Mountain Scholar :: Browsing by Author "LaBelle, Jason M., advisor"

Browsing by Author "LaBelle, Jason M., advisor"

Now showing 1 - 19 of 19

Open Access
A binary approach to the analysis of prehistoric bison distribution and paleoecology in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) McKetta, Suzanne B., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Glantz, Mica, committee member; Cotrufo, Francesca, committee member
Bison exploitation is at the heart of prehistoric hunter-gatherer subsistence on the Great Plains and can reveal robust information regarding patterns of migration, chronology, and variability in paleoclimate. However, despite association with human subsistence practices, bison population and distribution patterns across time and space are unclear. This thesis presents a study of prehistoric bison distribution and population ecology in archaeological and natural contexts in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. Two methods are used here to reconstruct the diet and distributions of prehistoric bison populations. The first method involves identifying the known distribution of bison in archaeological and natural settings in the study area through an analysis of archival documentation. Cultural chronologies based on archaeological associations have long been valuable in regional research, but can be imprecise and of insufficient resolution for constructing detailed sequences of prehistoric events. Therefore, to expand knowledge of the regional archaeological distribution of bison, this research utilized a total of 272 archaeological sites containing faunal remains. In addition, 291 calibrated radiocarbon dates were used to compile and analyze bison presence and absence through sum probability distributions and statistical analyses. The second method explores the paleoecology of bison through the use of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) stable isotopes analysis of bone collagen from 35 prehistoric bison specimens. Stable isotopes analysis helps to characterize bison distribution and ecology through reconstruction of bison dietary forage and is compared with paleoclimate data in order to identify trends in bison migration and population patterns. This study adds significant chronological information to the regional record of bison presence in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming and helps to correlate bison distribution patterns with the paleoclimate record.
Open Access
A rock and a hard place: exploring Fremont territoriality through the pinnacle architecture of Douglas Creek, Rio Blanco County, Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Bauer, Joshua A., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Van Buren, Mary, committee member; Orsi, Jared, committee member
Fremont occupations in northwestern Colorado's Douglas Creek have long captured the attention of travelers and archaeologists. Spanish explorers in the 18th century dubbed its canyon corridor "El Cañon Pintado", due to the impressive rock art peppered throughout. Researchers in the 20th century were captivated by the masonry architecture perched on pinnacle landforms in the area and some wagered that they may have served defensive purposes. This was a warranted premise, considering the known territorial tendencies of Fremont peoples in the Uinta Basin, and the social and environmental changes that occurred around the time of the pinnacle occupations from 1000–1550 CE. This thesis represents the first synthetic study of seven pinnacle structures in Douglas Creek and undertakes to determine whether they were indeed defensive in nature through three research themes. Examined first are the physical conditions associated with the pinnacle sites and finds that they are in naturally defensible settings, such as inconspicuous locations on the landscape and areas with steep slopes, dangerous cliffs, and protective blinds. Architectural components of the structures are then assessed to understand how much planning and effort went into their construction. The results show that the masonry construction attests to attention and care on behalf of the architects, although the structures are not always so meticulously built, perhaps signaling a lack of resources on their part. Finally, viewsheds of each pinnacle site are analyzed, and the results reveal that they provide commanding views of the canyon corridor, arable land, and some storage granaries (another form of masonry architecture attributed to the Fremont). These results suggest that the Douglas Creek Fremont were engaged in a mostly passive form of defensibility but retained the option to actively engage in conflicts. This thesis offers these foregoing insights about the territorial postures assumed by Douglas Creek Fremont during a time of socioeconomic stress stemming from drought, demographic shifts, and increased regional conflicts.
