Reconsidering the potential role of saline springs in the Paleoindian occupation of Sandy Springs, Adams County, Ohio

Abstract

The potential role of saline springs in Paleoindian settlement models has been espoused for over 50years. An early example of this adaptive strategy was proposed in 1973 by Roger Cunningham in his formative discussion of the Paleoindian Sandy Springs site in Adams County, Ohio. Cunningham argued that saline springs located among local sand dunes acted as a significant draw for migrating game animals and, subsequently, the Paleoindian hunters that pursued them. Despite being widely accepted and repeated in the literature, the claim of saline-enriched groundwater at Sandy Springs has never been evaluated quantitatively. To assess the accuracy of Cunningham's claim, this study completed electrical conductivity and pH analysis of surface water and sediment samples within a 20-km radius of Sandy Springs. Testing failed to identify water samples >320ppm total dissolved solids, a result far below established thresholds for brackish or brine classification. Underlying local bedrock geology also is not conducive for the presence of saline springs, and no mention of salt licks, commercial salt wells, or animal trails has been identified in the literature for Adams County, Ohio. Sediment samples from sand dunes locations previously argued to contain saline springs at Sandy Springs also failed to yield statistically different pH values than those from non-dune, alluvial contexts. Overall, the reported presence of saline springs at Sandy Springs could not be verified by geochemical data. Instead, it is suggested in this article that saline groundwater was not a principal factor in determining Paleoindian occupation of the site. Alternative explanations for site occupancy include the possible presence of rare resources associated with a sand prairie ecosystem and the potential that Sandy Springs was positioned along an early trail system connecting the upper Ohio Valley with the Tennessee and Cumberland Valleys.