Kill, Camp, and Repeat: Return to the Lindenmeier Folsom Site, Colorado

Ancient Folsom hunter-gatherers of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains are often interpreted as bison hunters, constantly in pursuit of game. As such, there is little expectation for the repetitive use of specific places due to the mobile nature of bison. However, large sites such as Lindenmeier (5LR13) in northern Colorado suggest alternative land use scenarios. The extensive size of the site, the presence of nine to twelve clusters of Folsom artifacts, and the recovery of rare objects such as bone needles and beads, suggest the site was repeatedly occupied for reasons beyond bison hunting alone. Past interpretations vary on site use, ranging from a single aggregated occupation to instead many occupations spread over the centuries of Folsom presence within the region. Fieldwork at the Eastern Locality clarifies aspects of this spectrum for this area of Lindenmeier, where our work suggests a contemporaneous bison kill and associated camp. This occupation, spatially distinct from other occupations at the site, indicates Lindenmeier is a product of multiple bison kills and associated camps of other broader functions.