CHAPTER 14 Obsidian Use in the Willamette Valley and Adjacent Western Cascades of Oregon Paul W. Baxter and Thomas J. Connolly University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History ([email protected]; [email protected]) Craig E. Skinner Northwest Research Obsidian Studies Laboratory ([email protected]) Introduction Interaction spheres recognized throughout the materials…not locally available or only in small Plateau (Hayden and Schulting 1997) and Pacific amounts” (Ames and Maschner 1999:180). On the Northwest Coast (Ames and Maschner 1999; Northwest Coast, one such material is obsidian, Carlson 1994; Galm 1994; Hughes and Connolly which is visually distinctive, easily redistributed, 1999) have been seen as critical in the evolution of and could be used to create more prestige goods for the complex Northwest Coast cultural expression the household’s elites. (Ames 1994:213). Tracking such exchange Because of its trackability, obsidian archaeologically is complicated to the extent that it characterization studies have been integral to involved perishable or consumable goods that have defining interaction spheres extending well into left no trace. But commodities such as obsidian, prehistory (Ames 1994:223). The issue we explore which is both commonly present in archaeological here is the extent to which people of the Willamette contexts in the region and easily traceable to Valley participated in the regional exchange source, provide an important tool in mapping long- networks. The large site-to-site variations seen in distance economic links. the frequencies of Inman Creek and Obsidian Cliffs Previous obsidian characterization studies have obsidians, especially in the lower Willamette speculated that the distribution of obsidian in Valley, imply their distribution as commodities, western Oregon was due to direct procurement and rather than natural deposition. The implication is trade (Musil and O'Neill 1997; Skinner and that Willamette Basin peoples were active Winkler 1991, 1994). Ames (1994) argues that the participants in regional socio-economic interaction maintenance and persistence of Chinook corporate spheres households along the Columbia River required the The basis for this analysis is a large body of acquisition and production of many resources to obsidian geochemical characterization data from attract and retain members (Ames and Maschner the Willamette Basin of northwest Oregon (Figure 1999:148). Chiefs and other elites of the household 14-1). The bulk of the obsidian data was collected were dependent on a prestige-based socio- by the Northwest Research Obsidian Studies economic system to expand their influence (Ames Laboratory (Skinner 2011), but was then 2006; Silverstein 1990). One vital route to augmented from various published and unpublished increased prestige was the control of trade, sources. Archaeological investigations sponsored particularly in wealth and sumptuary goods. Such by the Willamette National Forest (Kelly 2001; goods are “often of exotic or rare raw Lindberg-Muir 1989), a gas pipeline through the Toolstone Geography of the Pacific Northwest Edited by Terry L. Ozbun and Ron L. Adams, pp. 218-233 Archaeology Press, Simon Fraser University, 2015 Figure 14-2. Location of obsidian sources identified in the study assemblage. comes from five smaller Willamette Basin sources. Together, 90 percent of the characterized obsidian Figure 14-1. Location of the Willamette Basin comes from sources in the Willamette hydrologic study area with subbasins, cities, and sites (+) basin (Figure 14-2). noted. The Willamette Valley is outlined at approximately 150 m (500 ft) elevation. The Setting valley (Fagan et al. 1996), and a number of The Willamette Valley is a large structural basin highway projects (Connolly nd; O’Neill et al. 2004) which lies between the Cascade and Coast produced the majority of the data. It is generally mountain ranges in northwest Oregon. Beginning in true that these data were largely collected the south at an elevation of about 120 m (400 ft), opportunistically to address resource management the river meanders north for approximately 209 km concerns rather than to meet the criteria of an (130 mi) to its confluence with the Columbia River overarching research design. Thus sampling criteria in the Portland Basin. Along the way it collects the varied, coming from well controlled excavations, outflow of 14 tributary rivers, nine from the reconnaissance shovel probes, and single-visit Cascades, and five from the Coast Range. The surface collections, and the artifacts include both extremely flat plane, which varies from 32 to 64 km debitage and shaped-tools. (20-40 mi) wide, is the bottom of Pleistocene Lake Allison formed by Missoula