Open Access
Absolute and relative chronology of a complex alpine game drive site (5BL148), Rollins Pass, Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Meyer, Kelton A., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Glantz, Michelle M., committee member; Breidt, F. Jay, committee member
Native American alpine game drive sites are recognized along major mountain travel corridors in Colorado's Southern Rockies. The Rollins Pass project area, located east of Winter Park, represents the densest concentration of alpine game drive sites in North America. Game drives at Rollins Pass vary in terms of size, frequency and diversity of features and artifacts, but also landform context. Past game drive research at Rollins Pass and elsewhere in the Colorado Front Range demonstrates that hunter-gatherer groups reoccupied some sites for centuries and even millennia, creating an amalgamation of material culture over the course of time. However, chronological reconstructions in alpine environments are limited by poor preservation, lacking stratigraphy, and the ephemeral nature of hunter-gatherer occupations at high altitudes. This thesis considers an investigation of the largest game drive at Rollins Pass, 5BL148, with a focus on chronology reconstruction. A relative occupation span is provided with an analysis of chipped stone tools and jewelry. Lichenometry is used to determine the age of lichen colonization events on stone walls, and radiocarbon dates on faunal remains and charcoal are used as absolute chronological measures. A spatial analysis of the artifact and feature assemblage is further used to identify evidence for distinct or temporally overlapping occupation episodes. The results indicate that 5BL148 represents a palimpsest of hunter-gatherer occupations, beginning in the Early Archaic era and ending in the Protohistoric era.
Open Access
At the water's edge: an archaeological investigation of playa occupation in the Central Plains
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Matsuda, Marie, author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Henry, Edward, committee member; Payne, Sarah, committee member
Playa research on the American Great Plains has considerable potential to shed light on ancient hunter-gatherer lifeways and subsistence. These lacustrine environments provide a predictable water source and are ecological hubs for many species of mammals, waterfowl, and vegetation. The availability and abundance of resources create an environmental pull within the Plains that is ideal for ancient hunter-gatherer site choice in a region where resources are relatively scarce. This thesis provides an ecological and human behavioral approach to analyze the ancient history of mobile peoples by examining 18 archaeological playa site assemblages totaling 5,052 artifacts from the Central Plains. The lithic assemblages are placed within a geographic and environmental context, taking into consideration elements of site choice such as distance to playa, topographical location, and playa size. The data reveal that site selection includes many complex factors not always determined by resource acquisition or the surrounding environment. The results also illustrate regional differences in playa occupation, specifically that occupations in the South Platte River Basin are more diverse and continuous when compared to playas elsewhere in the Great Plains. The findings from this research casts light on overall hunter-gatherer lifeways and reveals the importance of playas to indigenous groups in the Central Plains over a 12,000-year history.
Open Access
Bringing it all back home: Early Ceramic period residential occupation at the Kinney Spring Site (5LR144c), Larimer County, Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Perlmutter, Benjamin, author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Van Buren, Mary, committee member; Fish Kashay, Jennifer, committee member
The Kinney Spring site (5LR144c) was excavated by the Colorado State University archaeological field school during the summers of 1983 through 1985. Rich cultural deposits were recovered which indicated reoccupation of the site from the Middle Archaic period through the Early Ceramic period, however the densest concentrations of artifacts were associated with Early Ceramic occupations (A.D. 150-1150). This research focuses on the Early Ceramic period at the site. The first part of this thesis aims to define the Late Prehistoric period chronology for the site by first defining where the Late Prehistoric component begins in the stratigraphic column. Analysis determined that there is sparse evidence for Middle Ceramic and possibly Protohistoric period occupation of the site based on diagnostic artifacts, although this is not sufficient to define any Middle Ceramic or Protohistoric components. The second part of this thesis explores the Early Ceramic component in greater detail. Artifact accumulations and radiocarbon dates suggest that Kinney Spring was reoccupied multiple times during the Early Ceramic period, suggesting that the site was an important part of the regional Early Ceramic era settlement system. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that occupational intensity increased here during the Early Ceramic, likely in response to increasing regional population pressure.
