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Data Recovery at the Donner Site
Yellowstone National Park » Data Recovery at the Donner Site » Document List
We anticipate carrying out archeological excavations at the Donner site (48YE252) on Yellowstone Lake. (1) The proposed work is urgently needed because the site is eroding. (2) This is the most important site (out of more than 100 other sites) identified during the recent inventory of part of the Yellowstone lakeshore. (3) The site is important because it represents three different cultures/time periods who utilized the same location and for documenting contacts between Yellowstone and Grand Teton as demonstrated through obsidian tool sourcing.
This site contains the richest cultural deposits in the park (found so far) with exceptional research potential but is being lost through wave action. To date all we have been able to do is salvage artifacts from the beach and to carry out some obsidian source analysis of tools. Archeologists study artifacts in three dimensions: space, time, and culture. In this site (space), the diagnostic artifacts show a temporal range of 4,000 B.C. to A.D. 1200 (time) and represent three or more different peoples (culture). We would excavate a portion of the cultural deposits and distinguish the activities of these different groups. The stone sources of the artifacts would identify where these people had been before they came to the Donner site, and then we would compare the activities of the different cultural groups. Finally, comparison with the Osprey Beach site would provide a contrast with people (~9,400 B.C.) who came to the park during completely different environmental conditions. Also, because we know a number of the obsidian artifacts came from sources in Jackson Hole and adjacent southeastern Idaho, this project also has great potential to increase our understanding of prehistoric travel and contacts with Grand Teton NP/Jackson Hole, and adjacent areas of Idaho.
We will be consulting with Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office regarding the data recovery plan. We anticipate salvage of this site would take place during late July/August, 2008. Analysis and writing would then occur with the final report due in 2009.
Any public comments should be sent to Dr. Ann Johnson by March 2, 2008.
Archeologist
Yellowstone National Park
P.O. Box 168
Mammoth Hot springs, Wyo. 82190
This site contains the richest cultural deposits in the park (found so far) with exceptional research potential but is being lost through wave action. To date all we have been able to do is salvage artifacts from the beach and to carry out some obsidian source analysis of tools. Archeologists study artifacts in three dimensions: space, time, and culture. In this site (space), the diagnostic artifacts show a temporal range of 4,000 B.C. to A.D. 1200 (time) and represent three or more different peoples (culture). We would excavate a portion of the cultural deposits and distinguish the activities of these different groups. The stone sources of the artifacts would identify where these people had been before they came to the Donner site, and then we would compare the activities of the different cultural groups. Finally, comparison with the Osprey Beach site would provide a contrast with people (~9,400 B.C.) who came to the park during completely different environmental conditions. Also, because we know a number of the obsidian artifacts came from sources in Jackson Hole and adjacent southeastern Idaho, this project also has great potential to increase our understanding of prehistoric travel and contacts with Grand Teton NP/Jackson Hole, and adjacent areas of Idaho.
We will be consulting with Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office regarding the data recovery plan. We anticipate salvage of this site would take place during late July/August, 2008. Analysis and writing would then occur with the final report due in 2009.
Any public comments should be sent to Dr. Ann Johnson by March 2, 2008.
Contact Information
Dr. Ann JohnsonArcheologist
Yellowstone National Park
P.O. Box 168
Mammoth Hot springs, Wyo. 82190