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MISSION STATEMENT
Integrating natural and social sciences to promote
ecological and economic sustainability through transdisciplinary research,
education and stewardship initiatives
NEW MA THESES AVAILABLE
Ollie 2008
LANDSCAPE CHANGE AND STABILITY IN THE ABSAROKA RANGE,
GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM, WYOMING
The archaeological record in the Upper Greybull of northwestern Wyoming is an
integral part of landscape dynamics. A dominant force across this region is
landslides, and over 60% of archaeological sites in this study were found to be
associated with remnant landslide features. These relationships are analyzed at
two different spatial scales to better understand landscape evolution in the
Upper Greybull. An investigation of site 48PA2811 shows the relationship between
disturbance regimes, environmental change, and archaeological preservation at a
local scale. This investigation included the documentation of surface and
subsurface archaeological deposits, site geomorphology, physical and chemical
soil analyses, site stratigraphy, and radiocarbon dating.
Bohn 2007
SCATTERED GLASS: OBSIDIAN ARTIFACT PROVENANCE PATTERNS IN
NORTHWESTERN WYOMING
Home to several high quality sources of the volcanic glass material, obsidian
artifacts are
found throughout the archaeological record in northwestern Wyoming. Obsidian is
a useful lithic
raw material for evaluating prehistoric land use patterns because it can be
matched with the
geochemical signatures of source materials. As part of the Greybull River
Sustainable Landscape
Ecology (GRSLE) project, this research seeks to evaluate obsidian distribution
patterns in the
Upper Greybull watershed and the relationship to local and regional land use
patterns. The study
area is located within the volcanically formed Absaroka Mountain range where
there is clear
evidence of prehistoric land use from the Late Paleoindian period to recent
times. Field and
laboratory components were conducted to evaluate several research questions.
During the field
component, artifacts were recorded following pedestrian surveys and a sample of
obsidian
artifacts were collected for geochemical characterization. The laboratory
component consisted of
the geochemical and lithic analysis of the sampled artifacts.
Kinneer 2007
HIGH ALTITUDE STONE AND WOOD STRUCTURES
OF NORTHWESTERN WYOMING: EXAMPLES FROM THE UPPER GREYBULL RIVER AREA IN THE
CENTRAL ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS
This thesis presents the results of archaeological investigations of seven sites
with structures identified near the headwaters of the Greybull River in the
Absaroka Mountains of northwestern Wyoming. These structures have in common a
construction style that consists entirely of dry-laid and/or aligned locally
available stone and, in some cases, wooden elements. Investigations, analyses
and interpretations of high altitude stone structure sites are often framed by
categorical assumptions about site and structure functions. Assumed functions
often include game drives, ceremonial localities, location markers,
architectural remnants, and windbreaks. These ascribed functions condition the
types of data that are gathered, and thus the results of the analyses and
interpretations are often self-fulfilling. No single, best, or functionally
provable argument, beyond a possible association with hunting, will be provided
for the newly presented sites and structures, as too little is known about the
builders’ cultural and/or temporal affiliations. Rather, conclusions with
respect to site and/or structure function will be oriented around pattern
recognition and comparative discussion.
Mueller
2007
ABYSMAL LUCK IN THE
ABSAROKAS: GOLD REEF – A LATE 19TH EARLY 20TH CENTURY MINING LOCALITY IN
NORTHWESTERN WYOMING
This thesis examines Gold Reef, a small mining locality in the Absaroka
Mountains of northwestern Wyoming. Gold Reef was occupied from approximately 1895
to 1914. The primary goals of this study are to provide a description of the
sites at Gold Reef, compare these sites to other contemporary mining location in
the Wyoming Absaroka Mountains, discuss the economic and social forces shaping
the development of mining at the time. To address these issues the historic,
geologic, archaeological and economic aspects of the mining activities in the
area are explored and discussed. Discrepancies in the historic records along
with the lack of viable economic mineral deposits at the location indicate that
the site was indeed an attempt to defraud either investors or the company’s
management, although alternative explanations for the archaeology are briefly
explored.
For other MA theses relating to this
project,
click here |
GRSLE PROJECT
OverviewLANDSCAPE TAPHONOMY
Definition/Overview
Graphic
BUNDLING & BRIDGING
Definition
Graphic
1
Graphic 2
GREYBULL MA THESES
MA
Thesis Research
RESEARCH PAPERS:
Plains Conference 2003
Other 2003 Papers
Plains Conference 2004
Other 2004 Papers
Plains Conference 2005
Other 2005 Papers
Plains Conference 2006
Other 2006 Papers
Plains Conference 2007
Other 2007 Papers
Plains Conference 2008
Other 2008 Papers
FIELD CLASS 2008
Overview
Reading Assignments
PHOTO GALLERIES
2003 photos
2004 photos
2005 photos
2006 photos
2007 photos
SITE DOCUMENTATION
In-Field Artifact Codes (pdf)
Summary Data
Summer 2005 Fieldwork
Summer 2006 Fieldwork
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With its headwaters
high in the Washakie Wilderness, northwestern Wyoming's Big Horn Basin,
the upper Greybull River travels through some of the most remote
backcountry within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Along
its 145 km (90 mile) corridor, the Greybull's waters move from elevations
over 3960 m (13,000 ft) in the heart of the Absaroka Mountains, to only
1370 m (4500 ft) at its confluence with the Bighorn River.
For at
least the last 13,000 years, humans have been an active part of the
Greybull River ecosystem. For most of this time, mobile
hunter-gatherers traversed the area .and have left a complex record of
their changing interactions with their biological, physical, and social
environments. For nearly the last 150 years, a new form of
human-landscape interactions -- livestock grazing, agriculture, and gas
and oil exploration and production have--have created a different series
of interactions.
Visitors --
Since 12 Sept. 2005
For additional information contact:
lctodd@grsle.org
Last Updated:
Wednesday March 11, 2009
GRSLE project supervised by
L.C. Todd
http://humanpaleo.org/Todd.htm
CSU Graduate
Degree Program in Ecology |
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At
the beginning of the 21st Century there are indications that
yet another major set changes can be expected in the ways humans and the
Greybull River landscapes interact. The larger ranches are becoming
a thing of the past, livestock numbers are declining, recreational uses of
the the area are increasing, and a new series of human-landscape linkages
are being forged.
The
Greybull River Sustainable Landscape Ecology
(GRSLE) project seeks a deeper understanding of each of these
multi-faceted landscapes: the prehistoric, the historic/contemporary, and
the series of alternative futures that lay ahead. The heart of this
project is an archaeological perspective on landscapes,
which begins with the premise that all landscapes are the result a richly
interwoven series of cultural, biological, and abiotic processes that have
left multiple records of the their combined interactions.
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 These
WebPages provide an introduction to GRSLE's long-term goals, objectives,
and recent investigations. We hope that our attempts to
combine science and stewardship will aid in the development of sustainable
ecological and economic futures for this remarkable drainage system and
that the Greybull may be an important component in helping to preserve the
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, it's lands, it's wildlife, it's vegetation,
soils, waters, and peoples.
CONTACT
Larry
Todd lctodd@grsle.org
Todd CV |