Open Access
Communal hunting in the Colorado high country: archaeological investigations of three game drive sites near Rollins Pass, Grand County, Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Whittenburg, Aaron M., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Van Buren, Mary, committee member; Boone, Randall, committee member
The pioneering efforts of James Benedict and Byron Olson demonstrated the importance of alpine communal game drives in the lives of prehistoric Native American populations living in northern Colorado. Their research resulted in numerous books and journal publications on alpine and sub-alpine sites from Rocky Mountain National Park southward to the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Unfortunately, their meticulous work on the spectacular sites at Rollins Pass remained unpublished. This thesis presents their data and additional data collected by the author, Jason LaBelle, and the Center for Mountain and Plains Archaeology at Colorado State University. This thesis is an archaeological investigation of three alpine game drive sites (5GA35, 5GA36, and 5GA37) and a nearby lithic scatter (5GA4268). As of September 2015, 80 hunting blinds, 1,935 meters of walls, and 15 cairns and two additional cairn lines have been recorded between the three game drives. Diagnostic projectile points demonstrate Late Archaic through Late Prehistoric use. The chipped stone debitage assemblage is representative of late-stage production or maintenance of stone tools and only a limited amount of initial reduction occurred on-site. Raw material types for the artifact assemblage are dominated by Middle Park sources, namely Troublesome Formation chert, indicating groups moved into the alpine zone from the intermountain basins from the west. Spatial analysis of blind morphology and density show that groups were constructing game drives in such a way as to maximize the number of hunters near areas of wall convergence in the kill zone, the most critical location of the game drive. The relationship between features and artifacts suggests that artifacts found within 20 meters of blinds are directly related to the hunt itself while artifacts found outside this range may relate to pre-hunt or post-hunt activities. Protein residue analysis suggests that elk and/or deer may have been a target species at these sites. Spatial analyses of the relationship of artifacts to features indicate a limited amount of post-hunt processing occurred in the kill zone, while blinds served critical roles throughout all phases of the hunt. 5GA4268 is interpreted as a specialized processing site associated with 5GA35. Use wear analysis indicates that scraping hide was the dominant activity at 5GA4268. This thesis illustrates the merit of applying spatial analyses to feature and artifact attributes to gain a more holistic interpretation of human behaviors associated with alpine communal hunting sites.
Open Access
Cooking with rock: an investigation of prehistoric hearth morphology in northern Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Troyer, Michael D., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Van Buren, Mary, committee member; Denning, Scott M., committee member; Flather, Curtis H., committee member
Hearths are a focal point for the organization of prehistoric hunter-gatherer activities, and can reveal a wealth of information regarding subsistence, settlement, chronology, and technology. However, despite the direct association with human behavior and the breadth of information these features offer the archaeologist, hearth morphology and the distribution of different feature types through time and space has largely been ignored. With this in mind, this research will address three main questions: are there temporal and spatial patterns to hearth morphology; are there spatial and temporal patterns in the material recovered from hearth features; and do changes in hearth morphology through time coincide with documented changes in paleoclimate, and other systemic changes in prehistoric culture? This study is focused on Boulder, Grand, Jackson, Larimer, and Weld counties of northern Colorado, and utilizes 190 radiocarbon dated hearth features, representing 72 individual archaeological sites. The features used in this study range in age from Paleoindian to Protohistoric, and are distributed across plains, foothills, montane, and subalpine/alpine environments. Collectively, this research seeks to better understand specific adaptive changes in past human culture, their causes and correlations, and how these changes in prehistoric culture are manifest in the distribution and morphology of hearth features in northern Colorado.
