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(>. .. >~ 1 II!.~ OD2137 Archaeological and Paleontological Evaluation of Brown's Park Segment of the Yampa!Green Rivers for the Wild and Scenic Rivers Study 1976 By: Bruce Rippeteau, PhD State Archaeologist Colorado Pioneer Hall University of Denver Denver, Colorado 80210 The Archaeological potential of the Brown's Park segment is considerable due to: (1) adjacent archaeological studies which have documented literally hundreds of sites, (2) the topographically favorable nature consisting of flat lying bottomlahd soils suitable both for (a) habitation and for (b) horticulture, (3) a riparian- like vege~ation i~ersed with swamp ponds (apparently these are also prehistorlc for a time depth of at least several thousand years) that supported much wild game such as both large and small (a) _mammals and (b) birds (not to mention the (c) fish of the river), and (4) the bottomlands themselves have obviously been subject to repeated flood- ing and general deposition and such stratified floodplain archaeolog:i- cal sites are among the very most powerful of data traps. KNOWN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA The known archaeological material is minimal; largely this is because of the complete lack of intensive, systematic survey. Known data is derived from (1) "Archaeological excavations in Dinosaur National Monument Colorado-Utah, 1963-64; and 1964-65", edited by my colleague, D. Breternitz (and the odd 40 references of earlier perti- nent work therein cited; this particular work builds of course, on such earlier research as C. Scoggin's, 1939-40, University of Colorado Mutseum Expedition to Dinosaur National Monument), (2) recent (1975-76) reconnaissance by the National Park Service under L. Loendorf, et alii, especially to study the archaeological Fort Davy Crockett, and (3) my own observations while accompanying the Wild and Scenic River e.valuationteam on the 7th and 8th of July, 1976. (This study area, the Brown I s Park segment, the one herein discussed, runs from the Swallow Canyon boat-ramp to the Gates of Lodore ramp). / (1) Breternitz's project demonstrates about 300 prehistoRic sites immediately to the south and covering the entire time period known for man in the New World. Basically, the archaeological se- quence reflects developments allied with the Great Basin Culture Area to the west, with occasional strong inputs from the Northwest Great Plains Culture Area. Of very great interest is that this Brown's Park area is the most N.E.-known extension of the later prehistoric Fremont Culture of villages (the first developed by aboriginal Americans in this area)based upon horticulture. It is generally recognized by Colorado, Wyoming and Utah scholars that this prehistoric cultural boundary is of the greatest anthropological interest.