Rockshelter Archaeology and Geoarchaeology in the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

Abstract

This paper reports on 10 years of research at the Black Mountain Archaeological District, located in north central Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountain range. It focuses specifically on two rockshelters: 48BH1827 (Two Moon Shelter) and 48BH1065 (BA Cave). Two Moon Shelter bears stratified Paleoindian deposits that include a Folsom projectile point fragment, a 10,060 ± 60 B.P. radiocarbon date, and an undated Paleoindian component positioned stratigraphically below the Folsom occupation. Upper levels in the site date to about 8500 B.P. and are associated with the Late Paleoindian Pryor Stemmed complex. BA Cave is a well-stratified and well-dated archaeological deposit yielding cultural occupations spanning the last 4,000 years. Geoarchaeological investigations at BA Cave describe changes in sediment depositional regimes that may reflect significant Late Holocene trends in centennial-to-millennial-scale climatic changes in the Middle Rocky Mountain region. Together, research at these two rockshelters provides a well-rounded picture of prehistoric life and environments in the Northwestern Plains culture area.

Keywords:

• Rockshelters
• Paleoindian
• Folsom
• geoarchaeology
• Late Holocene