Results of Recent Archeological Investigations of Glacial Lake Atna Shorelines in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Results of Recent Archeological Investigations of Glacial Lake Atna Shorelines in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
NPS / Lee Reininghaus
Today, with over 25 percent of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve being covered in ice, it is hard to imagine that 10,000 years ago anywhere in the park would have been hospitable for human habitation. However, obsidian from Wiki Peak, located in the northeastern corner of the park, is present in some of the earliest archeological deposits in Alaska. Recognizing that the presence of Lake Atna would have influenced land use for people living in the region during the late Pleistocene, identification of Glacial Lake Atna shorelines and associated geomorphological features was undertaken in an attempt to better understand concurrent human land use. As a result of recent investigations, 69 archeological sites have been identified. The majority of these sites are surface lithic scatters located in areas subject to deflation and other natural disturbances; however, one recently identified site revealed a subsurface hearth feature in a buried and stratified context that produced radiocarbon results dating the site to the late Pleistocene. Although obtaining reliable, datable material for most of these sites is challenging, numerous diagnostic artifacts consistent with other early prehistoric assemblages are present throughout the majority of these site locales. While typological comparisons do not always facilitate accurate temporal assumptions, the high quantity of diagnostic artifacts identified as a result of recent investigations is promising. For more info, contact lee_reininghaus@nps.gov
