HUMAN LAND USE IN THE VERDE VALLEY UPLANDS, ARIZONA: INSIGHTS FROM THE STONEMAN LAKE SEDIMENTARY RECORD

Lake sediment cores can complement more traditional archaeological methods by revealing land use through time and expanding knowledge in under-surveyed areas. In this study, we analyze erosion rates, palynology, and charcoal in sediments from Stoneman Lake, Arizona (2050 m a.s.l.)—a prominent sinkhole feature in the forested uplands of the Colorado Plateau’s southwestern edge. The Stoneman Lake core record indicates charcoal counts and erosion rates increased at the end of the Younger Dryas (11.7 kyr B.P.) and remained elevated throughout the Holocene with a distinct peak around 1100–1150 CE. No pollen from corn (Zea mays) or other cultivars was present, but pollen from wild food resources including piñon pine (Pinus edulis), Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii), Arizona walnut (Juglans major), and amaranth (Amaranthaceae) was found throughout the Holocene portion of the core. The peak in fire activity ~1150 CE coincides with population growth of the Sinagua culture—regionally cooperative, maize-dependent, semi-sedentary agriculturalists who were present in the area from 500–1400 CE and who may have used fire for forest resource management. The Sinagua built multiroom structures (pueblos and cliff dwellings) to the north of Stoneman Lake, near what is now Flagstaff, and to the west, along the Verde Valley floor. Nestled between Flagstaff and the Verde Valley, the forested uplands around Stoneman Lake would have offered abundant opportunities for hunting and foraging. While the absence of clear agricultural indicators suggests limited farming in the lake basin, possibly due to its distance from major settlements, lack of reliable running water, high elevation, and cold microclimate, it was likely still a target for foraging given the presence of calorically valuable species. Material evidence from the immediate area, including a Clovis point and a projectile tip consistent with Archaic manufacture, suggests Stoneman Lake may have a long history of being used for hunting, perhaps unsurprising given its water source and steep confining slopes amenable to driving large game. Sedimentologic evidence, combined with material artifacts and the geographic, geologic, and cultural setting of the area suggest Stoneman Lake may have been of great significance to people in the past.