook, Ms. Jane Epstein, and Ms. Susan Bierwirth assisted in the preparation of the manuscript. THE SETTING Silent Snake Springs (designated as site 26Hu201 in the Nevada State Museum system) is located in the rugged High Rock Country of FIG. 1. Archaeological map of the High Rock northwestern Nevada, approximately 63 km. Country. 1. Silent Snake Springs (26Hu201); 2. east of the California border and 100 km. south Smokey Creek Cave (26Hu46); 3. Calico surface site of the Oregon border (fig. 1). (26Hu202); 4. Little Smokey Shelter (26Wal501); 5. The High Rock Country is the most south- Swallow Marsh Shelter (26Wal503). erly extension of the Columbia Lava Plateau. It is a vast tableland of lava beds which are layered one above the other and average 1829 than rapid invasion of the area by polar air m. (6000 ft.) in elevation. The lava has been masses (Aschmann, 1958, p. 25). Precipitation warped, faulted, eroded, and exposed as varies greatly from year to year. However, rimrock in the walls of canyons. The name mean annual precipitation is about 30.5 cm. (12 High Rock Country refers to these vertical lava in.) and occurs mainly during the winter, al- exposures. The highest elevations are Granite though local and unpredictable cloud bursts oc- Peak 2760 m. (9056 ft.) and Division Peak cur throughout the area in the late spring and 2588 m. (8491 ft.) at the base of which lies the summer (Brown, 1960). Winter and spring Silent Snake Springs site at 1920 m. (6300 ft.). storms are generally due to the mid-latitude The High Rock Country is a high desert. cyclone which brings moisture-laden air from For January, daily mean maximum temperature the west and northwest (Aschmann, 1958, p. ranges from 1°C. (34°F.) to 3°C. (38°F.), while 27). Precipitation is closely correlated with ele- the mean minimum temperature is about -9°C. vation, and the rain shadow effect is pro- (16°F.). For July, the mean maximum tempera- nounced to the east of major mountains. ture ranges from 27°C. (80°F.) to 31°C. (88°F.), Snowmelt provides a major source of water for while the mean minimum temperature ranges streamflow, but since snowfall is rarely heavy, from 7°C. (44°F.) to 11°C. (520F.) (Brown, most streams flow only during the winter and 1960). Low temperatures are caused primarily spring. Low humidity and abundant sunshine by radiational cooling of stagnant air rather cause rapid evaporation which far exceeds pre- 1979 LAYTON AND THOMAS: SILENT SNAKE SPRINGS 253 cipitation. Although year-round springs may be pp. 38-39). In those isolated situations where found throughout the area, few watersheds have standing water is present, aquatic plants such as precipitation sufficient to maintain year-round tules (Scirpus spp.), cattails (Typhus latifolia), standing water. and reeds (Phragmites spp.) may be found. Most of the High Rock Country is subsumed Willows occur along streams, and areas of under the Sagebrush Zone, described by Bil- spring seepage produce small lush meadows of lings (1951) and Cronquist et al. (1972, pp. native grasses, reeds, roots, and tubers. The 122-126). But such blanket descriptions tend to only broadleaf trees present are quaking aspen ignore the presence of discrete micro-environ- (Populus tremuloides), which grow on high ments which, although rarely recognized and mountain slopes and in well-watered canyons mapped by plant geographers, were certainly and cottonwood (Populus trichopatra) is found exploited by people throughout prehistory. along the lower water courses. Western juniper In the well-drained portions of the High (Juniperus occidentalis) occurs in sparse stands Rock Country, native ground cover consisted at somewhat higher elevations.