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Show DECEMBER 1996 Antelope Island Reveals Clues To Prehistoric Salt Lake Cultures eral thousand By Mark Gerard f° been a bountiful thousands of years. rivers and fertile eastern Lake This springs place to live for Marshes, creeks, punctuate shore section of the of the the long, Great Salt Salt Lake Valley has provided human ties with a broad selection communiof edibles since Age just after the last Paleo-Indians the Ice earliest resi dents, found it so accommodating didn’t roam far from home to they collect roots, berries, and cattails; or to fish, o1 hunt geese and rabbits. They may have begun their long tradition of sedentary hunter-gatherers right there, by the Great Salt Lake Even as the climate of the Salt Lake area became hotter and dryer over the last 16,000 years, its diverse water sources continued to anchor human communities. Later inhabitants captured and roasted swarms of grasshoppers and crickets. They ground the crisp bugs into meal and mixed it with berries as a sort of fruitcake. Over the years, archaeologists discovered these and other fascinating details of prehistoric life near the Great Salt Lake. They would like to know more. Trouble is, today’s Salt Lake residents prefer to live and work in many of the same locations as prehistoric Salt Tim Smith, Antelope Island Park Ranger, and Sarah George, Director of The Utah Museum of Natural History, look on as Duncan Metcalfe, Curator of The Utah Museum of Natural History, steps into excavation. Lakers did. So most evidence of ancient Great Salt Lake cultures lies under modern-day gathering places like the ZCMI Mall, Nordstroms and I1S. A class of ten archaeology students led by Duncan Metcalfe, Curator of the Utah Museum of Natural History, has turned its attention to surveying and excavating nearby Antelope Island. There they may find undisturbed sites from the same prehistoric cultures that once lived on both the island and the now-developed eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake. Among the artifacts Metcalfe’s group uncovered this summer are a 6,000 year-old spear point, and a complete metate — a type of grain grinder made of stone — that also may be sev- years old. Their dig is near a spring within sight of the island’s Fielding ranch house. Garr Coincidentally, the ranch house is the oldest surviving Anglo dwelling on its original foundation in Utah. Antelope Island park ranger Tim Smith is delighted with the archaeology work. “There’s no way we could survey and excavate like Duncan’s group is doing,” he said. Little was known of the island’s prehistory before Metcalfe’s work began in 1994. The island was not surveyed for archaeological sites until 1980 when the State of Utah purchased it, he added. Smith says state biologists are watching closely to see what animal bones the archaeologists uncover in prehistoric garbage pits. This will help identify native species, such as big horn sheep and sharptailed grouse, that are candidates for reintroduction to the island. Some experts believe that as lake shore Paleo-Indian populations increased and rainfall decreased, the Indians adapted by hunting upland animals, such as mountain sheep and grouse. They also may have pursued to extinction the mammoths, giant sloths and camels then living here. The Paleo-Indian culture — scatContinued on page 7 Your favorite KUED Videos are now just a phone call away. Celebrate Utah Perfect for your home library and a great gift idea too! Utah: The Struggle for Statehood Salt Lake City: Utah: A Portrait Once Upon a The stunning portrait of Utah’s magnificent landscape. $19.95 The acclaimed five-hour documentary series, produced by Ken Verdoia, chronicling the fascinating story of Utah’s 50-year struggle for the nation’s 45th star. Set of two videos (280 min.) $34.95 Take a nostalgic journey back to the Salt Lake City of the 1940s. $ 19.95 In Those Days: The Wasatch Front ofA videothescrapbook1930s. ofa simpler time, this moving film includes interviews with many prominent Utahns. $19.95 EIN THOSE DAYS The Wasatch reat cf the 138@ KUED VideoFinders is the one-stop source for all your favorite KUED programs. KUED members save 10% CALL 1-800-343-4727 to place your order today! PAGE 6 : |