Dr. Rolfe D. MandelExecutive Director, Odyssey Program

Kansas Geological SurveyUniversity of Kansas

Peopling of the Americas:Evidence from the Great

Plains

The Folsom Site, 1927

Folsom Projectile Point embedded in skeletal remains of extinct bison at the Folsom site

During his tenure at the University of Kansas during the late 1800s and early 1900s, Williston served as a professor of geology and anatomy, and as the first dean of the school of medicine.

The Twelve Mile Creek Site, Logan County, Kansas

In 1895, 30 years before the discovery at Folsom, two of Williston’s assistants, H.T. Martin and T.R. Overton, found a small fluted point in direct association with a complete bison skeleton.

The Twelve Mile Creek Site revisited.

Folsom: 10,300-10,700 Radiocarbon years before present

The Clovis Gravel Pit – Looking Southeast

South Bank

The Clovis site

Mammoth vertebra and Clovis point (note the base of the point sticking out below and left of the bone) in spring sands; from 1933 excavation.

Folsom: 10,300-10,700 Radiocarbon years before present

Clovis:11,600-10,700 Radiocarbon years before present

Were people in the Americas before Clovis time, i.e., earlier than 11,600 radiocarbon years ago?

Monte Verde in southern Chili hasarchaeological materials dating to 12,500 radiocarbon years ago.

Dillehay et al. 2008

Pre-Clovis tool kit from the Monte Verde site

• Acceptance of the Monte Verde site in southern Chile, dating to at least 12,500 14C yr B.P. opens new pre-Clovis possibilities for North America.

• What was the Spatial Pattern of Paleoindian Colonization of the Great Plains?

• When did People arrive in the Great Plains?

• Several sites in the Geat Plains hold potential pre-11,500 14C evidence. These include La Sena, Nebraska; Lovewell and Kanarado, Kansas; and Burnham, Oklahoma.

A refit of four mammoth femur segments showing the point of impact

Negative cone of percussion at the point of impact on thick cortical mammoth femur segment

Tip of highly polished bone artifact

Flaked bone biface

Bone flakes produced on thick cortical mammoth bone. The flakes refit.

18,250 ± 90

• If any of these or other sites yield unequivocal pre-11,500 evidence of human activity, then our perspectives on Paleoindian archaeology in the Plains region will be significantly altered.

• The only effective way to evaluate the possibility of pre-11,500 evidence is to systematically study deposits and soils of the appropriate age in settings which would have been conducive to human settlement and other activities.

10,050 ± 70

90159015±100±100

10,21510,215±115±115

12,52512,525±100±100

12,60012,600±90±90

13,300 13,300 ± 130± 130

9700 9700 ± 70± 70

11,550 11,550 ± 100± 100

10,130 10,130 ± 80± 80

8240 8240 ± 70± 70

14SN105

14SN106

14SN101

14SN10114SN105

Site Locations at the Kanorado Locality

14SN106

Area C Area A Area B

Site 14SN105, Areas A, B and C

K. Don Lindsey at the Kanorado Excavation, 1976

1976 Excavation of Lower Mammoth at the

Kanorado Locality

1976 Mammoth Excavation

Note Large Cobble in Fine-grained Sediments

Cobble

Mammoth Radius from the 1981 Excavation

Note Spiral Fractures

Rib Mid-section from the 1981 Excavation

Note Heavy Wear and High Polish on Right

Faceted Mammoth Cortical Limb Bone Fragment

From the Upper Mammoth Level, 1981

Jack Hofman pointing out in situ camel elements

at the base of a buried A horizon, 2001

Kanorado Locality Excavations, June 2002

Camel Excavation

Mammoth Excavation

Excavation of Camelops Elements in Base of Buried A Horizon

Artifacts Eroding out of Buried A Horizon in Area C, 14SN105

Four Artifacts on Left are Alibates and Artifact on Right is Flattop Chalcedony

Site 14SN105, Area A

2003 Excavation in Lower Mammoth Level

Lower Mammoth/Camel Bone Level, June 2003

Spirally Fractured Ribs from Lower Mammoth Level

12,215 ± 3512,215 ± 35

14SN105, Area A

92409240±70±70

97509750±70±70

10,37010,370±20±20

10,95010,950±60±60

12,37512,375±35±35

Folsom Folsom ComponentComponent

Clovis Clovis ComponentComponent

Lower Mammoth/Camel Bone Bed

Site Locations at the Kanorado Locality

14SN101

14SN105

14SN106

Site 14SN101

Clovis-Age Component, 14SN101

Flake

Alibates Tools From Clovis-Age Component, 14SN101

Bison humerus 20 cm above Clovis-Age Component

Site Locations at the Kanorado Locality

14SN101

14SN105

14SN106

Site 14SN106

Folsom Component

Clovis-Age Component 11,085 ± 2011,085 ± 20

Artifacts in the Clovis-Age Component at the Bottom of the Akb2 Horizon, Site 14SN106

Endscraper Made on a Pristmatic Blade, Clovis-Age Component, Site 14SN106

Folsom Endscraper, Hartville Chert, Site 14SN106

Folsom point tip (top images) and the base of a Midland point (bottom images) recovered in the main block at 14SN106.

Folsom Endscraper, Hartville Chert, Site 14SN106

10,854 ± 4010,854 ± 40

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE KANORADO LOCALITY

First in situ Folsom site in the Central Plains

First in situ Clovis sites in the Central Plains

Possible pre-Clovis cultural deposits

Evidence for long-distance transport of Lithic materials

Kanorado

Scheuerman Mammoth SiteScott County

Scheuerman Mammoth Site

13,470 ± 40

• Currently, there are multiple models that can account for the peopling of the Great Plains, and the possibility that this peopling process occurred prior to Clovis time remains open.