Folsom: New Archaeological Investigations of a Classic Paleoindian Bison Kill PDF
Preview Folsom: New Archaeological Investigations of a Classic Paleoindian Bison Kill
FOLSOM FOLSOM NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF A CLASSIC PALEOINDIAN BISON KILL DAVID J. MELTZER with contributions by MEENA BALAKRISHNAN TODD A. SUROVELL DONALD A. DORWARD JAMES L. THELER VANCE T. HOLLIDAY LAWRENCE C. TODD BONNIE F. JACOBS ALISA J. WINKLER LINDA SCOTT-CUMMINGS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley Los Angeles London University of California Press, one of the most distinguished univer- Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data sity presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural Meltzer, David J. sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and Folsom : new archaeological investigations of a classic by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For Paleoindian bison kill / David J. Meltzer; with contributions by more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. Meena Balakrishnan... [et al.]. p. cm. University of California Press Includes bibliographical references and index. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California ISBN 0-520-24644-6 (case : alk. paper) 1. Folsom Site (N.M) 2. Folsom culture—New Mexico—Colfax University of California Press, Ltd. County. 3. Folsompoints—New Mexico—Colfax County. London, England 4. Excavations (Archaeology)—New Mexico—Colfax County. 5. Animal remains (Archaeology)—New Mexico—Colfax County. © 2006 by the Regents of the University of California 6. Colfax County (N.M.)—Antiquities. I. Balakrishnan, Meena. II. Title. E99.F65M45 2006 978.9'2201—dc22 2006002482 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 09 08 07 06 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements ∞ of ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper). Jacket illustrations: Looking east across the South Bank, where the first Folsom point (inset) was recovered in 1927. Background photo by David J. Meltzer; inset photo courtesy Denver Museum of Nature and Science. In memory ofGeorge McJunkinandCarl Schwachheim, who thought Folsom worth telling others about, and toJoseph& Ruth Cramer, whose extraordinary generosity made that telling possible CONTENTS CONTRIBUTORS LIST ix Hydrology 56 Drainages, Topography, and Site PREFACE xi Approaches 59 Present Climate 62 1. Introduction: The Folsom Paleoindian Site 1 Thinking about Hunter-Gatherer Land Use 66 A Synopsis of Earlier Work 3 Modern Flora 67 Why Go Back to Folsom? 7 Modern Fauna 76 A Framework for Reinvestigation 8 Bison Diet and Its Isotopic Implications 78 Folsom Paleoindians: Open Questions and Historic and Modern Land Use Patterns 80 Unresolved Issues 9 What Has Been Learned from the Modern Site Probing the History of Archaeology 18 Setting . . . 81 The SMU/QUEST Folsom Project: A Brief Summary 19 . . . And What This Suggests of Late Glacial Plan for the Volume 19 Environments and Adaptations 81 Notes 21 Notes 82 2. Folsom and the Human Antiquity Controversy in America 22 4. Archaeological Research Designs, Methods, and Results 84 Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb? 22 Background to Controversy 24 The Colorado and American Museum Forerunners to Folsom: Two Creeks, One Toad 27 Investigations 84 Snake Creek 27 The 1926 and 1927 Seasons 84 Lone Wolf Creek 28 The 1928 Season 87 Frederick 30 Fieldwork at Folsom, 1929–1996 94 Credible or Incredible? 33 The SMU/QUEST Investigations 96 Folsom, 1908–1928 33 The Folsom Site as It Appeared Prior to Our Why Folsom? 