GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL AND PALEOECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT THE FERNDALE SITE (45WH34): DELTA DEVELOPMENT AND HUMAN ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES ON THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST

Global investigations of marine delta occupations show the importance of stable sea levels in the development of complex coastal societies; integrated geological and archaeological records clearly show that expanding mid-Holocene delta platforms acted as critical centers for fresh water, resource procurement, trade, travel, technological innovation, and ultimately transitions to sedentism and agriculture. Geoarchaeological and paleoecological investigations at the 10.4 km inland Ferndale site (45WH34) on northwestern Washington State's Nooksack River provide evidence for long term and intensive use of the regions paleodelta landscape, specifically marine foreshore, riverine, riparian, and wetland habitats. Now landlocked by Holocene alluvium, paleodelta occupations like WH34 provide an excellent record of prehistoric human and environmental conditions across the mid- to late-Holocene horizon. Studies of soils and sediments in an archaeological context, in combination with 14C dating, show the earliest occupation of WH34 occurred over 5,000 years ago on an active delta floodplain. Subsequent occupations show a transition from rocky shore to soft sediment shellfish, intensive use of salmon, ungulates (primarily elk), waterfowl, and in smaller quantities, wetland indicator beaver. Recognizing the role of coastal geomorphology in shaping prehistoric lifeways is critical; it is argued here that as previously dynamic sea levels stabilized some 5,000 years ago, rivers on the inland seaway of Puget Sound and Strait of Georgia increasingly accumulated large woody debris, thereby promoting a subareal increase in deltaic wetlands. Deltaic wetlands play a critical role in the lifecycles of salmon, elk, waterfowl, beaver, and ultimately humans. This paper highlights important lessons learned from the examination of a southern Pacific Northwest Coast paleodelta site, including the ecological relevance of delta progradation to important coastal resources, specifically elk and salmon.