AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Robert Alexander Nisbet Jr. for the degree of Master of Arts in Inter- disciplinary Studies inxithropolo/History /Re ,same Recreation pre- seated on March 19, 1981. Title: The Lanceolate Projectile Point in SouthwesternOregon: fareect ive from the plegate River. Abstractapproved:k_4, zL DavidR.Brauner Archaeological investigations of the Applegate Lake project area were conducted by the Department of Anthropology, Oregon State Univer- from 1977-1980.A cultural sequence believed to span over 8000 years was revealed from a series of six sites.Several of these sites contained lanceolate or leaf-shaped projectile points.A large serrated variety is similar in form and age to specimens referred to as "Cascade'' points in the southern Columbia Plateau, considered by some to be the hallmark artifact of an expansive Old Cordilleran Culture. Smaller varieties of lanceolate projectile points are comparable to finds along the middle and upper Rogue River. Comparisons of projectile point morphology and technology demon- strates considerable variation in southwestern Oregon for the large lanceolate projectile point type, while the smaller variety may exhibit somewhat less variability.Assemblage and projectile point comparisons do not indicate that the Old Cordilleran Culture concept is applicable to this part of the state.The archaeological and linguistic evidence is also not supportive of a movement of Old Cordilleran/Penutian speak- people through this part of the state and into California.Instead, only the idea of the lanceolate projectile and the larger weapon system it was a part of diffused throughout the Pacific Northwest at an early time level.In southwestern Oregon other aspects of culture were con- :ably diversified by as early as,6000 years ago. THE LANCEOLATE PROJECTILE POINT IN SOUTHWESTERN OREGON: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE APPLEGATE RIVER by Robert Alexander Nisbet, Jr. A THESIS submitted to Oregon StateUniversity in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies Completed March 19, 1981 CommencementJune, 1981 APPROVED: Professorof Anthropology in chargeof major Chairman of Anthropology Professor of Resource Recreation Graduate Representative Date thesis '.yen e March 19, 1981 Typed by Linda Morgan for Robert Alexander Nisbet, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my thanks to those contributing to the preparation of thisthesis.Foremost among these is David Brauner who acted as the primary editor and through whom I gained much of my knowledge of North- westprehistory. Court Smith assisted with the computer processing. Wilbur Davis, RichardRoss,and Sandy Snyder contributed information from their respective areas ofexpertise. I would also like to thank Tom Hogg for his support in my graduate education. Outside of OregonState, JohnFagan donated a weekend towards the replicative study. Frank Leonhardy acquainted me-with the Lower Snake River Region collections, and Becky Saleeby assisted in the review of materials housed at the University ofOregon.Other persons contributing ideas and information over the last year are too numerous to mention, but my appreciation goes outto you all. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I Introduction ............................................. Statementof Problem .............. ...... ........... 3 CHAPTER II Background on the Old CordilleranCulture- ............ 6 The Cascade Assemblage .................................... 12 Penutian and the Old Cordilleran Culture ................. 14 CHAPTER III The Manufacture of Cascade Tools .........................18 CHAPTER IV Lanceolate Points and Assemblages from the Applegate Lake Locality ........................... .....25 CHAPTER V Comparative Data Base ........... 44 Kawumkan Springs Midden .................................44 Nightfire Island .........................................47 Salt Cave Locality ..........50 The Gold Hill Site .......................................53 Elk Creek and Lost Creek Localities ......................54 Southern Oregon and Northern California Coast ............58 CHAPTER VI Discussion and Conclusions...............................65 REFERENCESCITED ..............................................75 APPENDIXA The Identificationof Cascade Artifacts ..........83 APPENDIXB Typologies and Metric Data.......................89 APPENDIXC T-Test Data ......................................99 APPENDIX D Replicative Experiment Data ......................101 APPENDIX E Individual Projectile Point Data .................102 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Applegate Lake project area .............................. 2 2 Old Cordilleran site locations ...... 