9510

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9510
• Author: Jones, A. T.
• Title: A Cross Section of Grand Canyon Archeology
• USFW Year: 1986.
• USFW - Doc Type: Excavations at Five Sites Along the Colorado River.
• Copyright Material: NO

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1955; Schroedl 1977; Schwartz, LaMe and deSaussure 1958). Small
surveys in Shinumo and Nankoweap canyons by Schwartz (1960, 1963)
preceded hi s 1 arge 4.,year project invol ving work on Unkar Creek
(Schwartz, Chapman, and Kepp 1980), and excavation of a small pueblo on
Bright Angel Creek (Schwartz, t1arshall, and Kepp 1979). Besides his
Esplanade survey, Euler (1967, 1971, 1974, 1979) made numerous trips
into the canyon to record and study the archeological remains. Under
the auspices of the Southwestern Anthropological Research Group (SARG),
Euler and Chandler (1978) began to quantify site locations in respect to
environmental variables. Brook and Pilles (1974) surveyed along the
main trail s.
The works ci ted above have all contributed to our understanding of
Grand Canyon prehistory. The list is not exhaustive, but is presented
to give the reader an idea of the archeological background to the
present report.

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Cul ture Hi story

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In 1933, the earl i est evi dence of man at the Grand Canyon was
discovered in Luka Cave, high in the Redwall Limestone above Clear
Creek. There, as documented in six other similar caves throughout the
canyon, numerous spl it.,twig figurines were placed in caches (Euler 1984;
Euler and Olson 1965; Farmer and deSaussure 1955; Schroedl 1977).
Radiocarbon dates for these ,range between 2668 B.C. and 1382 B.C. (The
publ i shed dates (Schroedl 1977: 256] were reca1 cul ated based on tree.,ri n9
calibrations (Klein, Lerman, Damon and Ralph 1982]). The caves were not
used for campsites, but lithic artifacts of the Amargosa II.,Pinto Basin
period of the Desert Cul ture found at Red Butte on the South Rim are
roughly equivalent in age (McNutt and Euler 1966). Projectile points
indicative of Archaic occupation were found during survey in the area of
the western North Ri m from Kanab to Andrus Canyon (Teague and McC1 ell an
1978). These artifacts were assigned to the Western Archaic tradition
(lrwin.,Williams 1967, 1979). In 1973, one isolated Pinto point was
found just below the South Rim (Euler 1983). In this report the first
evidence of Late Archaic campsites below the canyon rims is presented.
For these early residents, hunting and the gathering of wild plant foods

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