Laserfiche WebLink
• Archaic Tradition <br />The appearance of the Archaic Tradition reflects a shift in the availability of Food <br />resources caused by climatic changes at the end of the Pleistocene epoch. This shift is <br />apparently responsible for a transition from a hunting/mobile subsistence pattern to a hunting- <br />gatltering/semi-sedentary (or sedentary) one. In Colorado's central mountains, the <br />disappearance of the Codv Complex (Middle Paleolndian period) is followed by a distinct <br />Archaic Lifeway that may have developed iii sin[, as small scale immigration from adjacent <br />areas, or as long-distance immigration (Black 1986:201). Black refers to this as the <br />[Archaic] Mountain Tradition. Three periods have been outlined for the Archaic Tradition <br />and diagnostic point types have been identified. The Carly Archaic period dates between <br />6000 to 3000 Q.C.; N(ount r~lbion Complex points and Gatecli('f Split-stem points are <br />associated with [Iris period. The Middle Archaic period dating from about 3000 to 500 B.C. <br />has a variety of large side- and corner-notched points, and the lanceolate-style McKean <br />Complex and Flumbolt Concave types (many of these exhibit grinding along the stem). The <br />Late Archaic period dates from about 1000 B.C. to A. D. 500. A deeply corner-notched <br />point called Pelican Lake is characteristic of this period as are the large contracting stem <br />points that are jointly called Gateclif~Contracting Stem types. <br />Important in understanding of the Archaic Tradition in the western mountain region <br />• of Colorado, is that it exploited three climatic zones: the cool desert, the temperate, and the <br />boreal. Because of these cooler climattc conditions, aboriginal peoples living in the area <br />would be required to be collectors--organizing food procurement groups to obtain food and <br />storing that food for at least part of the year (Binford 1950:9). <br /> <br />l <br />r• <br />J <br />The occurrence of storage and habitation stntctures in this region is well documented. <br />Recorded finds of surface and pithouse stntctures indicate that such were present in the <br />central Rocky N(ountains from as early as 5000 B.C. The oldest pithouse in Colorado is the <br />Yarmonv site near Kremmling, which dated ca. 51 SO Q.C. (Metcalf and Black 1988: I5). <br />Clearly, at various times, ecological niches in these areas provided conditions stable enough <br />for maintenance of asedentary orsemi-sedentary lifestyle. At altitudes of 8000 feet or more <br />in Colorado, what were apparently pole and mud structures have been found in the Curecanti <br />National Recreation Area near Gunnison and the Windy Gap site near Granby. Radiocarbon <br />dates of ca. 5270-4950 B.C. and ca, 3590-1510 B.C. from the Curecanti sites compare with <br />Windy Gap's dates of ca. 6500 B.C., ca. 2740 B.C., and ca. 2230 Q.C. (Cassells 1983:73-80). <br />The first structural remains found in the Curecanti Recreational Area were uncovered <br />at SGN204/305 of the Clk Creek Development. Tltis structural feature appeared as a shallow <br />oval charcoal- and burned clay-filled basin that measured approximately 3.0 to 3.5 meters in <br />diameter; it dated ca. 3 I SSt90 B.C. No evidence of post molds nor interior or exterior <br />structural supports was found in the feature although burned pole-impressed clay was <br />present--indicative of some sort of superstructure (Cuter and Stiger 1981: 47-57). At site <br />7 <br />'1 <br />