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• Prehistory <br />Cultural resource investigations in the region Dave yielded surface diagnostic <br />artifacts and excavated cultural materials consistent with the regional cultural history. <br />Reportedly, artifact assemblages from the re~,ion exhibit similarities with both the Front <br />Range and the Colorado Plateau (Baker ct al. 1950, and Gooding 1981). <br />r\ radiocarbon record of occupation for the cenUal mountain region is derived from <br />[he excavation oF25 sites in the Curecan[i National Recreation Area. The investigations <br />resulted in G6 radiocarbon dates that indicate a nearly continuous occupation of the <br />Gunnison Basin for the past 10,000 years. '1'Itree periods of possible higher frequency of <br />occupation occurred between ;tbout 5500-x000 B.C., 3700-S00 B.C., and 650 B.C. - A.D. <br />15q. "fhe highest frequency of dates occur c;i. 4000 B.C. (Jones 198=1 19-21). <br />Within the BLM Grand Junction Resource Arca, 123 radiocarbon dates from 35 <br />tested and excavated sites indicate that clusters occur ca. 7200-5600 B.C., 4300-3500 B.C., <br />3''00-1000 B.C., and 900 B.C -1300 A.D. (O'Neil 1993:393). The earlier dates are low in <br />occurrence as compared with the mountain regions, and the long hiatus between 5600 B.C. <br />and 4300 Q.C. may be directly linked to the afTects of the Altithermal. <br />Paleolndian Tradition <br />• Tltc oldest evidence of human occupation is provided by surface finds of diagnostic <br />artifacts of the Paleolndian Tradition [Itat date ca. 9300-6000 B.C. This Tradition is <br />characterized by lanceolate- and leaf shaped, bifacially Flaked, Fluted and unFluted projectile <br />points, and the hunting ofnow-extinct Pleistocene ntegafauna. Sites and isolated finds of <br />diagnostic artifacts arc recorded iluougltout tltc Colorado Plateau and Great Basin (Schroedl <br />199 L I - 15). In the central mountains of Colorado, surface finds of Clovis, Folsom, Hell <br />Gap/Agate Basin, Cody Complex, and James Allen points on sites and as isolated finds <br />indicate that the entire Paleolndian period is represented here (Baker et al. 1950; Stiger, <br />personal communication). Surface finds of Folsom points are reported in western Colorado <br />by Wormington (1955:120), Huscher (1939), and Hurst (1943). West of the project area, <br />Fluted projectile points leave been recorded as isolated finds and in a site context in Grand <br />County, Utah (Copeland and Fike 1988:5-2S ). The Cody Complex is the last Paleolndian <br />tool assemblage found on a wide-spread basis tlvortghout North America. The Plano period <br />(late Paleolndian) assemblages that include James Allen/Frederick/Lusk point types probably <br />represent remnant Paleolndian populations that existed along side the Early Archaic <br />Tradition. The lames Allen point is the most commonly found Paleolndian type in the <br />Gunnison area (Stiger, personal communication 1990). (n general, data from excavated <br />Paleolndian sites are scant for the western Colorado region; however, some of the oldest <br />radiocarbon dates for the state (I 1,79011700 Q.P. and 14,437f610 B.P.) have been acquired <br />from Gunnison County site 5GN I S9 (Mueller and Stiger 1953). A hearth dated 97911830 <br />• 5 <br />