43. TEE ARCHAEOLOGY OF TEE CARSON SINK AREA Gordon L. Grosscup During the summor of 1951, Nornan L. Roust and the writer undertook a program of archaeological survey and excavations in the Carson Sink area of central Nevada. The work was sponsored jointly by the University of California and the United States Goological Survoy, and directed by Dr. Robort F. Hoizer of the University of California and Roger B. Morrison of the U.S. Geological Survey. Forty-three new sites wore recorded in this area as a result of our sur- voy, and small surface collections were made from then. The bulk of the sugmmr, however, was devoted to the excavation of a portion of Hidden Cave (26-Ch-16) . (See Map 1.) Hidden Cave is located at an elevation of 4104 feet above sea level in an outlier of tho Stillwater Range about fifteen milos southeast of the town of Fallon. Tho cave is formed in the east side of a small valley, fac- ing wost, and in a geological formation of large coemnted basalt gravels boliovod to have boon laid down by the earliest Lahonton Lake stage (Morrison' 8 Eetza formation)1. Tho cave, which was first discovered by guano miners a- bout twenty-five years ago, has a maximurm width of 120 foot, a maxinum length of 160 foot, and a maximum height of 16 foet. It was formed by lake action washing out unconsolidated gravels from beneath the cemented gravels, prob- ably by tho initial rise of the Lahonton stage (see Table 1) which Morrison has equated in tine with the Cary glaciation. Later this lake deposited a layer of clay on the rock floor of tho cave (see Table 2). After the decline of the lake to below the elevation of the cave a thin layer of sand and rock "mud flow" was laid down. The lake rose again (correlated in tine with the Mankeato advance) and a second layer of clay was deposited. Above the clay is a thin layer of sand which is capped by a layer of lincy material. Morrison believos this line to correlate with the formation of Dendritic tufa outside of the cave and attributes both to the regressive phase of Lake Lahonton, which he equates in tine with the Mankato glaciation. This linoy layor covers tho floor of tho entire cave and is oxposod on the sur- face in ths roar portions. / Above the line is a layer of fine, clean, lake gravel attributed to the last major fluctuation of Lake Lahontan. It contains a high proportion of malm and bird bone, but no definite artifacts or evidence of ran. Above this gravol, and partially mixed with it, is a layer of variable thickness which is composed of nud-flow matorial and bat guano. Included in this stratum wore a quantity of small nmmal and bird bones and four whole or fragmentary points. This stratum is considered by both Morrison and Antevs2 to date from the Anathermal interval. Above the Anathernal deposit is a layer of fine sand and silt, which is believed to be aeollan in origin and is deposited in striations or layers. In the deeper portions of the cavo it is as much as three foot in thickness, * 8 W c - / - \ - { \ X / \ -/ B \ } \ o - - - ' o n Z a - s { } - - - - - - - S / - - - r- RaMN-- -- -- , - - . - - - S[3gs - -) . - - , - ? f w - - \- - - B I - . - w - - . - . s \ . \ - - - - - - - -s I - - - - - { J - - - -- -- - ? - - - s t . . . - / s -- ? ? -s- i67 SITES 26- PE- 5 /14 26-CH-/E -1 -35 -67 -77 -/6 -6/ -68 f /mi/e MAP I. Archeological Sites in Humboldt and Carson Sink Areas Glacial or Geological Lake Stage Hidden Cave History Climatic f Formation Period Modithernal (Nowlands)* Modithernal |Aeolian silts and occupation Grines* lake series debris. Lovelock Phase. Altitharnal Turupah Long drought Aoolian silts. Carson Phaso. Anathornal Hazon Anathornal Mud flow. Hidden Cave Phase, ____ _ high lake Upsal ? Mankato Pahninid 2 Lahontan III Deposition of second clay layer j land sand. Deposition of lino and gravel on decline. Intra Deposition of intra-clay sand Pahninid and nud flow layer. r_ _ _ _ _ _ * __ __ --. __ __ __ Cary Pahninid 1 Lahontan II Outwashing of gravels to forn