7/27/2019 Burnham Site in Northwestern Oklahoma-Wyckoff

1/3

Book Reviews

The Burnham Site in Northwestern Oklahoma: Glimpses Beyond Clovis? DonG. Wyckoff, James L. Theler, and Brian J. Carter (Editors), 2003, Sam Noble OklahomaMuseum of Natural History, Norman, Oklahoma, viii 315 pp., $15.00 (paper).

The book, The Burnham Site in Northwestern Oklahoma: Glimpses Beyond Clovis? is a compre-

hensive summary of results of large-scale, multidisciplinary investigations into the Late Pleistocene (mid-

Wisconsin) of the central Great Plains. These investigations were inspired in May 1986 when Don Wyckoff

was notified that a concentration of large animal remains and snails had been exposed on both sides of

a ravine by a bulldozer during construction of a dam for a small pond. The following month, Wyckoff, Larry

Martin, and Wakefield Dort visited the site, and observed that a very large bison cranium had been par-

tially exposed during these activities. Martin suggested the specimen be salvaged, and in November 1986,

Wyckoff and several volunteers recovered the bison and water-screened all the excavated sediment. The

excavations also revealed several other bison remains and a large chert cobble ~30 cm below the cranium.

Months later, two small flint flakes (interpreted as artifacts as opposed to geofacts) were discovered in

the water-screened residue. These findings led to a reexamination of the chert cobble and its reclassifi-

cation as a possible tested cobblethat is, a chunk of lithic raw material displaying characteristics sug-

gesting it was evaluated by a flintknapper for its potential as a chipped stone artifact. Other key devel-

opments around this time include a radiocarbon date of ~31,000 yr B.P. on snail shells from the water-screen

residue and Martins taxonomic classification of the bison cranium asBison chaynei, an assessment

compatible with the radiometric age. The combined evidence hinted at a very early human presence in

North America, hence the monographs subtitle. So began the Burnham site odyssey for Wyckoff and his

colleagues, culminating nearly two decades later in this wonderful monograph with 20 chapters by 14 dif-ferent authors. Although it is strongly paleontological and paleoenvironmental in its orientation, the

ephemeral yet tantalizing archaeological evidence from the site will whet the appetite of anyone inter-

ested in recent research concerning the early human occupation of North America.

Editorial comments first. My copy came with a half-page errata sheet; if yours didnt, get it. Most of

the problems involve table and figure numbering, as opposed to spelling errors and the like, and making

these changes is mandatory for serious readers. I caught several additional, minor typos. Generally, the

illustrations and photographs are good, although some have been so greatly reduced for production that

they are difficult to decipher. Likewise, the format of the tables varies noticeably from one chapter to the

next, and several probably should have been appendices. Bottom line: another round or two of final pol-

ishing would have enhanced the overall quality of the production.

In Chapter 1, Wyckoff provides a short overview of the discovery of the Burnham site, its past and

present geological and environmental context, and its contribution to Pleistocene studies on the central

Great Plains. It sets the stage for Chapter 2, in which Wyckoff and Rubenstein chronicle the major eventsand developments over the course of the Burnham site investigations, from initial discovery by Gene

Burnham in 1986, to the final season of field work in 1992, and finally, to publication of the monograph

in 2003. Careful reading of this chapter is especially important because it contains descriptions, illus-

trations, and photographs of the various areas of the site that are necessary to effectively digest the infor-

mation presented in subsequent chapters by the project specialists.

Three areas of the site exist, named in relation to the modern, manmade pond. The hub of inves-

tigation was the East Exposure, which is where theBison chaynei remains and all of the suspected

chipped stone artifacts were recovered. Approximately 10 m northeast of the cluster of bison remains

Geoarchaeology: An International Journal, Vol. 21, No. 1, 125130 (2006) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

7/27/2019 Burnham Site in Northwestern Oklahoma-Wyckoff

2/3

is an equid bonebed containing the remains of three animals (Equus sp.). Approximately 45 m2 of

intact sediment was hand excavated at the East Exposure to supplement the 17 soil cores, 5 backhoe

trenches, and 4 Calico Hillsstyle bulldozer trenches. The Northwest and Southwest Exposures are

located on the west side of the pond. These localities are manifest as ephemeral surface scatters of

Pleistocene vertebrate and invertebrate remains eroding out of gray (gleyed) loamy fine sand thatwas truncated by the bulldozer during pond construction. Subsurface investigations at the Northwest

Exposure involved controlled excavations of 28 m2, while only 3 m2 was excavated at the Southwest

Exposure.

