Analysis of a short-term Folsom occupation of Block H, Mountaineer Site, Gunnison, Colorado

Suzanne N. HuffmanAnthropology Student, Western State Colorado University

suzanne.huffman@western.edu

Artifact CountsDebitage Count: 528• 52% Chert• 48% Quartzite

Flake Analysis• 30% Platform• 10% Complete Flake• 7% Cortex• 53% Unknown Fragment

Average weight: 0.07gm

Site LandscapeThe Mountaineer site is located on top of Tenderfoot Mountain, roughly 2630km (8600ft) above sea level. The surface is covered by shallow eolian deposits welded tuff, and exposed bedrock (Stiger 2006).

SummaryThe remains of a structure were discovered in Block H, with an artifact assemblage unlike other Folsom houses at Mountaineer site, Gunnison, CO. All prehistoric material in Block H is related to the short occupation of a Folsom age structure. The low number of artifacts recovered suggest that Block H was a short-term occupation, with residents bringing their raw material to the site from outside the area. Local sources of chert are rare and high quality sources are over 10km away from Tenderfoot Mountain (Stiger 2006).

FeatureIn the center of the surface artifact concentration, the first 10cm level excavation revealed a dark stain. This stain is thought to be the remnants of a prehistoric hearth.

StructureAerial photography and plotting mapped rock’s showed a rough circular area mostly devoid of rocks, about 3m in diameter centered around the hearth.

Debitage DistributionDebitage counts are highest in the NE corner of block 431N 532E, west of the hearth. These concentrations are most likely from tool retouching, due to the low percentage of cortex and low average flake weight of 0.07gm.

Bone Fragment DistributionBone fragments are concentrated inside the structure. The highest concentrations of bone is immediately north of the hearth, and mostly on the eastern side of the hearth.

Position MapBy comparing the bone and debitage counts using Dr. Mark Stiger’s 2016 Position Model (Stiger 2016), four positions inside the structure appear to be repeatedly used. Also, two main positions contain higher material counts than others, which seem to be designated for separate tasks. The west side of the structure was for tool retouching and the east side for food processing.

Chert and quartzite tool fragments recovered from inside the structure.

Tools recovered from the structure. (left sandstone rock, right quartzite scrapper).

3-D printed replica of elk occipital condyle discovered in the structure. Original bone fragment was processed for radiocarbon dating. The process demonstrated that the elk bone was too poorly preserved to be dated.Small bone fragment which appears to be worked that was recovered from inside the structure.

The majority of debitage recovered from the structure is Chert (52%). This is rare compared to other Folsom are assemblages at the site, which are over 98% quartzite (Stiger 2015). Quartzite is abundant in the Gunnison Basin, there are large outcroppings and cobble deposits within 1km of the site (Stiger 2006).

Works CitedStiger, Mark. 2006. "A Folsom Structure in the Colorado

Mountains." American Antiquity 71, no. 2 321-351.

—. 2016. "Block F." Gunnison: unpublished, March 30.

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