cave. On docline, deposition of clay layer. Churchill* I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Tazewell Iowan . ._ . - Eetza Lahontan I (May be double) Formation and of gravels in is located. partial coemnting which Hidden Cavo . . - - *Tentative names for those Correlation With formations. Table 1 of Ploistocene and Recent Geology tho History of Hidden Cave but is absent towards the rear of the cave. Two obsidian points were ro- covered from the upper portions of this deposit. This stratum has beon cor- related with the Altithornal period. Near the base of these silts is a thin layer of volcanic ash, which has been analysed by Dr. Howoll Williams of the University of California's Department of Geological Sciences, and compared to the volcanic ash layor which occurrod in a stratigraphically similar position in Loonard Rockshalter. In Dr. Willians' opinion the Ridden Cave ash layer derived fron the same source (Mono Craters)-as the Leonard Rocksholter layor, but was from a dif- ferent eruption.3 The two eruptions probably wore not widely separated in tine, however. a .g0 Geological Scher-tic Stratigraphic Period Section in Hidden Cave Surface Silt Medithorl Top Midden (Lovelock Phase) Silts 32" Middon (Lovelock Phase) Altitheral Silts (Carson Phase) Volcanic Ash Anathernal Mud flow, bat guano, etc. and Upsal? (Hiddon Cave Phase) Lake Gravel Lioe, Lahontan III Sand Clay Sand -ad nud flow Lahontan II Clay Lahontan I Bodrock (Conentod gravels) Table 2 Corrclation of Goological Poriods And Stratigraphy in Hidden Cavo Above the Altithernl silts is a deposit of niddon composed largely of bat guano, tulJ, cano, cattail, otc. In nost of the cave this deposit is badly decomposed, probably having boen wet at one time. A water seep occurs at this level in the south wall of the cave. Towards the rear of this deposit the midden was burned. This layor varies from two to five inches in thickness and occurs throughout the front portion of the cave at an ave- rage depth of 32 inchos, honco will be roferred to as tho 132" middon' . * Above tho 32" middon thore Is a layer of mud flow and silts about 16" thick with striations of nud flow and aoolian partings. Vory few artifacts wore recovered fron this layer. Covering the latter layer is a deposit of wall preserved organic nateri- al. Over 85 /o of the 502 artifacts recovered in the cave cans from this layer, which will be reforrod to as the "Top Midden." In the front part of tho cave tho Top Middon is covered by a layer of fine silt of presumbly acolian origin, . It varies in thickness fron 0 to 12". This layer is presumed to be the ori3inal surface of the cave at the tine of discovery, although the amount of material removed by the guano miners and tho area in which they worked is not precisely known, Mr. S. M. Wheoler, who excavated a portion of the cave in 1941 for the Nevada Park Cornission, dug in an area which was evidently not covered by these silts. On the basis of the artifacts recovered from the Top and 32" ridden layers in Hidden Cave, theso deposits have boon assigned to thc Lovelock Phase. Specific resemblances to the matorials recovered fron Lovelock Cave (Loud and Harrington, 1929) occur for exaple in point typos, coiled basketry, twined tule bags, nats and basketry, netting, sandals, cane dart and arrow shafts and groasowood foroshaftsw Missing fron our excavations, but prosent in Wheelor' s excavations is Lovelock wicker basketry. 