Archaeological Investigations on the East Fork of the Salmon River, Custer County, Idaho

Description

Archaeological investigations were conducted by the Laboratory of Anthropology, University of Idaho, along the East Fork of the Salmon River in conjunction with the proposed construction of the Hagerman Satellite Fish Hatchery by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District. Excavation to mitigate the Big Boulder Creek site (l0-CR-768) revealed several features radiocarbon dated at 165±75 BP and 1840±75 BP indicating at least two periods of occupation. Test excavation at another site (10-CR-93) indicated that there were no subsurface deposits while reconnaissance resulted in the recovery of projectile, points typologically dated 4000-200 years BP. Test excavations across the East Fork at the Baker Creek site (10-CR-789) also failed to reveal significant subsurface deposits but the recovery of a single projectile point indicates an occupation comparable in age to that encountered at 10-CR-768 and 10-CR-93. Overall, it appears that the vicinity of the Hagerman Satellite Fish Hatchery was occupied for some 4000 years by aboriginal groups affiliated with those in southern Idaho and the Northern Great Basin in general.