Multi-component Paleoindian surface sites in the Great Divide Basin of Wyoming

Abstract

The Wyoming Basin contains several smaller depressions one of which is the Great Divide Basin formed by the Continental Divide that splits, resulting in internal drainage area of nearly 11,000 km2. The lowest elevation of the Great Divide Basin is at the Chain Lakes Flat and is the location of numerous playas. In this 140 km2 are four surface concentrations of Paleoindian materials beginning with Folsom and ending with Late Paleoindian. Based on typology, human occupation ended with Late Paleoindian and began again in Middle Archaic an estimated 2,500–3,000 years later. This is an unusual concentration of Paleoindian artifacts and a strong contender for further research and testing for subsurface deposits.