'L' -shaped scapula awls were missing fron both excavations. C14 dates obtainod by Dr. Croseamn on spocimens from Harrington' s stratigraphic pit in Lovolock Cave range from 1219 BC to 267 AD and suggest a timo span of from 1500 BC to 500 to 1000 AD (Arnold and Libby, 1951, p. 117; fleizor, 1951a, pp. 23-25; Libby, 1954, p. 739). The two points recovered fron the Altithermal silts are of different types than those known in tho Lovolock Phase, but my be rolated. For con- vonionce they have beon sot up as representing a tentative phase caLled the "Carson Phaso" after the Carson River and Sink. The four points recovered from the Anather-l layer are of a different type than those fron the nore rocont deposits and have been set up as rep- resenting a tentative phaso called the Hidden Cave Phase. There are points similar to the Hidden Cave Phaso type frm northeastern California and from Dixio Valloy, in Nevada, to the northeast of the Carson Sink.5 While surveying for new sites in the Carson Sink area, we visited a site discovered by Mr. George Hathaway of Carmichael, California, and named Hathaway Beach in his honor. * The site is located on tho south side of the Carson Sink near the pass from the Carson Sink to Walker Lake on a terrace formed by Lake Lahonton. The artifacts recovored consist largely of crudely * Site 26-ch-61* 0 61 0 flaked andeoite blados. Obsidian, rhyolito and chort are also used, how- over, ospeciaoly for scrapers and crosconts. Tho artifacts occur on the surface of Pahninid II rhyolite gravel which overlies Pahninid I andesite gravel. In placos the rhyolito gravel is erodod away oxposing the older gravels. Artifacts are somewhat more frequent in those exposed areas, but in no case were artifacts found beneath Pahninid II rhyolito gravels. Further, no water worn artifacts wore found, although a few show a slight deposit of tufa or caliche which night indicate that thoy hnd been covered by water at one tine. Morrison oquates tho Pahninid I formation with the tine of the Cary glaciation and the Pahninid II formation with the tino of the Mankato glaci- ation. The ovidence mentionod above strongly suggosts that tho artifacts in question could not be older than tho raxinum lake riso of Pahninid II tines and, in extension, of the Mankato naximum. The Pahninid II terrace lies about 200 feet higher than the height of tho Anathernal lake, which was about half a mile from the site. A socond sitc*producing the saoe kind of material was discovered on a ridge running north from Rainbow Mountain, on a torrace at approximately the soe cleovation as Hathaway Beach. On tho next lower terrace thero are artifacts of the Lovelock Phase. Both of these terraces are above the Ana- therma Lake lovel. Ne-ar tho Hathaway Berach site,2 at the sone or at slightly higher eleva- tion, the andesito quarries probably used by the occupants of the Hathaway Beach site were located. (Site designated 26- Ch-68.) The artifacts from these three sitos have boon assigned to a phase narmod the "Fallon Phase" after the nearby town of that nano. The Lovolock Phase, on the basis of geology, may bo considered as prim- arily Moditherraal in tine period; howover, C14 dates suggest that this occupa- tion bogan early in the Modithurmal. Further, we now have a continuous se- quence in this area from the Lovelock Phaso to the present. All of this suggosts that the Fallon material is post-Mnkato and pro-Medithcrnal--an Anatherm.l date is suggested as the most probable ono. There are typological resemblances betwoen Fallon naterial and that of Lako Mohavo (Canipboll et al, 1937) and Lind Couloo,0 but the closest resemblances are to spocinons found by Dr. Crossnan near Big Springs in Gluano Valley, southeastern Oregon (Crossnan, 1936). At the other end of the tine scale, a number of historic Northern Paiuto sites were located in tho Carson Sink area, which yielded quite small arrow- points of tho sane shapo as earlier types and "Shoshonin points, as well as other artifact typos coron to both tho Northorn Paiuto and tho Lovolock Phase. A few sitos wore discovered which lackod historic material, but which were otherwise indistinguishable fron historic sites. These latter sitos arc bolioved to represent a late pro-historic phaso which has been naned the Dune Springs Phase after one of tho sites of this kind. +A guess date for the beginning of this phaso of about 1000 AD nay be given on the basis of datos for the Lovelock Phase, and an end dato could be given of about 1840 AD, which is post-Jododiah Smith and