Open Access
Exploring the use and life of Mantle's Cave (5MF1) through spatial analysis
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Brooks, Erika Thiel, author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Van Buren, Mary, committee member; Payne, Sarah, committee member
Rediscovered in the early 1900s, the captivating artifacts from Mantle's Cave (5MF1) caught the attention of enthusiasts and archaeologists alike. Nestled above the banks of the Yampa River in Dinosaur National Monument, the alcove cave was used by the Fremont (A.D. 1-1350) peoples. The site's primary excavation was completed by Charles R. Scoggin and Edison P. Lohr from 1939-1940 who were employed by the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. Their work generated the primary interpretation of the site as a storage facility and has been supported by subsequent research. This thesis works with the collection and archives related to the work of the University of Colorado to reconstruct how Mantle's Cave was used. Using literature on the markers of habitation, storage, and ritual behavior, this project evaluated how and where these elements were present at the site. This project found several markers of activity beyond storage was present at the site. An assessment of temporal data from the site was another component of this project. The results of this project suggest that Mantle's Cave was a place that Fremont people and some earlier people frequented to store items and complete a variety of everyday tasks.
Open Access
Ground stone lithic technology of the Indian Peaks, Colorado, USA
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Pelton, Spencer R., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Leisz, Stephen, committee member; Stolhgren, Thomas, committee member
Ground stone tools are a long-noted aspect of pre-contact archaeological assemblages from the high elevations (2975-3666 meters asl) of the Colorado Front Range (CFR). The tools are present in small frequencies at around 40% of the sites thus far recorded, and are typically present as heavily fragmented grinding slab fragments procured many kilometers east and meters of relief lower than the study area and a combination of local and non-local handstones in a wide array of morphological configurations. Compared to their chipped stone counterparts, ground stone tools typically comprise a small percentage of archaeological assemblages, and have thus been reported in a largely cursory fashion. Though the ground stone assemblage from a single site is too small and perhaps too homogenous to inform large-scale questions, they take on increased interpretive potential when synthesized in aggregate and on a regional scale. Drawing from a distributional approach to archaeology and a technological approach to artifact analysis, the present study addresses the behavioral implications of ground stone tool presence in the high altitudes of the CFR by employing a three-tiered morphological, temporal, and spatial analysis. A technological analysis of ground stone tools (chapter 4) is centered upon answering two primary research questions catered towards understanding the function and technological organization of the high altitude ground stone toolkit. Firstly, the idea that handstones were technologically flexible in function is tested through comparison of the size of and diversity of modifications present on local and non-local handstones. It is determined that non-local handstones are significantly smaller in mass than local handstones, and were thereby chosen for inclusion into mobile toolkits on this basis. However, contrary to expectations of a flexible tool, non-local handstones contain less diversity of modifications than local handstones, suggesting that they were transported for some specialized purpose that local handstones could not fulfill. For netherstones, the idea that some were used as cooking stones is tested, given the assumption that thinner stones would function better for this task and would subsequently exhibit thermal alteration on a more frequent basis. This hypothesis is not proven, suggesting that thermal alteration of grinding slabs is not related to use as cooking stones, or that thickness is not related to grinding slabs' function as cooking stones. A temporal analysis (chapter 5) is conducted to test a prior model of high altitude land use that anticipates a greater diversity of ground stone tool forms will be present in assemblages of early Archaic age, during which residential use of the study area is proposed to have increased in response to climate change. It is determined that, though this period contains the greatest diversity of ground stone tool forms both in terms of handstone morphology and grinding slab thickness, that diversity is almost entirely a function of sample size. The implications of these results are discussed and several needs for future diachronic studies in the region are called for. Finally, a distributional analysis (chapter 6) of ground stone tool presence is undertaken in order to test current models of land use for the Colorado Front Range; the 'rotary' model expects a largely random distribution of ground stone tools and the 'up-down' model expects a largely patterned distribution. It is determined that there are significant differences in the presence of ground stone tools between major ecological zones, and that each zone is provisioned with different ground stone tools types in roughly the same manner. Further, this significant difference is directional, and patterned in terms of the diversity of edible plants located within each ecological zone. These results are interpreted to be most supportive of an 'up-down' model of prehistoric land use.
