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9. Prehistoric Settlement Patterns on the High Plains of Western Nebraska and the Use of Geographic Information Systems for Landscape Analyses
- University Press of Colorado
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237 The aim of This chapTer is to explore variability in prehistoric settlement patterns in the southern panhandle region of western Nebraska (Figures 9.1, 9.2). This area, which borders Wyoming and Colorado, is often referred to as the tri-state region. The unique landscape contributes to a broad diversity of environmental resources, which enabled one of the highest concentrations of archaeological sites on the High Plains. Environmental resources and prehistoric settlement patterns across this region are assessed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and predictive modeling techniques. New archaeological site and settlement data also yield important information for interpreting site location patterning across a unique environmental and cultural landscape. In this chapter I first describe the physiographic region and summarize past archaeological investigations and findings in and near the southern panhandle. n i n e Michael R. Peterson Prehistoric Settlement Patterns on the High Plains of Western Nebraska and the Use of Geographic Information Systems for Landscape Analyses M ic h ael R. P ete Rs on 238 Next, I present methods for constructing environmental predictor variables, or the GIS layers used to analyze settlement patterns, along with new and established GIS predictive modeling techniques. Last, I examine settlement patterns of Paleoindian, Archaic, Late Prehistoric, and Late Plains Indian cultures across three physiographic zones in the western Nebraska study area (Figure 9.3), FIGUre 9.1. Map of the High Plains, highlighting the study area in this chapter. Illustration by Kevin Gilmore. [54.224.52.210] Project MUSE (2024-03-30 09:23 GMT) Prehistoric Settlement Patterns on the High Plains of Western Nebraska 239 emphasizing the use of upland butte zones (one of three physiographic regions of interest). HIGH PLAINS oF WeSterN NebrASkA The study area is located in western Nebraska, approximately 113 km (70 miles) east of the Rocky Mountains in the central United States (Figure 9.1). It is centered on Lodgepole Creek, an east-west–extending drainage system situated between two major hydrographic systems (the North Platte and South Platte River systems) (Figure 9.2). The main geologic landform in western Nebraska, northern Colorado, and eastern Wyoming is the Cheyenne Table (McMillan, Angevine, and Heller 2002). The Cheyenne Table is mainly a Tertiary landform predominantly composed of limestone and sandstone, overlain by Quaternary sands, gravels, and other sediments. It is highest at its westernmost extent near the base of the eastern slopes of the Laramie Range. Its lowest elevation is near the confluence of the South Platte and North Platte rivers. The eastern portion of the Cheyenne FIGUre 9.2. High Plains of western Nebraska general study area and Cheyenne Table. M ic h ael R. P ete Rs on 240 Table is primarily bounded by steep slopes, exposed limestone cliffs, and in some areas woodland-covered scarps. The eastern portion of the Cheyenne Table represents about 70 percent of the approximately 2 million acres in the study area. The study area is characterized by a high frequency of previously undocumented archaeological sites distributed across a landscape that contains unique topographic, geologic, hydrologic, and ecological features. Distinct features of this landscape include prominent buttes, limestone scarps, Quaternary gravel beds, and hundreds of playas distributed across the Tablelands. This landscape is also important because of its position along a major North American waterfowl migration route (Skagen and Knopf 1993), facilitated in part by one of the highest concentrations of playas in the United States—second only to the southern Great Plains (L. Smith 2003). Physiographic Zones The Cheyenne Table contains three important and environmentally distinct physiographic zones: (1) an upland butte zone, (2) a woodland scarp FIGUre 9.3. Three physiographic zones in the study area. FIGUre 9.4. Playas in upland zone utilized in August after late July thunderstorms. FIGUre 9.5. View of woodland zone in the Rocky Hollow. M ic h ael R. P ete Rs on 242 zone, and (3) a creek zone. Figures 9.4, 9.5, and 9.6 illustrate these physiographic provinces. Each zone has considerable differences in geology, hydrology, and ecological features, which in turn affected the settlement, subsistence, mobility , and technological organization of prehistoric people. The first major physiographic zone includes the upland buttes.The upland butte zone is dominated by isolated limestone buttes, hills, ridges, and sinks that collect water, creating seasonal lakes or playas. These remnant Miocene geologic features were created in part by deposition and erosion during the Pliocene and Pleistocene periods.The buttes, hills, and ridges distributed across the Cheyenne Table (Figure 9...