Rodgers Shelter Research Articles

Geoarchaeology of stratified paleoindian deposits at the Big Eddy site, Southwest Missouri, U.S.A.

AbstractThe Big Eddy site (23CE426) in the Sac River valley of southwest Missouri is a rare recorded example of distinctly stratified Early through Late Paleoindian cultural deposits. Early point types recovered from the site include Gainey, Sedgwick, Dalton (fluted and unfluted), San Patrice, Wilson, and Packard. The Paleoindian record at Big Eddy represents only a fraction of the site's prehistoric cultural record; stratified cultural deposits in alluvium above the Paleoindian components span the entire known prehistoric sequence, and terminal Pleistocene alluvium may contain pre‐Early Paleoindian cultural deposits. This study focused on the paleogeomorphic setting, stratigraphy, depositional environments, pedology, geochronology, and history of landscape evolution of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene alluvium at the site. The Paleoindian sequence is associated with a complex buried soil 2.85 m below the modern surface (T1a) of the first terrace of the Sac River valley in the site vicinity. This soil formed at the top of the early submember of the Rodgers Shelter Member (underlying the T1c paleogeomorphic surface) and contains at least 70 cm of stratified Paleoindian cultural deposits, all in floodplain and upper point‐bar facies. A suite of 36 radiocarbon ages indicates that the alluvium hosting the Paleoindian sequence aggraded between ca. 13,250 and 11,870 cal yr B.P. (11,380 and 10,180 14C yr B.P.). Underlying deposits accumulated between ca. 15,300 and 13,250 cal yr B.P. (12,950 and 11,380 14C yr B.P.). By ca. 11,250 cal yr B.P. (9,840 14C yr B.P.) the T1c paleogeomorphic surface was buried by the earliest increment of a thick sequence of overbank sheetflood facies, ultimately resulting in deep burial and preservation of the Paleoindian record. The landform‐sediment assemblage that hosts the Paleoindian and possibly earlier cultural deposits at Big Eddy is both widespread and well preserved in the lower Sac River valley. Moreover, the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene depositional environments were favorable for the preservation of the archaeological record. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Integrating Stalagmite, Vertebrate, and Pollen Sequences to Investigate Holocene Vegetation and Climate Change in the Southern Midwestern United States

Speleothem carbon and oxygen isotopic records from Onondaga Cave, south-central Missouri, and Beckham Creek Cave, north-central Arkansas, are compared with the Cupola Pond and Oldfield Swamp pollen series from southeastern Missouri and the Rodgers Shelter and Modoc Shelter vertebrate biostratigraphic sequences from central Missouri and southwestern Illinois. Similar, and roughly contemporaneous, shifts between deciduous forest and steppe indicators throughout the Holocene are revealed in each database. These independent proxies record steppe conditions between approximately 9000 and 1500 cal yr B.P. A shift toward lighter speleothem carbon may reflect a change from warm and dry to cool and dry conditions between 4500 and 3000 yr B.P. The sensitive response of speleothem δ13C to changes in vegetation emphasizes their importance as paleoclimate records in an area containing few other millenial-scale climate proxies.

The Chronological Position of the Dalton Horizon in the Southeastern United States

The chronological placement of the Dalton horizon in the southeastern United States has traditionally been between 10,000 and 8,000 B.P. (8000–6000 B.C.). A review of previous dating approaches questions the basis for that assignment and casts serious doubts about the validity of alleged associations between Dalton remains and C-14 dates in caves and shelters. The significance of two Dalton-associated C-14 dates from the alluvial terrace of the Rodgers Shelter site is discussed in regard to their age and contexts. Excavations of Dalton open sites during the 1970s revealed pure Dalton assemblages with no side-notched and corner-notched points present. Radiocarbon dates spanning the period from 9,500 to 9,000 B.P. for side-notched and corner-notched points indicate that the Dalton point had ceased to be made by that time. It is argued that the interval from 10,500 to 9,900 B.P. (8500–7900 B.C.) is the correct temporal position of the Dalton horizon. The importance of correctly estimating the age and duration of the Dalton adaptation is emphasized, particularly for relating technological and settlement strategies to the paleoenvironmental changes of the early Holocene.