In Chapters 3 through 6, Wyckoff, Martin, Dort, and Carter describe the monumental, frustrating task

of unraveling the sites complex stratigraphy to reconstruct the depositional context of the various classes

of material. Getting through these chapters is tough going for the nonspecialist. Fortunately, Wyckoff,

Carter, and Theler have very effectively assembled the disparate information into a comprehensive sum-

mary in the monographs final chapter (Chapter 20). Martin and Dort suggest the site formed in a collapse

basin of unknown shape and size that eventually filled with water, probably mostly from springs. More

likely, however, according to Wyckoff, Carter, and Theler, is that the site lies in the channel of a former

tributary of the Cimarron River. In this formational scenario, beavers (Castor canadensis) periodically

dammed the tributary, thus creating ponds in which fine-grained alluvium, paleontological remains, and

the suspected artifacts were deposited.

Following a brief introduction by Wyckoff in Chapter 7, the large, spectacularly diverse vertebrate fauna

is discussed by Martin, Wyckoff, Meehan, and Czaplewski in Chapters 8 through 10. Thirty-five taxa are

represented among the approximately 700 identified specimens, including fish, amphibians, reptiles,

birds, and mammals. Taken as a whole, the vertebrate fauna shows greater similarity with Gulf Coast

samples than with those from Kansas and Nebraska, suggesting somewhat warmer temperatures and

greater effective precipitation compared to modern conditions in western Oklahoma. Of particular inter-

est are the fish remains, all of which are attributable to sunfish (Lepomis cf. cyanellus). Apparently, sun-

fish are known for their remarkable ability to colonize semi-isolated bodies of water. This observation sug-

gests the pondwhatever its originwas connected to other bodies of water only during high-water

periods in the springtime.

Thelers tight, comprehensive analysis and interpretation of the gastropods is a highlight of the Burnham

project (Chapters 11 and 12). He identified more than 5000 subfossil terrestrial and aquatic gastropods(17 and 9 taxa, respectively) from various strata to go along with 9000 modern terrestrial snails (8 taxa)

from litter samples collected in the general vicinity of the site. Interestingly, the sample of subfossil

aquatic gastropods recovered in the alluvial sediments contains ecologically incompatible species. The

bulk of the snails identified are most often found living today on emergent or floating vegetation in shal-

low water bodies where summer temperatures are 2230C. On the other hand, a small percentage of

the snails are found today on submerged vegetation in relatively cool waters (< 15C). Theler suggests

these snails occur together at Burnham because the pond was fed by springs, as indicated by the cool-

water snails, and its margins were warmed by solar radiation, as indicated by the warm-water snails.

Turning to the subfossil terrestrial gastropods, Theler reports that the three most common species are

exceptionally tolerant of drought and temperature stress, suggesting that water levels in the pond may

have fluctuated considerably.

The next three chapters discuss the botanical remains recovered at Burnham. Minnis and Keener

cover the extensive seed sample in Chapter 13, which, unfortunately, appears to include only recent(modern) specimens. In Chapter 14, Van de Water reports on his attempt to identify a large chunk of

charred wood recovered during backhoe trenching. Although not conclusive, several characteristics are

consistent with pawpaw (Asimina sp.). If this assessment is reliable, it represents a major range exten-

sion for the species during the Late Pleistocene because pawpaw is currently restricted to the eastern

United States. Despite his best efforts, Peter Wigand was able to extract only a handful of pollen grains

from a single, half-liter sample of sediment; suffice it to say, this proxy indicator offers little additional

paleoenvironmental information (Chapter 15).

