From its unique landscapes to its distinct cultures, Oregon is special for a plethora of reasons, but several University students know from firsthand experience that its ancient history is just as special.
The University’s Northern Great Basin Prehistory Project archaeology field school offers students an opportunity for six weeks every summer to learn archaeology in a hands-on, professional setting. This year, 25 students went to Sheep Mountain, the Paisley Caves and the Dirty Shame Rockshelter.
All three sites have unique attributes, adding to the rich prehistory of Oregon and the Western Hemisphere. In the Paisley Caves in south-central Oregon, the oldest human DNA, in the form of coprolites, or dried feces, was discovered in 2002 and dated in 2008. At Sheep Mountain in southeastern Oregon, a Clovis-period site was excavated; meanwhile, at Dirty Shame on the Oregon-Idaho border, the remains of a 1,100-1,500-year-old dwelling were being uncovered.
Dr. Dennis Jenkins, a University archaeologist and field director, headed the Paisley Cave excavation and described in detail what was recovered there.
“We are continuing on excavating human coprolite,” Jenkins said, who noted the coprolites are from 14,000 years ago, meaning humans were in the Americas 4,000 years earlier than originally thought. “We put on hazmat suits to recover them so we wouldn’t contaminate them with our own modern DNA. This is so revolutionary at Paisley because we have directly carbon dated the coprolites. We actually picked out a little bit of the poop and radiocarbon dated it. It’s as direct as you can get.”
Grant Snitker, a supervisor at the Paisley Caves, said the specific cave he worked at, Cave 2, was a hot spot for artifacts.
“We found evidence that people were making tools and occupying the caves intermittently through the late Pleistocene-early Holocene,” Snitker said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”
At Sheep Mountain, Clovis-related artifacts, such as projectile points dating back to 13,000 years ago, signify that the Clovis people hunted large mammals, such as mammoths and mastodons, in the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene, or current, eras.
Meanwhile, at the Dirty Shame Rockshelter, students excavated the remains of a dwelling and also found cordage, or string, made of sagebrush; shell beads, which signify trading was already in place between the people located there 1,100-1,500 years ago; and historic glass beads, which show trading continued in this area hundreds of years ago. Of this summer’s three excavation sites, Jenkins said the rockshelter has faced the most damage from illegal excavation.
Jenkins said students get more than just practical field training during the eight-credit course.
“It’s just a really great experience,” he said. “A lot of the time at field schools people make friends for life. We’ve even had people meet and marry.”
University junior Jo Niehaus agrees with Jenkins.
“The experience is really unique and so valuable,” Niehaus said.
Overall, Jenkins is proud of the field school he’s been involved with since 1989.
“I consider it to be as good of a field school you can attend in the western United States,” he said. “No brag, just facts.”
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