Clinal variation of some mammals during the Holocene in Missouri

Eastern cottontail ( Sylvilagus floridanus), fox squirrel ( Sciurus niger), and gray squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis) were examined for clinal variation during the Holocene. Modern samples of all three species displayed strong east-west patterns along the western edge of the eastern deciduous forest: S. floridanus and S. niger decrease and S. carolinensis increases in size. Archeological samples of S. carolinensis from Rodgers Shelter (23BE125), Benton County, Missouri, and Graham Cave (23MT2), Montgomery County, Missouri, indicated an increase in size from early to middle Holocene. Sylvilagus floridanus from Rodgers Shelter decreased in size from early to middle Holocene and then increased during the late Holocene to modern proportions. A literature survey reveals that clinal variation is a common phenomenon among modern homeotherms. In introduced species, clinal variation has developed after relatively few generations, indicating rapid adaptations to environmental conditions; often winter climatic variables are implicated. Morphological variation in the study species during the Holocene is interpreted as a response to changing climates. Studies of morphological clines may lead to another valuable data source for reconstructing past ecologies.

Factors Influencing the Archaic Pattern of Animal Exploitation

ABSTRACTThe origins of the Archaic subsistence pattern in North America are examined by focusing only on the terrestrial faunal procurement system. A model is presented and predictions derived which are then tested on faunal material from Russell Cave (Alabama), Rodgers Shelter (Missouri), and Hogup Cave (Utah). It is argued that the relative abundance of small animals in the prehistoric diet is an index to the natural availability of large species. It is concluded that the economic implications of a decline in the number of large species (post-Pleistocene extinctions) would be a shift towards greater dependence on the smaller animals.

The Holocene Naiad Record at Rodgers Shelter in the Western Ozark Highland of Missouri

Freshwater mussels from Rodgers Shelter in the western Ozark Highland of Missouri have been identified and their place in the prehistoric subsistence economy assessed. Recent collections indicate t...

Chemical Analysis of Deposits at Rodgers Shelter, Missouri

While chemical analyses of deposits from archaeological sites have often used phosphorus as an indicator of past human activity, there is little agreement on which type of phosphorus test is most u...

Post-Pleistocene Depositional Change at Rodgers Shelter, Missouri

Investigations of the deposits in Rodgers Shelter (23BE 125), on the western periphery of the Ozark Highlands, delineated major depositional patterns at the site and determined the chronological relationship of these patterns to human activities. Twenty-five sediment samples representing a stratigraphic sequence through the 11,000 year old accumulation were subjected to 2 types of analysis: 1) particle size determinations made by a combination of the hydrometer method and wet sieving, and 2) determination of mineral and rock composition of gravel and coarse sand by visual examinationPrincipal components factor analysis applied to particle size and composition data yielded 3 factors representing changing upland and hillslope erosional patterns, shifting location of the nearby Pomme de Terre River channel, and variations in vertical accretion by the Pomme de Terre River.Weighted average cluster analysis of factor scores on the 3 depositional variables delimited 7 major groups of samples, each representing distinctly different depositional conditions. Viewed stratigraphically, 10 depositional units were defined. The depositional environment of each was determined by mean factor scores. These stratigraphic units provide a more refined picture of site stratigraphy than is available from field observations alone.Viewed chronologically, the cluster analysis provides a model of the post-Pleistocene depositional history of the site: progressing from a period of intense upland erosion and aggradation by the Pomme de Terre, to a period of severe local hillslope erosion and valley degradation, and finally to a period of combined alluvial and colluvial deposition on the T-lb terrace. When the depositional history and cultural history of the site are compared, every major hypothesized change in human adaptive strategy coincides with a major change in depositional patterns, providing a convincing example of the close interrelationship between human behavior and surrounding environmental conditions

Early Canid Burial from the Western Ozark Highland

A dog skeleton unearthed at Rodgers Shelter, Benton County, Missouri, came from a zone dating at approximately 5500 B.C. The animal, buried in a shallow pit beneath a tumulus of limestone rocks, is one of the earliest instances of canid interment to be recorded for North America.

The Weights of Chipped Stone Points: A Clue to Their Functions

The Weights of Chipped Stone Points: A Clue to Their Functions