CURRENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL HAPPENINGS IN OREGON A Quarterly Newsletter of the Association of Oregon Archaeologists Volume 43, Number 3 2018 CONTENTS Articles ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Update from the 2017 and 2018 Excavations by the University of Oregon Archaeology Field School at Connley Caves 2 and 5 (35LK50), Fort Rock Basin, Oregon .......................................................................... 3 Artifacts ....................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Archaeology and Heritage Programs, Internship Opportunity, Winter and Spring 2019 ............................. 9 The Archaeology Channel Tours ............................................................................................................... 10 Oregon Heritage Fellowship 2019 ................................................................................................................... 12 Events ........................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Oregon SHPO is hosting two events in November: ...................................................................................... 15 Conferences ............................................................................................................................................................... 16 Legislative Update ..................................................................................................................................................... 17 CURRENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL HAPPENINGS IN OREGON CAHO is published quarterly (March, June, September, and December) and is sent to all AOA members. The Association of Oregon Archaeologists is a non- profit scientific and educational organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of prehistoric and historic archaeological sites. Dues are tax-deductible and are payable on a calendar-year basis. Page 1 CAHO 2018 (43:3) ARTICLES Update from the 2017 and 2018 Excavations by the University of Oregon Archaeology Field School at Connley Caves 2 and 5 (35LK50), Fort Rock Basin, Oregon Katelyn McDonough Center for the Study of First Americans Texas A&M University College Station, Texas Richard Rosencrance Great Basin Paleoindian Research Unit University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada Justin A. Holcomb Department of Archaeology Boston University Boston, Massachusetts Dennis L. Jenkins Museum of Natural and Cultural History University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Introduction The Connley Caves consist of eight south-facing wave cut rockshelters situated on the edge of Paulina Marsh in central Oregon’s Fort Rock Basin. The site has featured prominently in discussion of Great Basin prehistory since Stephen Bedwell’s excavation during the late 1960’s. Bedwell’s expedient excavations produced a wealth of artifacts and radiocarbon dates spanning from the late Pleistocene to the late Holocene (Bedwell 1970). The validity of Bedwell’s assertions, particularly the oldest radiocarbon dates, have long be questioned by archaeologists. To evaluate Bedwell’s claims, the University of Oregon (UO) archaeological field school returned to the Connley Caves for two seasons from 2000 to 2001, and an additional five between 2014 and 2018. Efforts in 2000 and 2001 focused on areas outside the driplines of Cave 6 and Cave 5, revealing that large portions of the upper strata were significantly disturbed but deeper deposits were intact. At that time a modest number of radiocarbon, obsidian sourcing, and hydration samples were processed to assess potential for future work. The field school returned to the Connley Caves in 2014 and has since focused excavation efforts on Caves 2, 4, and 5. Preliminary results of Cave 4 and 5 excavations were recently reported in CAHO (McDonough and Jenkins 2018) and PaleoAmerica (Jenkins et al. 2017). Ongoing botanical, faunal, artifact, and geoarchaeological analyses will be presented at the upcoming Great Basin Anthropological Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah (November 7th-10th 2018), the Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico (April 10-14, 2019), and a publication on Cave 4 assemblages is currently in progress. In this paper we provide a brief review of the 2017 and 2018 excavations conducted in Caves 2 and 5 with an emphasis on student involvement and future research directions. Page 2 CAHO 2018 (43:3) Research at Connley Caves (2017 and 2018) We had a particularly large group at the Connley Caves during the 2018 field season with 18 students, eight volunteers, and four visiting researchers (Figure 1). Throughout the course of excavations we had over 50 visitors from local and distant communities stop by to tour the site. Interdisciplinary and multi -institutional collaboration has continued to advance our understanding of northern Great Basin prehistory and we were delighted to see that tradition continued at the Connley Caves this year. We encourage members of the local community, Oregonians, and researchers to visit during the 2019 field season. Figure 1. Connley Caves 2018 Field school group photo following backfill. Connley Cave 5 In Cave 5, the 2018 season offered students a unique opportunity to begin excavating pre-Mazama deposits, as the students of two previous seasons had removed the late Holocene and most of the middle Holocene deposits. Excavations in 2016 uncovered two hearth features dating to ~8100 to 9000 calendar years before present (cal. BP) with manos, a metate, scrapers, and flake tools associated. Starting in 2017 and continuing into 2018, students uncovered a Cascade component with multiple hearth features dating to ~10,300 cal. BP. This component consists of Cascade projectile point fragments, cores, and various other lithic tools. As the 2018 season progressed, it became clear that a rich underlying Western Stemmed Tradition (WST) component was also present. Nearly 30 diagnostic WST projectile points and fragments were found with a variety of scrapers, flake tools, and gravers (Figure 2). The WST assemblage also included osseous tools such as eyed bone needles, bone bead preforms, and an unusually modified bone that appears to be the shank of a composite fishing hook (Figure 3). This latter artifact is unlike any we have seen at a WST site in the Great Basin and its classification is not yet confirmed. Two hearth features in association with large quantities of bone fragments were also uncovered. Preliminary faunal identifications include bison (bovid), elk (cervus), rabbit (Leporidae), a number of bird species, and fish (tui chub). Page 3 CAHO 2018 (43:3) Given these exciting new developments, our primary objective moving forward in 2019 is to establish an interdisciplinary research framework at the site including graduate and undergraduate students from multiple academic institutions. We are currently in the process of obtaining at least 25 new radiocarbon dates from Cave 5. Botanical, as well as faunal, analysis of the hearth features and associated cultural materials is ongoing. Bulk sediment samples were systematically collected throughout the field season and will be analyzed for sedimentological, faunal, macrobotanical, and entomological data, which will shed light on past paleoenvironmental conditions and associated human responses. Connley Cave 2 Prior to the 2018 field season, Connley Cave 2 had eluded professional investigation although looters had been very busy mining it for artifacts. Excavations there provided students with a unique opportunity to get firsthand experience at opening and excavating an archaeological site, as well as training in geoarchaeological method and theory. Principally, our investigations into Cave 2 were focused on (1) providing detailed macrostratigraphic observations and recording the site’s deposits, (2) evaluating the degree of natural and cultural disturbance, (3) reconstruction of the site formation history by documenting both geogenic and anthropogenic activities, and (4) establishing a research design that includes both microstratigraphic and radiometric sampling, allowing our team to place Cave 2 into the larger temporal framework of the Connley Cave system. Figures 2 and 3. Supervisor Richie Rosencrance and field school student Megan Donham examine a Western Stemmed Tradition projectile point found near a hearth feature (left). Modified bone artifact found in Cave 5 during the 2018 field season (right). In total, thirteen 1 x 1 m units and one 50 x 50 cm test probe were opened during the 2018 field season, reaching a max depth of ~375 cm (Figure 4). Like most caves and rockshelters in the northern Great Basin, it was clear at the beginning that Cave 2 had been severely damaged by past looting and subsequent erosion. Students soon found evidence of the latest phase of looting, which was pinpointed by the discovery of a looter’s lunch characterized by a Doritos bag dating to 1968, as well as a few choice beverages to go with them (Figure 5). Unfortunately, it was equally clear that those responsible for disturbing the site removed late Pleistocene to early Holocene deposits, as evidenced by frequent discoveries of megafaunal bone fragments, projectile points including several Cascade points and a WST point, as well as osseous tools such as a bone awl and eyed needle. Fortunately, roughly two meters of stratified eolian and interbedded shallow water flow deposits were located underlying the disturbed fill, providing a rich paleoenvironmental archive for study. While these deposits were determined to be culturally sterile, due to the fact that Connley Cave 2 was cut by an older (higher) lake- stand than Connley Caves 4 & 5, these deposits may date to or even earlier than Younger Dryas (>12,000 cal. BP). Page 4 CAHO 2018 (43:3) Figures 4 and 5. Students drawing the East Profile of Connley Cave 2 (left) and evidence of a looter’s lunch (right). Thus, the primary research goal at Cave 2 is to shed light on past paleoenvironmental conditions that led to the deposition of these sediments via geoarchaeological methods (soil micromorphology, geochemistry) and radiometric dating of both the cave and surrounding beach ridges (Figure 6). Figure 6. An example of the sampling design for geoarchaeological research (soil micromorphology) implemented at Connley Cave 2. Page 5 CAHO 2018 (43:3) After the Field Learning opportunities for UO field school students did not end in the field. Following the regular field school session, students enrolled in the new Introduction to Museum Collections and Laboratory Methods course taught by Katelyn McDonough. This course is designed to provide students with knowledge and experience in cataloging, proper artifact care, and basic lab analysis methods. In addition to hands on lab experience, students were introduced to the legal and ethical frameworks of excavation, curation, and cultural resource management. The students had their work cut out for them this year with more than 3,000 artifacts and sediment samples recovered during the 2018 field school, but they rose to the occasion. Within two weeks the artifacts were fully cataloged, and the paperwork was digitized. This course was enriched by a variety of field trips and guest lectures by professional archaeologists. Students learned about macrobotanical analysis, historical archaeology, and site mapping techniques during field trips to the UO Research Division. They got to look behind the scenes to see how artifacts are accessioned and curated in the Collections Department of the UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History. They also gained new insights on comparative collection development and faunal analysis during a tour of Dr. Patrick O’Grady’s zooarchaeology lab. These field and lab experiences left the students well equipped to apply for archaeological positions