pro-FEonont. + io.., site 26mChm67* * 62 * Much work remins to bo dono on the lat&-trohistoric archaeology of contral Novada. Undoubtodly the Lovelock Phase could bo subdivided torapor- ally nuch as Loud and Harrington suggested in 1929* Sono differences aro noticeable between the Top and 32" niddons in Hidden Cavo. Tho geographical distribution of ilho Lovolock Phaso-stilL~noods to be worked out* It is now known to havo extended fron Pyranid Lako to the Carson Sink, but there are suggestions that it may also have occurred farther east and wost. Its north-to-south distribuition is very poorly known. Tho relationship of the Lovelock Phaso to othor contenporary phases noods to be worked out. A cauparison of Lovelock with Pinto my prove to be vory fruit- ful. In rogard to earlier cultural manifestations we now have evidence for sone occupation of the aroa in tho Altitherml period with the Loonard Phase in the Hunboldt Sink and the Carson Phaso in the Carson Sink. Both phases are too poorly known to be usef;ul for conparativo purposes and nay, in fact, represent a single phase. Sinilarly for the Anathernal period, there are the Fallon and Hidden Cave Phases in the Carson Sink aroa and the Hunboldt Phase and possibly the Granite Point Phase in the Hunboldt Sink (Hoizor 1951b., pp. 89-98). It is clear that the Fallon Phase is different fro= anything found at Granite Point sites, and no exarples of Hidden Cavo points or of blades like the one frmn the Hunboldt Phase have, boon found in oithor Fallon or Granito Point sitos. Thero could bo a relationship between tho Huiaboldt Phaso and Hidden Cave Phaso, but it is not possible to rmako conparisons at tho pro- sent tine. To sunaarizo, five archaeological phases aro proposed for the Carson Sink area. Probably the oldest is the Fallon Phaso, which is known fron two high level occupation sites and a quarry site, and which my date fran Anatherml tinos. Possibly fror later in the Anathurnal, we have evidence of sonothing different, tho Hidden Cave3 Phase. Late in the Altithernal there is a little ovidonce for an occupation, which is callod the Carson Phaso. In the Modi- thermal, evidenco for the Lovelock Phaso has beon found. Finally, a defin- able phase, which probably represents tho remains of the prehistoric Northern Paiute, has boen noted which rmxrkd tho transition or bridges the gap botween Lovolock and the historic Northorn Paiuto. - 63 - NOTES 1. Tho interpretations of the geology of Lake Lahonton used in this papor wore roceivod in personal comunication with Mr. Morrison. 2. Personal communication with both Mr. Morrison and Dr. BE. Antevs. 3. Personal comrunication with Dr. Willians. 4. Records of the Nevada State Museum. 5. Specimeins in the University of California Museum of Anthropology. 6. Personal cormunication with Dr. Richard Daughorty. BIBLIOGRAPHY Arnold, J. R., and W. F. Libby 1951 Radiocarbon Dates. Scionce, vol. 113, no. Washington. Campbell, E. W. C., et al 1937 The Archoology of Pleistocenc Lake Mohave. Papors, no. 11, pp. 1-118. Los Angeles. 2927, pp. 111-120. Southwest Museum Crossroan, L. S. 1936 Archaoological Survoy of the Guano Valley ROeion in Southeastern Oregon. University of Orcgon Monographs, Studios in Anthro- pology, no. 1, pp. 1-48. Eugone. Heizer, Robert F. 1951a An Assossmont of Certain Nevada, California and Oregon Radio- carbon Dates. In Radiocarbon Dating. Society for Amorican Archeology, Monoirs, no. 8 (Am-erican Antiquity, vol. 17, no. 1, part 2), pp. 23-25. Salt Lako City. 1951b Prolininary Report on tho Leonard Rocksholtor site, Pershing County, Nevada. Ancrican Antiquity, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 89- 98. Salt Lake City. Loud, L. L., 1929 Libby, W. F. 1954 and M. R. Harrington Lovelock Cave. University of California Publications in Anmri- can Archaeology and Ethnology, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. viii-183. Borkeley. Chicago Radiocarbon Datos V. Scienco, vol. 120, no. 3123, pp. 733-742. Washington. m 64*