Open Access
How the past can be present for our future: archaeological interpretation for the public, the Lindenmeier Folsom site in northern Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Parks, Erin Margaret, author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Todd, Lawrence C., 1954-, committee member; Bright, Alan D., committee member
The Lindenmeier site is a significant Paleoindian prehistoric site located north of Fort Collins, Colorado in Larimer County. Lindenmeier was discovered in 1924 by Judge C.C. Coffin and later surveyed and excavated beginning in 1934 by Frank H.H. Roberts, Jr. and the Smithsonian Institution (Roberts 1936). The site uncovered thousands of lithic materials dating to the Folsom period that included 468 known Folsom projectile points (Ambler 1999; Gantt 2002; Wilmsen and Roberts 1978). The private ranch Lindenmeier is located on was purchased by the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program. Lindenmeier is now part of the Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and open to the public. Developing an appropriate cultural resource interpretation is essential because Lindenmeier is now open to the public. The opening of Lindenmeier created a necessary examination of other Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene interpretive sites within the Great Plains region. I examined six sites for this analysis: Lubbock Lake Landmark in Lubbock, Texas; Hudson-Meng near Crawford, Nebraska; the Mammoth site in Hot Springs, South Dakota; Blackwater Draw near Clovis, New Mexico; Pine Bluffs Windows on the Past Interpretive Center and Museum in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming; and Murray Springs near Sierra Vista, Arizona. Each of these six sites were visited and documented by examining three topics: archaeology, visitation, and public interpretation. Examination of archaeology at each site focused on the information visitors are receiving about the archaeological record and archaeological methods at the sites. The examination of archaeology provides a framework for public programs of the site. Second, visitation explores the type of people visiting the site, the reasons people are visiting, what types of facilities are offered to visitors, and site integrity and security. Examining visitation helps determine the logistics of management approach to the interpretation. Third, public interpretation analyzes how information is presented to visitors. Public interpretation includes educational materials such as brochures, interpretive panels, interpretive trails, and exhibits. Public interpretation also covers how the site is funded, associations with organizations, and how information is presented. The results of archaeology, visitation, and public interpretation analysis from the six sites are compared and contrasted. The results of that analysis are then used to make ideal recommendations for the cultural resource interpretation of Lindenmeier. Overall, examining interpretive sites dating to the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene period in the Great Plains region will provide the best model for Lindenmeier's interpretation.
Open Access
Long-term wildfire impacts on archaeological sites and survey, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Sinsky, Katherine A., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Pante, Michael C., committee member; Little, Ann M., committee member
This thesis evaluates the long-term effects of wildfire on the integrity and visibility of prehistoric surface sites. Covering roughly 38 million acres of the Western hemisphere, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests rely on fire as a critical and defining element of these ecosystems, but climate change and poor land management have altered forest conditions and allowed severe crown fires to destroy forests that were previously characterized by milder ground fires (Rockman 2015; Westerling et al. 2014; Yue et al. 2013). Today's high severity wildfires result in major ecological changes and are unprecedented in their suppression costs, property losses, and loss of life. Wildfire is a powerful but often overlooked archaeological site formation process, and knowing its effects is critical to understand the character of survey inventories and surface sites in burned areas (Schiffer 1983). Two primary research questions guide this study: in what ways and to what degree do post-fire ecological changes impact prehistoric site integrity, and what are the implications for archaeological data collection and interpretation. Archaeological site data collected at different times in relation to a high-severity 2002 wildfire are evaluated to identify measurable impacts, including PR1 (previously recorded, pre-fire) and PR2 (relocated, post-fire) records of the same fifty (50) sites, and data from newly identified (n=40) and non-relocated sites (n=22). Results show that long-term wildfire effects altered the surface expressions of all prehistoric sites identified in the 1,500-acre study area in 2018 (n=90). Comparative analyses of site data reveal significant changes in both assemblage content (artifacts and features) and site area (m2) in relocated sites. Implications for cultural resource management in fire-prone and burned areas are discussed.
