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SDCfICN III • PFDSLEM DOPF~iN.S AMID RESEAFC~I RATIONALE Prehistoric Context The project area is located near the contact between the Colorado Plateau and the Southern Rocky Mrnmtain gearorphic Provinces. Archaeologists generally discuss these areas as separate entities but they are very closely related and are probably, at least on the west central edge of the Southern Rockies, part of the same cultural area, namely the Great Hasin. This was apparent to history when the Utes were shown to have roamed both the mountains of the Gunnison Country and the plateaus of the Colorado Plateau Province to the West (Calloway, Janetski and Stewart 1986:337). As recently as the late 1970's, however, the mounta;m,a regions of the Gunnison Country were virtually unexplored on both the prehistoric and historic archaeological levels. There was far more known about its 100 year old Euro-American history than about its suspected 10,000 or more year old aboriginal prehistory. The few published articles on the region pointed out the main thetas of agriculture and mining for the only substantive white settlement since removal of the Ute Indians. In regard to prehistory, general published professional opinions had to that time stressed that the harsh winters almost certainly preclwded any form of aboriginal occupation other than transient and seasonal ones • such as for hunting, raw material procurement, and transportation through the mountains (Schroeder 1953; Lister 1962). 7Yus view of the (~nnison Country was similar to that held by the professional archaeological oa~muiity in general in regard to the major alpine portions of Colorado. In essence, the nountain areas had not been considered as part of any one major culture area such as the Anasazi or Plains areas. Rather, they were viewed as marginal environments subject to cultural forces fran several directions. Various aboriginal peoples from other culture areas were thought to have tapped the mountain resources on a seasonal basis or briefly passed through them on their way fran one area to another (Tate, n.d.; Rippeteau 1978:6; Sigstad 1977). Since the late 1970's archaeological knowledge of the mountain areas of the (tuuuson Country has been expanded due to various cultural resource management projects (Baker 1980 and see Guthrie et a1:1964). Even with the greatly increased data base, it is still not possible to scientifically resolve the generalized questions and assumptions held in the late 1970's. Even the issue of seasonality of occupation in the mountains has not been resolved as discussed by Black (1980). In fact, there is essentially no direct evidence one way or another as to the possible seasonality of aboriginal exploitation of the high irow,taiu~ areas prior to the arrival of Anylo-American settlers. Archaeologically, neither Centuries Research's hbw~t }]mions Prclect i;rvestigatioi~s nor • 11