8 3 The Cascade Technique ....................... ............22 4 Sites discussed in Applegate Lake Projectarea ...........26 5 Type 01-06A points 35JA52 ................................ 29 6 Assorted 35JA52 point types ............................. ...............................31 7 Replicative experiment stages ............................ 34 8 Blade shaping flake illustration .............. 34 9 Cores from 35JA52 ........................................36 10 Large lanceolate points 35JA47 ...........................38 11 Small lanceolate points 35JA47 ...........................40 12 Assorted 35JA47 points ................. 42 13 Sites discussed in southwestern Oregon ................... 45 14 Kawumkan Springs Midden chunky foliates ........ ..46 15 Nightfire Island Cascade-like points ..................... 49 16 Salt Cave locality point types ...........................52 17 Early Gold Hill site points ....55 18 Elk and Lost Creek points ..............................57 19 Umpqua Eden points ................ .............. .... 59 20 Blacklock Point surface collection .......................61 21 Whalehead Cove and CU-62 lanceolate points ............... 63 22 Cascade Technique--cores, flakes, and blade products .....85 THE LANCEOLATE PROJECTILE POINT IN SOUTHWESTERN OREGON: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE APPLEGATE RIVER CHAPTER I Introduction Through a series of contractual agreements between the Portland District,U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers,and the Department of Anthro- pology,Oregon StateUniversity,an evaluation of the cultural re- sources within the Applegate Lake project area was accomplished from 1977 to1980. The program was directed by Dr. David Brauner, with Dr. John Fagan serving as liaison officer from the Army Corps of Engineers. The Applegate Lake project area is located on the upper Applegate River approximately thirty-five miles southwest ofMedford,Oregon (see Figure1). The Applegate River flows through the Klamath Mountains physiographic province as defined by Dicken(1955)and adapted by Baldwin(1964). The river enters the project area at an elevation of 2100 feet above sea level and passes the Applegate Dam site at an eleva- tion of 1800feet. The relatively narrow Applegate Canyon is confined by mountains which rise to elevations of 4400 feet and are themselves deeply encised by lateralcanyons. Geologically the mountains are composed of Triassic and Jurassic metavolcanic and metasedimentary deposits of the Applegate and Galice groups (Baldwin1964:77-82). Soils are generally shallow and not welldeveloped. Vegetation is classified within the Mixed Evergreen(Pseudotsuga-Sclerophyll)zone, with Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), sugar pine (Pinus Zambertiana), Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii), live oak (Quercus chrysoZepis), and tanoak (Lithocarpus densifiorus as major species (Franklin and Dyrness1973:134). PrQitAPPLEG Area ATE ----_==wry STATE ALLFREEWAYPAVED WEATHERLEGEND BOUNDARY ROAD ROAD ---COUNTY0a.-...IIOIN NATIONALTOWN, IV: .OBOUNDARY CITYDELL. MONUMENT »n I SCALEsw.. 1:250.0000 MAP LOCATION Is Figure 1 N 3 While this study is generally concerned with a time removed from the historic period, the Native Americans living in or near the project area during the contact period should be noted. The River or Lowland Takelma claimed the middle stretch of the Rogue River and much of the Applegate drainage (Sapir 1907:1). They spoke a variety of Penutian called Takelman. Occupyingan area nearthe confluence of the Little Applegate and Applegate Rivers and extending to present day Ruch was an Athapascan-speaking people known as the Dakubetede (Sapir 1907:2). Lastly, the Shasta, a Hokan-speaking people may have used the area seasonally with known use of areas to the south and east (Holt 1946:301). While these groups differed linguistically, they shared many cultural traits including the procurement system, socio-political system, and religion (Sapir 1907:257; Drucker 1936:284; Kroeber 1920:162). Social grouping was confined to band organization with each band occupying a winter village along a majorwatercourse. Marriage was generally band exogamous (Sapir 1907:268). Winter villages were abandoned in the early spring in favor of upland camp sites, a classic central-based wandering settlement pattern. Root crops such as camas (Camassia spp.)and Ipos(Calochortus spp.) were dug in thespring,and the various runs of salmon and steelhead exploitedfrom the summerto late fall. In the fallcamps were moved into the oak groves where the women would harvest acorns and the men would hunt deer either communally in drives or alone by stalking (Holt 1946:310). The onset of winter would bringmovementback to the winter village where stored foods and hunting provided sustenance until the followingspring. Statement of Problem Prior to the Applegate Lake archaeological project only one U.S.