HUMAN OCCUPATION OF LATE PLEISTOCENE/EARLY HOLOCENE MARSHES AT WILD ISLE, WESTERN UTAH, U.S.A

Five years of archaeological and geomorphological studies in the southern Great Salt Lake Desert indicate extensive use of a Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene marsh system by Paleoarchaic people over 9,000 rcy B.P. Low-relief irregularities of the remnant sloughs, channels and levees anchored Middle Holocene dunes deposited after desiccation of the marshes; these dunes capped and preserved the last position of paleo-distributary features. The modern dunes of Wild Isle mark the distal location where the Old River entered the shrinking Great Salt Lake. Human occupation may both predate and postdate the last regression of Lake Bonneville (Gilbert phase) that dates to 10,300 rcy B.P. Recent research clarifies the timing of the regression, the location of the lake margin, and the nature of Old River flow.

The braided network of low-energy streams and marshes provided a subsistence focal region, with rich resources that attracted a range of social and economic activities. Archaeological site distribution and lithic technology provide details of human behavior particular to the Paleoarchaic period and exploitation of paleomarshes. The distribution of archaeological sites in and around Wild Isle indicates a wide area of use, and specific landscape points apparently did not exist. Rather, human resource exploitation shifted in concert with frequent changes in the meandering network of channels and levees. Lithic technology suggests substantial logistical planning for economic activities. No native rock exists in the Wild Isle vicinity. Basalt and obsidian—procured from locations 30 km and 200 km away—dominate the stone tool assemblage. Ongoing technological analyses are aimed at determining the season and duration of Paleoarchaic activities.