Buehlers detailed analysis and discussion of the lithic assemblage is, by far, the most archaeology-

oriented chapter in the monograph (Chapter 16). Well aware of the potential implications of his findings,

Buehler clearly went to great lengths to be as objective as possible in trying to accurately distinguish

chipped stone artifacts from naturally produced flakes, no easy task given that the majority of specimens

BOOK REVIEWS

GEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, VOL 21, NO. 1 DOI: 10.1002/GEA126

7/27/2019 Burnham Site in Northwestern Oklahoma-Wyckoff

3/3

measure less than one centimeter or so in maximum dimension. In the end, 52 specimens were classified

as cultural debitage and 120 specimens as non-cultural debitage . . . primarily small, rounded or sub-

angular tabular gravels (p. 225). One flake tool and one biface fragment were also identified. It is diffi-

cult to say if the large cobble of Day Creek chert (~15 12 10 cm) that originally inspired the Burnham

investigations is an artifact or not. It displays two small scars from flakes that could have detached nat-urally. On the other hand, its large size is incompatible with the fine-grained alluvial matrix from which

it was recovered, thus it could be a manuport brought to the site by people.

In Buehlers opinion, two aspects of the lithic assemblage confirm that Burnham is a bona fide pre-

Clovis archaeological site. The first is that one of the flakes identified as being culturally produced shows

every indication of being Edwards chert, a non-local stone with a primary source in central Texas (p. 229).

Several other cultural flakes also appear to be Edwards, but this assessment cannot be verified. Second,

the horizontal and vertical distribution of the cultural debitage more closely matches the distribution of

theBison chaynei remains than do the noncultural lithic items. Based on this observation, Buehler

remarks, if Burnham were a Folsom site, the association of the artifacts and bison bones would likely

be taken at face value. But given the sites age and the lack of smoking gun artifacts, everything is brought

into question, including whether the flakes truly are artifacts in the first place. This is as it should be

(emphasis original) (p. 230).

The most innovative specialist contribution is Todds research on the bison and equid bonebeds, whichis discussed in Chapter 18. Building on the classic fluvial transport studies of vertebrate remains by

Voorhies and Behrensmeyer, as well as the experimental work he and Frison conducted as part of the Colby

mammoth project, Todd uses data on orientation (compass bearing), inclination (dip) transport poten-

tial, and settling velocity to reconstruct the taphonomic histories of these bonebeds. Briefly, carcasses

of animals in both bonebeds were completely disarticulated and scattered during a relatively lengthy pre-

burial history, resulting in major imbalances in the representation of elements in the excavated area. In

both cases, multiple, unspecified agents are likely involved in disarticulating and scattering the remains.

Importantly, he concludes that the largeBison chaynei cranium is probably very close to the location of

where the animal died.

In Chapter 19, Wyckoff and Carter summarize the depositional history of the sediments and the asso-

ciated archaeological and paleontological remains. The discussion is organized around 23 assays run

on a variety of sample materials, including 1 uranium-series, 17 AMS, 3 conventional radiocarbon,and 2 ESR dates, thus making Burnham one of the best-dated Late Pleistocene (mid-Wisconsin) local-

ities on the Great Plains. By all indications, the artifact-bearing stratum falls in the ballpark of

40,00030,000 yr B.P.

Wyckoff, Carter, and Theler wrap up the Burnham edited volume in a whopping, 40-page conclud-

ing chapter. No surprises heremost of it simply rehashes the previous chapters. While 33 pages are

devoted to the geology and paleontology, only 7 pages focus on the archaeology. While this observa-

tion itself is a good measure of the monographs general orientation, I think it tells us a great deal more

about what they think about the idea of Burnham being a bona fide pre-Clovis site. Reading between

the lines, I sense some reluctance to push this possibility very far, and, in fact, they dont, but what if

Burnham includes pre-Clovis archaeological materials? In short, I would have liked an extended dis-

cussion of Burnham in light of recent theoretical developments and discoveries in pre-Clovis research.

Despite this shortcoming, as well as some pesky editorial problems, the Burnham monograph is a solid

contribution to Great Plains geology, paleontology, and archaeology, and a must-have for seriousresearchers. While you may not agree with how the evidence is interpreted, we should all be grateful

that its available for independent analysis and interpretation.

Matthew G. Hill

Department of Anthropology

324 Curtiss Hall

Iowa State University

Ames, IA 50011

Published online in Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI:10.1002/gea.20092

DOI: 10.1002/GEA GEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, VOL 21, NO.1

BOOK REVIEWS

127