The Barker Site: Evidence for Occupation of the Tall Grass Prairie Region of Kansas throughout the Climatic Changes of the Holocene

Abstract

Diagnostic artifacts collected from the surface of the Barker site in southeastern Kansas indicate the site was repeatedly occupied throughout the Holocene. The narrow range of lithic artifact categories from the site suggests a correspondingly narrow range of economic activities. Climatic changes during the Holocene apparently did not have a drastic effect on the life-style of the ancient inhabitants of the site. The Barker site, 14NO28, is located on the 1st Terrace of the Neosho River in the tall grass prairie region of southeastern Kansas. The site is north of Chanute, Kansas. A meander scar of the Neosho River lies northeast of the site on a dissected floodplain. The artifacts from this site were recovered from the surface by Mr. William Barker who generously donated them to the University of Kansas. DIAGNOSTIC ARTIFACTS AND DATING OF THE SITE The Barker site yielded numerous projectile points that could serve as index fossils. The early Archaic period was represented by five projectile points, including a Meserve or Dalton projectile point (Fig. 1A), an Alberta projectile point (Fig. 1B), a Scottsbluff projectile point (Fig. 1 C) and two Rice Lobed projectile points (Fig. 1D, E). These projectile point styles date as early as seven or eight thousand years B.C. Alberta (Frison, 1978), Meserve, and Scottsbluff projectile points (Wormington, 1957) have been found associated with early Holocene bison kills in the Central Plains. Rice Lobed projectile points are estimated by Chapman (1957:254) to range in age from 7500 to 5000 B.C. The archaeology of the early Holocene of Kansas is largely unknown. Some of the projectile points from the Barker site are similar to those found in sites in Nebraska (the Scottsbluff and Alberta projectile points), and some are similar to projectile points found in early Holocene sites in Missouri This content downloaded from 157.55.39.27 on Mon, 05 Sep 2016 05:14:25 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms VOLUME 88, NUMBERS 1-2 15