ARCHAEOLOGIST MEETS HARD-ROCK GEOLOGY

In the late 1970s and early 1980s archaeologists at the University of Kansas became increasingly aware that, in order to place our prehistoric populations into ecological contexts we had to learn more about the past environments on the Great Plains. Consequently, with the blessings of our major professors, graduate students began branching out across the campus invading paleontology and palynology labs, soils, and geomorphology classes. As I became involved in the archaeological work conducted at El Dorado in the Flint Hills my interest focused on use and procurement of chert by the prehistoric populations. I needed a geologist. I approached Wake Dort hoping he'd steer me to the pertinent literature about chert distribution in the Flint Hills. With a big grin and a pat on the back he said that he thought it was an interesting research topic and that it would be a great contribution when I figured it out. That is how an archaeologist ended up tracking stratigraphy and facies changes through the Flint Hills.