Open Access
Measuring occupation span at two stone circle sites in Larimer County, Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Meeker, Halston F.C., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Pante, Michael, committee member; Jacobi, Tobi, committee member
Stone circle sites are notorious for low artifact frequencies. This deters archaeological study because low artifact frequencies are thought to limit research potential. Two stone circle sites, Killdeer Canyon (5LR289) and T-W Diamond (5LR200) offer insight into short-term habitations, despite their low artifact frequencies. The two sites are located in northern Colorado, in the hogback zone along the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains. The Colorado State University field school excavated the sites in 1982 and 1971 respectively. Artifacts from the interior of the features include lithic tools and debris, bone, and ceramics. This thesis examines each artifact class from excavated context as a proxy for understanding the length and number of occupations. Local and non-local chipped stone ratios, faunal procurement and processing strategies, and petrographic analysis are used to address how long and how many times each site was occupied. New radiocarbon dates show contemporaneity between rings at each site, dating Killdeer Canyon to the late A.D. 1600s and T-W Diamond to the late A.D. 1200s. These data demonstrate the ephemerality of the two sites but highlight potential differences in site use. While Killdeer Canyon likely represents a small group passing through an area, T-W Diamond could represent a larger group congregation, perhaps for hunting purposes. Furthermore, this thesis attests to the merit of using multiple lines of evidence to compensate for small sample sizes.
Open Access
Methods of dating glass beads from protohistoric sites in the South Platte River Basin, Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) von Wedell, Christopher R., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Van Buren, Mary, committee member; Zahran, Sammy J., committee member
Morphological characteristics and chemical trace elements counts acquired using Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry analyses were documented for glass trade beads from 24 protohistoric archaeological assemblages in the South Platte River Basin. The resulting database was used to provide quantitative descriptions of each recorded assemblage and to characterize the types of glass beads currently reported in the region. Statistical analyses were then conducted to determine if and to what extent morphological and chemical traits change through time. Characteristics of beads in dated contexts were then used to develop a linear regression model in an attempt to determine if it is possible to estimate the age of beads from undated contexts. It is concluded that morphological and chemical characteristics of glass beads in dated contexts can be used to estimate the age of glass beads in undated contexts using linear regression. The results of this thesis demonstrate that morphological characteristics are currently more accurate and precise than chemistry although both methods hold potential for revision and improvement as more dated sites become available to supplement the statistical models.
Open Access
Passing through or journey's end? A chronological analysis of projectile point curation and discard at Rollins Pass, northern Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Dinkel, Michelle A., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Glantz, Michelle M., committee member; Jacobi, Tobi, committee member
Rollins Pass is an intermountain travel corridor situated along the Continental Divide that connects the Western Slope and the Front Range of Colorado. This high-altitude pass is located at the intersection of Gilpin, Boulder, and Grand counties, and is notable because it contains the highest density of pre-contact Native American alpine game drives in North America. While the game-drive features represent one aspect of prehistoric use, 17 sites, four small sites, and five isolated finds provide an opportunity to explore a different facet of the prehistoric use of Rollins Pass. Investigations at these surface sites and isolates produced a total of 91 projectile points. Past research conducted at high altitudes in northern Colorado suggests prehistoric use spans from the Paleoindian to the Protohistoric period. However, chronological reconstruction is challenging in alpine settings due to poor preservation, shallow stratigraphy, and short occupation spans by hunter-gatherer groups. Due to this complication, researchers often rely on typology or index fossils, such as projectile points, to assign age to surface sites. While the analysis of other chipped stone data can provide information on-site use and occupation span, it is frequently complicated by the occurrence of multicomponent or palimpsest sites. This thesis aims to examine the prehistoric use of Rollins Pass through the analysis of projectile points -- a functional tool type -- to establish chronology, lithic raw material use, and curation intensity. The results suggest an occupation beginning in the Late Paleoindian period and extending to at least the Middle Ceramic era (10,000 - 410 BP). Lithic raw materials identified suggest consistent acquisition of both local and non-local toolstone, across all periods represented. Curation patterns demonstrate a willingness to discard high utility portions of tools, with many projectile points discarded despite a potential to rejuvenate their forms and indicating a lack of raw material conservation. Projectile point analysis of Rollins Pass sites and isolates suggest that prehistoric hunter-gatherer populations interacted with the pass as a destination and to lesser extent as an intermountain travel corridor.