and some have already begun working for the UO Research Division. Student Research Several field school students are conducting research with the Connley Caves collection (Figure 7). Recent UO graduate Cahill Shpall evaluated the stratigraphic context of Elko style projectile points recovered from the Connley Caves to test whether they supported the short (3450 to 1120 cal. BP; Elston and Budy 1990; Thomas 1981) or long (>3400 cal. BP; Hilderbrandt and King 2012; Smith et al. 2013) chronology. Cahill’s analysis found that at least two Elko projectile points were recovered from good stratigraphic context below the undisturbed Mazama tephra layer, indicating potential for long chronology support at the site. Cahll presented his research at the 2018 Society for American Archaeology conference in Washington D.C. Additional Undergraduate Research Experiences (UREs) are being carried out by current undergraduate students at the UO and University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). In preparation for the 2019 excavations, Haden Kingrey is helping to develop future research strategies by conducting a review of previous excavations carried out in Connley Cave 6. Haden will present his overview of the excavation history, including the temporal and spatial distribution of artifacts and bones, at the upcoming Great Basin Anthropological Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two more research projects will be presented by field school students at the 2019 Society for American Archaeology meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. UO undergraduate Shelby Saper will present her study on the context and chronology of the Cascade Phase component at the Connley Caves. Shelby’s research sheds light on raw material provenance and temporal range of Cascade style projectile points in the northern Great Basin. At UNR, undergraduate student Megan Donham is conducting a debitage analysis on the WST component in Cave 4. Megan will combine her findings with raw material provenance data to address aspects of lithic reduction, procurement strategies, and patterns of landscape use during the terminal Pleistocene. We are very excited to see so many young aspiring anthropologists carrying out their own research projects. Keep an eye out for their presentations at upcoming conferences. Page 6 CAHO 2018 (43:3) Future Objectives Future research at the Connley Caves will focus on examining: (1) site occupation and abandonment; (2) diet and subsistence patterns; (3) human response to diachronic climatic and environmental variability; (4) human landscape use and procurement strategies via obsidian sourcing; (5) WST and Cascade lithic technological organization; and (6) how the earliest occupations at Connley Caves fit into the broader picture of the peopling of the Americas. Figure 7. Field school students heading research projects on the Connley Caves including (A) Cahill Shpall presenting his research at the 2018 SAA Annual Conference, (B) Haden Kingrey collecting an obsidian artifact in Cave 4, (C) Megan Donham assisting in sterile coprolite collection in Cave 5, and (D) Shelby Saper holding a bone needle with partner Gabby Ridenour. Page 7 CAHO 2018 (43:3) In sum, the 2019 excavations at Connley Caves may be the last. Excavations at caves 2 and 4 are complete. Those at Cave 5 will be reopened with the intent of reaching Pleistocene beach gravels in multiple units. As such, next year’s excavators will begin in deposits likely 12,000 years old that contain an abundant WST assemblage. In addition, we plan to reopen several units in Cave 6 from the 2000-2001 excavations with the goal of refining the chronological sequence and placing the stratigraphic components into the broader geoarchaeological framework of the site. Any student interested in joining us is encouraged to apply! Acknowledgements Support for Connley Caves research mentioned here has been provided by the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History, the Bureau of Land Management, the Rust Family Archaeological Foundation, the Oregon Archaeological Society, Boston University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Malcolm H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science, Patty Gwartney, Jim Tysell, and Art Hurley. We extend our gratitude to everyone who provided tours and demonstrations for the field school students. Special thanks to Mackenzie Hughes, Beatrice Fletcher, and Karl Wegmann. We want to thank The Klamath Tribes and Perry Chocktoot, Culture and Heritage Director, for their support and confidence. References Cited Bedwell, Stephen F. 1970 Prehistory and Environment of the Pluvial Fort Rock Lake Area of South-central Oregon. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene. Elston, Robert G., and Elizabeth E. Budy 1990 The Archaeology of James Creek Shelter. University of Utah Press Anthropological Papers 115, Salt Lake City. Hildebrandt, William R., and Jerome H. King 2012 Distinguishing Between Darts and Arrows in the Archaeological Record: Implications for Technological Change in the American West. American Antiquity 77(4): 789-799. Jenkins, Dennis L., Justin A. Holcomb, and Katelyn N. McDonough 2017 Current Research at the Connley Caves (35LK50): Late Pleistocene/early Holocene Western Stemmed Tradition Occupations in the Fort Rock Basin, Oregon. PaleoAmerica 3(2):188-192. McDonough, Katelyn and Dennis L. Jenkins 2018 University of Oregon’s Northern Great Basin Field School Excavation Update for the Connley Caves, Fort Rock Basin, Lake County. Current Archaeological Happenings in Oregon. 43(1):12-16. Smith, Geoffrey M., Pat Barker, Eugene M. Hattori, Anan Raymond, and Ted Goebel 2013 Points in Time: Direct Radiocarbon Dates on Great Basin Projectile Points. American Antiquity 78(3): 580-594. Thomas, David Hurst 1981 How To Classify the Projectile Points From Monitor Valley, Nevada. Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology 3(1): 7–43.