40 Investigations 96 Some Are More Equal Than Others 42 Field Strategies, Tactics, and Guiding Results, History Repeats Itself 45 1997–1999 99 What Folsom Wrought 45 Collections Research 108 Conclusions 46 2000–2004 Field Activities 110 Epilogue: The Elephant in the Room 48 Notes 111 Notes 49 5. Geology, Paleotopography, Stratigraphy, and 3. Situating the Site and Setting the Ecological Stage 51 Geochronology 112 Regional Geology and Geological History 51 Initial Efforts to Resolve Folsom’s Age 112 Glacial Activity 56 Establishing a Stratigraphic Framework: The Folsom Soils and Sediments 56 Ecology Project 116 Recent Investigations into the Geology of the Folsom Investigating Folsom Assemblage Variability 255 Site 118 Assembling an Analytical Sample 255 Geological and Geophysical Methods 119 Patterns in Lithic Raw Material Procurement 261 Mapping Bedrock and Reconstructing Morphology and Morphometrics of Folsom Paleotopography 120 Projectile Points 273 Maneuvering for the Bison Kill 124 Folsom Point Hafting 277 Site Stratigraphy and the Geological Context of the Projectile Point Life Histories 279 Bison Bonebed 126 Patterns and Processes of Breakage 283 Radiocarbon Dating and Geochronology 136 Loss and Discard 287 Summary: The Quaternary Geology of the Folsom Other Tools from the Folsom Site 289 Site 150 Summary: The Folsom Artifact Assemblage 291 Notes 152 Notes 293 9. Folsom: From Prehistory to History 295 6. Late Glacial Climate and Ecology 154 Answered and Unanswered Questions 295 Reconstructing Folsom Paleoenvironments 157 Folsom in Historical Context 295 The Pollen Core from Bellisle Lake 157 The Paleoindian Occupation at Folsom: Some Pollen and Charcoal from the Folsom Bonebed 166 Conclusions 297 Land Snails: Taxa, Distribution, and Habitats 174 Coda 307 Land Snails: Carbon and Oxygen Stable Isotopes 189 Bison Bone: Carbon and Nitrogen Stable APPENDIX A: FIELD PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLS 309 Isotopes 195 The Folsom Grid System 309 Summary: The Late Glacial Environment of Folsom 200 Excavation Levels 312 Notes 202 Mapping 312 A Brief Digression on Piece-Plotting 312 7. The Faunal Assemblage and Bison Bonebed Surface Survey 312 Taphonomy 205 Excavation and Recording Procedures 313 Early Views of the Folsom “Bone Quarry” 205 Closing Up 314 Questions of Bison Taxonomy 206 Note 315 The Structure of the Bonebed 209 Taphonomy and Bone Preservation 212 APPENDIX B: THE FOLSOM DIARY OF CARL Numerical Matters I 212 SCHWACHHEIM 316 Bison Killing, Butchering, and Processing 213 Background Entries 316 On the Utility of the Collections from the Original The 1926 Field Season at Folsom 317 Investigations 213 The 1927 Field Season at Folsom 318 A New Look at an Old Bison Bonebed 213 The 1928 Field Season at Folsom 319 Assessing the Sample 213 Exploring the Taphonomic History of the Folsom APPENDIX C: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE Bison Bonebed 219 FOLSOM SITE 325 The Folsom Bison Herd: Age, Sex, and Season of Methods 325 Death 235 The 1926–1927 Camps 327 Numerical Matters II 236 The 1928 Camp 328 Segmentation and Use of the Carcasses by Folsom Hunters 240 APPENDIX D: SEDIMENT MINERALOGY AND BONE The Non-bison Remains from Folsom 243 PRESERVATION 331 Summary: The Folsom Bison Bonebed 245 Methods 334 Notes 246 Results 335 Discussion 336 8. Artifacts, Technological Organization, and Mobility 247 Folsom Projectile Points—First Impressions 247 APPENDIX E: DEFINING FOLSOM: THEME AND Important Points about Folsoms 248 VARIATIONS 338 Folsom Manufacture and Technology 249 Note 344 Defining a Point Type/Defining a Culture 250 A Tally of Fluted Points Recovered, 1926–1928 251 REFERENCES CITED 345 Other Classes of Artifacts from Folsom 254 Was a Cache of Folsom Points Found Nearby? 254 INDEX 367 viii CONTENTS CONTRIBUTORS LIST Meena Balakrishnan Linda Scott-Cummings Department of Geological Sciences Paleoresearch Institute Southern Methodist University Golden, Colorado Dallas, Texas Todd A. Surovell Donald A. Dorward Department of Anthropology Department of Anthropology University of Wyoming Southern Methodist University Laramie, Wyoming Dallas, Texas James L. Theler Vance T. Holliday Archaeological Studies Program Department of Anthropology University of Wisconsin – La Crosse University of Arizona La Crosse, Wisconsin Tucson, Arizona Lawrence C. Todd Bonnie F. Jacobs Department of Anthropology Environmental Science Program Colorado State University Southern Methodist University Ft. Collins, Colorado Dallas, Texas David J. Meltzer Alisa J. Winkler Department of Anthropology Department of Geological Sciences Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Dallas, Texas
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