Open Access
Running of the buffalo: investigations of the Roberts Ranch Buffalo Jump (5LR100), northern Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Johnston, Christopher M., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Pante, Michael C., committee member; Knight, Richard L., committee member
Since the Roberts Ranch Buffalo Jump (5LR100) was first reported on in 1971, there has been a great deal of research on bison kills and faunal analysis, as well as advancements in analytic techniques, that can now be applied to the collection from the site. Much of the collection was reported in a thesis by Max Witkind in 1971; however, some of these data are being presented here for the first time. The site is dated to approximately between A.D. 1660-1750 and consists of the remains of at minimum 19 bison adult and sub-adult bison, as well as at minimum eight fetal bison. This thesis examines the collection from three different perspectives. It starts by analyzing the non-bone artifact assemblage, which includes different styles of arrow points, at least two different ceramic traditions, and a modified bone assemblage. These data show that much of the past site activities focused on butchery and processing of bison, but other activities were also carried out at the site. The next section utilizes faunal analysis methods not yet developed when the site was first reported to explore the bison assemblage in more detail. This analysis shows some non-cultural impacts to the collection, but largely documents that the bonebed is the result of human butchery and processing decisions. These two data sets are then analyzed spatially. The results show patterned clusters of artifacts around the main bone concentrations, offering new insights on how to incorporate a site structure approach at mass kill sites. Lastly, this thesis illustrates the value of applying new methods to older archaeological collections.
Open Access
The prehistoric utilization of mollusc shell in the Arkansas and South Platte River basins of eastern Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Calhoun, Emily Lauron, author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Todd, Lawrence C., 1954-, committee member; Wohl, Ellen E., 1962-, committee member
This comprehensive examination of prehistoric mollusc artifacts from the Arkansas and South Platte River basins of Eastern Colorado explores how material cultural is inherently linked to environmental conditions and cultural influences. These connections are explored via an in-depth investigation of form, function, and use through time of mollusc artifacts, the results of which are used to formulate the basis of two subsequent environmental and cultural investigations. The first uses the biological parameters required to support freshwater mollusc populations, based on the freshwater artifacts within the study assemblage, to argue that environmental conditions in the Eastern Colorado study area were most favorable for molluscs during the Late Holocene. The second examines the origins and mechanisms by which marine artifacts from the study assemblage entered the Arkansas and South Platte Basins and concludes that artifacts were primarily acquired via trade and exchange with peoples of the Southwest. This examination also argues that increasing cultural connectivity and interaction culminating during the Late Prehistoric would have allowed for various exotic marine artifacts to enter Eastern Colorado. The overarching conclusion of this study is that mollusc artifacts are used as items of personal adornment and are predominantly recovered from archaeological sites dating to the Late Prehistoric in Eastern Colorado. Additionally, this temporal affiliation is directly dependent on a variety of environmental and cultural influences. The results and arguments formulated within this study provide a baseline for future in-depth examinations of mollusc artifacts in Eastern Colorado.
Open Access
The Protohistoric period in northcentral Colorado: analysis of the Lykins Valley Site (5LR263)
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2008) Newton, Cody Collins, author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor
The Lykins Valley Site (5LR263) is a Protohistoric-aged site that contains both items of European manufacture and items such as stone tools associated with precontact indigenous technology. The site is a small group campsite occupied in a single event or multiple annual events possibly by a Cheyenne or Comanche group. Temporal analysis of the site indicates that the site was occupied shortly after A.D. 1800. This analysis of the Lykins Valley site is used as a stepping-off point to address larger questions about native acceptance of European technologies, the degree to which the western-central Great Plains were actually impacted by European intrusion and site types of the Protohistoric Period. This study finds that the region including Lykins Valley was not greatly affected by direct European contact until after the beginning of the 1800's, coinciding with the fur trade era. The Protohistoric occupation of 5LR263 exemplifies a native group that was fully equestrian, had somewhat integrated European technology into their culture via trade good acquisition, but was still reliant on pre-contact technology.