Flood waters which We drew on a total of 5624 specimens from 251 repeatedly inundated the valley between 15,500 and sites and isolates representing 32 known sources 13,000 years ago (Orr et al. 1992). As Pleistocene that were available for this study. However, glaciers retreated, lake levels declined, and great because we rely on proportional data for this study, volumes of outwash cut a new course for the we eliminated sites with fewer than ten sampled Willamette River as it deposited outwash gravels. specimens, a tactic which reduced the total to 5240 Scattered within the gravels of the Middle Fork, artifacts from 116 sites, representing 27 sources McKenzie and main-stem Willamette Rivers are (Tables 14-1, 14-2, and 14-3). cobbles and pebbles of Inman Creek and Obsidian Within the study assemblage, 45 percent of the Cliffs obsidian. The extent of the secondary obsidian is from Obsidian Cliffs in the Cascade dispersal of Inman Creek and Obsidian Cliffs Range, 31 percent is from the Willamette Valley’s obsidian is not completely understood, but pebbles Inman Creek geochemical type, and 15 percent Obsidian Use in the Willamette Valley and Adjacent Western Cascades of Oregon| 219 Table 14-1. Frequency of Geochemical Obsidian Sources Represented in the Assemblage. Geographic Geo. Src Grp All Sourced Artifacts Study Assemblage Source Overall Study Obsidian percent percent percent percent Group Count Count1 Types Count Group Total Count Group Total Willamette Valley 1780 1665 Inman Creek 1719 97 30.6 1608 97 30.7 31.7% 31.8% Butte Creek 59 3.3 1.05 57 3.4 1.09 New Era 2 0.1 0.04 0 Cascade Range 3282 3066 Obsidian Cliffs2 2489 76 44.3 2330 76 44.5 58.4% 58.5% Devil Point 476 15 8.46 436 14 8.32 Clackamas River 267 8.1 4.75 259 8.4 4.94 Carver Flow 34 1 0.6 33 1.1 0.63 Rock Mesa 8 0.2 0.14 8 0.3 0.15 Lemiti Creek 8 0.2 0.14 0 Upper Deschutes 222 197 Newberry Volcano 126 57 2.24 110 56 2.1 Basin 3.95% 3.76% Quartz Mountain 30 14 0.53 26 13 0.5 Cougar Mountain 28 13 0.5 26 13 0.5 McKay Butte 24 11 0.43 22 11 0.42 McKay Butte West 11 5 0.2 11 5.6 0.21 Big Obsidian Flow 3 1.4 0.05 2 1 0.04 Klamath Basin 226 220 Silver Lake/Sycan Marsh 172 76 3.06 170 77 3.24 4.02% 4.2% Spodue Mountain 47 21 0.84 43 20 0.82 Deer Creek 4 1.8 0.07 4 1.8 0.08 Drews Creek/Butcher Flat 1 0.4 0.02 1 0.5 0.02 Carlon (Bald Butte) 1 0.4 0.02 1 0.5 0.02 Witham Creek 1 0.4 0.02 1 0.5 0.02 Harney Basin 11 7 Big Stick 3 27 0.05 3 43 0.06 0.2% 0.13% Glass Buttes 4 36 0.07 2 29 0.04 Riley 2 18 0.04 1 14 0.02 Horse Mountain 1 9.1 0.02 1 14 0.02 Mud Ridge 1 9.1 0.02 0 NE Oregon 6 2 Whitewater Ridge 4 67 0.07 2 100 0.04 0.11% 0.04% Indian Creek 1 17 0.02 0 Wolf Creek 1 17 0.02 0 NE California 8 8 Glass Mountain 4 50 0.07 4 50 0.08 0.14% 0.15% GF/LIW/RS 3 38 0.05 3 38 0.06 Blue Mountain 1 13 0.02 1 13 0.02 Unknown 89 75 Unknown 89 100 1.58 75 100 1.43 1.58% 1.43% Total 5624 5240 5624 5240 Percent 100 100 100 100 100 100 1The study subset consists of only those sites with a sample of 10 or more characterized artifacts. 2Secondary source of Obsidian Cliffs and Carver Flow obsidians are the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers gravels. 220 | Baxter, Connolly & Skinner Table 14-2. Percent of Subbasin1 Obsidian By Obsidian Type. Will. Pudding - Obsidian Type Willamette Willamette Fork Lower Willamette Tualatin Middle Upper Coast Clackamas Molalla North Santiam South Santiam McKenzie Middle Fork Total Willamette Valley Inman Creek 67.81 31.6 88 64.2 43.9 0.62 22.7 23.4 1.9 1.11 22 Butte Creek 1.2 0.62 21.3 Cascade Range Obsidian Cliffs 14.59 36.8 6.77 31.6 48.5 30 51.1 43.6 83.9 87.6 37.9 Carver Flow 0.858 1 2.7 0.21 0.48 0.11 Rock Mesa 1.27 Devil Point 1.717 1.59 0.64 5.97 3.11 30.3 13.5 7.62 Clackamas River 3.004 51.6 0.44 Upper Deschutes McKay Butte 0.23 0.48 2.22 Newberry Volcano 1.29 31.6 0.2 0.26 1.52 3.09 0.44 0.23 0.57 8.09 Big (Buried) Obs. flow 0.22 Quartz Mountain 0.43 0.41 2.55 Cougar Mountain 0.19 2.77 McKay Butte West (Unk X) 2.26 Klamath Basin Deer Creek 0.44 Silver Lake/Sycan Marsh 0.43 0.4 0.39 18.2 Spodue Mountain 1.72 0.2 4.21 Witham Creek 0.11 Drews Creek/Butcher Flat 0.11 Carlon (Bald) Butte 0.11 Harney Basin Horse Mountain 0.21 Glass Buttes 0.86 Big Stick 1.29 Riley 0.2 NE Oregon Whitewater Ridge 0.41 NE California GF/LIW/RS 0.86 0.2 Glass Mountain 1.72 Blue Mountain 0.11 Unknown 3.43 0.2 0.26 6.06 4.53 0.89 2.07 1.43 1 Total Percent 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Total Study Sample 233 19 502 779 66 486 225 871 527 630 902 5240 Percent Study Assemblage 4.45 0.36 9.58 14.9 1.26 9.27 4.29 16.6 10.1 12 17.2 100 Number of Sites 5 1 7 15 3 12 2 22 11 19 19 116 1Willamette Basin subbasins arranged west side, north to south, then east side, north to south starting with Clackamas.