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Historic Sites, the Colorado Archaeological Site Inventory, and nominations pending <br />• or on the National Register of Historic Places was also made. (See Appendix 2.8- <br />A for documentation of files search.) <br />2.8.2.1 Prehistory <br />The prehistory of the Oak Creek area is not well known; hov,ever, reports on <br />work in adjacent areas of northwestern Colorado and southern 'Nyoming do indicate <br />the types of prehistoric occupation that may have existed in the area and provide a <br />context for evaluation of those resources located during the present survey in terms <br />of their National Register eligibility. <br />Two studies have been conducted for the Edna Mine area by the Laboratory of <br />Public Archaeology, C olarado State University. Arthur (1977:21-27), surveying along <br />Foidel and Middle Creeks, reported nine prehistoric lithic scatters or open campsites <br />and six historic structures. He suggests that the prehistoric sites imply aboriginal <br />occupation from ca. 5000 B.C. - A.D. 1880. One of the prehistoric sites, 5RT32, <br />might yield information important to the study of the Middle Prehistoric Period, 7000 <br />B.C. - A.D. 900. No sites recorded during this 1977 survey are clearly associated <br />S with the Early Prehistoric Period (pre-7000 B.C.). The Euro-American sites were <br />related to agricultural homesteading of the late 19th century. <br />In the second study, McNamara and Jennings (1978) surveyed areas north of the <br />Edna Mine. They discovered one site, 5RT43, and two isolated finds. The site was <br />a small lithic scatter. Insufficient information was provided for direct comparison <br />of these finds with those of the present survey. <br />Northwestern Colorado and southwestern Wyoming constitute a geographic <br />corridor between the Great Plains and Great Basin (M ulloy 1954; J. Jennings 1957; <br />Day and Dibble 1963; Aikens 1906; Sharrock 1900). C. Jennings (1975a) refers to <br />northwestern Colorado as "the Great Margin," influenced by the western Great <br />Plains, the greater Southwest, and the Great Basin. Such influence is apparent from <br />the diversity of archaeological remains found in the region. Zeimens (1970:3-4) <br />remarks, however, that no evidence has been presented from which to infer the <br />existence of established Trade networks or major population movements between the <br />Great Plains and Great Basin. It is probable that contact involved groups moving <br />back and forth seasonally, exploiting the different ecological zones. <br />• <br />2.8-2 <br />