Open Access
There and back again in the Rawah Wilderness: reoccupation at high elevations in the Medicine Bow Mountains, Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Buckner, Paul H., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Van Buren, Mary, committee member; Carr Childers, Leisl, committee member
This thesis considers the role of reoccupation and persistent use of place in broader systems of high elevation landscape use in the Southern Rocky Mountains. With a geographic focus on the Medicine Bow Mountains of northern Colorado, the study identifies substantive patterns in the assemblage composition, landscape distribution, and surface structure of sites exhibiting evidence of high reoccupation intensity. Following a laboratory analysis of 2,372 artifacts from 30 sites, as well as high resolution mapping of surface artifact distributions in the field, the study identifies several trends with significant potential for clarifying understandings of the precontact utilization of these landscapes. First, a substantial range of reoccupation intensity exists in the surface record of the Medicine Bow Mountains. Second, sites with evidence of preferential reoccupation exhibit significant variability in their assemblage composition, likely reflecting the diverse range of functional activities and transhumance systems associated with their use through time. Third, spatioenvironmental modeling of reoccupation at the landscape scale suggests high elevation contexts, particularly the timberline ecotone, were a focal point of persistent reuse in the study area. Fourth, the surface record of persistently reused places constitutes a palimpsest of time-averaged deposits from many discrete occupations. Analysis of the spatial character and composition of these deposits informs broader understandings of the structure of these sites and the reconstruction of their long-term use through time. These results reinforce the archaeological significance of the Medicine Bow Mountains for clarifying larger patterns in the indigenous use of high elevations in Colorado.
Open Access
Unbelievably deep: a chronological assessment of the Hells Midden site (5MF16), Castle Park, Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Little, Spencer T., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Van Buren, Mary, committee member; Cooperman, Matthew, committee member
During the 1940s, the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History conducted archaeological investigations of sites in the Castle Park region of the Yampa River. One of these sites, Hells Midden, was recognized early in this work as a significant site for the depth of deposits and their ability to provide a sequence of occupation within this region of the Yampa Canyon where many Fremont sites had been recently described. The cultural stratigraphy at this site, exceeding four meters in depth, was expected to provide a chronological sequence which could be used for relative dating of other sites in the region. Intensive excavation of the site in 1948 and '49, and smaller excavations in 1940 and '47, revealed an intact stratigraphic sequence at the site with relatively high densities of material deposits. Despite recognition of the site's potential, little work has been done with the assemblage since the initial curation and reporting. This thesis summarizes the results of a reanalysis of the Hells Midden assemblage. Research goals for this project were derived from questions the initial archaeologists had about these deposits: how old are they?, and how did settlement strategy expressed at the site change through time? The results of thirteen radiocarbon dates of the assemblage show a deep sequence of occupation, beginning intensively in the early Middle Archaic era (from a depth of 350 cmbs) and continuing through the Fremont occupations; an absence of dates was noted for the Late Archaic era despite contiguity of the stratigraphy. Fremont occupations were shown to agree with the sequence secured through previous radiometric work at nearby sites. For the second question, a comparison of the assemblage collected from each excavated context in 1948 and '49 was conducted by ranking multiple quantifiable metrics derived from artifactual analysis. These data, when compared with notes of the excavators and description of features through much of the site's vertical extent, suggest a relatively intensive use of this site throughout the period represented by the radiocarbon sequence, with a marked increase in the sedentism expressed by inhabitants during the Formative era Fremont occupations. The sum of these results offers insight into the Hells Midden site which makes it ripe for comparison to the regional archaeological record.

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