The Allen Site: A Paleoindian Camp in Southwestern Nebraska

Table of Contents

CONTENTS List of Figures / vii List of Tables / xii Acknowledgments / xv chapter 1: Introduction (Douglas B. Bamforth) / 1 Chapter 2: Previous Paleoindian Research at Medicine Creek (E. Mott Davis) / 9 Chapter 3: Landforms, Alluvial Stratigraphy, and Radiocarbon Chronology at Selected Paleoindian Sites around Medicine Creek Reservoir (David May) / 17 Chapter 4: Cultural and Paleoenvironmental Implications of Freshwater Mussels from the Allen Site (Robert E. Warren) / 47 Chapter 5: Growth Increment Analysis of Freshwater Mussel Shell from the Allen Site (James C. Chatters) / 69 Chapter 6: Paleoenvironmental Interpretations of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene in Southwestern Nebraska: The Pollen and Phytolith Evidence (Linda Scott Cummings, Thomas E. Moutoux, and Reid A. Bryson) / 77 Chapter 7: Early Holocene Vegetation of the Central Great Plains Based on Paleobotanical and Paleoethnobotanical Remains from the Medicine Creek Area (L. Anthony Zalucha) / 98 Chapter 8: Archaeology of the Allen Site: Introduction, Fieldwork, and Provenience Data (Douglas B. Bamforth) / 109 Chapter 9: Spatial Structure and Refitting of the Allen Site Lithic Assemblage (Douglas B. Bamforth and Mark Becker) / 123 Chapter 10: The Allen Site Lithic Assemblage (Douglas B. Bamforth and Mark Becker) / 148 v i / Contents Chapter 11: Other Archaeological Evidence (Douglas B. Bamforth) / 184 Chapter 12: Faunal Evidence for Subsistence and Settlement Patterns at the Allen Site (Jean Hudson) / 194 Chapter 13: Synthesis: Paleoindian Occupation of the Allen Site (Douglas B. Bamforth) / 227 Chapter 14: Beyond Medicine Creek: The Allen Site and Plains Paleoindian-Period Ways of Life (Douglas B. Bamforth) / 245 References Cited / 259 Contributors / 279 Index / 281 vii LIST OF FIGURES 1.1: Locations of the Medicine Creek Paleoindian sites. / 7 3.1: Map of sites around Medicine Creek reservoir referred to in the text. / 17 3.2: Map of spatial extent of Terrace 2 (shaded areas) in Medicine Creek Valley in the vicinity of Medicine Creek reservoir. / 18 3.3: Three stratigraphic sections at the Allen site (25FT50) with the provenience and conventional radiocarbon ages of three charcoal samples shown. / 25 3.4: Lime Creek site (25FT41) stratigraphic section. / 26 3.5: Results of laboratory analyses of samples from the lower 3.7 m of Lime Creek Core 3. / 29 3.6: Complete Lime Creek site (25FT41) stratigraphic section drawn to scale. / 31 3.7: Red Smoke site (25FT42) stratigraphic section. / 32 3.8: Medicine Creek cutbank as viewed toward the southeast from the creek. / 37 3.9: Lower 2 m of alluvium exposed at the base of the Medicine Creek cutbank. / 40 3.10: Stafford site cutbank along Lime Creek above Medicine Creek reservoir. / 41 3.11: Stafford site cutbank between depths of approximately 220 and 640 cm. / 43 4.1: Map of the Medicine Creek Dam locality in southwest Nebraska. / 48 4.2: Freshwater mussels from the Allen site (medial views). / 50 4.3: Shell scraping tool from the Intermediate Zone at the Allen site. / 54 4.4: Zoogeographic distributions of six mussel species represented at the Allen site. / 58 4.5: Long-term decline of the pondhorn mussel (Uniomerus tetralasmus) and rise of the mapleleaf mussel (Quadrula quadrula) in archaeological assemblages from the Medicine Creek Dam locality. / 61 4.6: Habitat scores of freshwater mussel assemblages from three archaeological sites in the Central Plains. / 62 4.7: Model of Late Pleistocene and Holocene landscape history of the Medicine Creek Valley. / 64 5.1: Posterior end of the resilial tuberosity of specimen 1215-47, Quadrula quadrula. / 70 5.2: Annual growth pattern of freshwater mussels. / 71 5.3: Growth indices from the Allen site mussels compared with control samples of Margaritifera falcata and Anodonta berigiana. / 74 viii / List of Figures 5.4: Graph of growth indices from the Allen site compared with the combined indices from Margaritifera falcata. / 74 5.5: Graphic representation of cumulative growth in specimens of Ligumia recta and Quadrula quadrula. / 74 5.6: Graphic representation of cumulative growth in specimens of Lampsilis siliquoidea and Ligumia recta from the Allen site. / 74 5.7: Graphic representation of cumulative growth in specimens of Uniomerus tetralasmus. / 75 6.1: Pollen from the Medicine Creek cutbank and Lime Creek sites. / 83 6.2: Phytoliths from the Medicine Creek cutbank and Lime Creek sites. / 84 6.3: Pollen from the Red Smoke and Stafford sites. / 87 6.4: Phytoliths from the Red Smoke and Stafford sites. / 89 6.5: Modeled temperature history for McCook, Nebraska, 14,000 RCYBP to present. / 91 6.6: Modeled precipitation history for Cambridge, Nebraska...