Thesis (M.A.)--Wisconsin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-81).

Intermountain West bison abundance and chronology is much debated, but little work addressing these debates has occurred in eastern Oregon. Historic records indicate bison were absent from eastern Oregon at Euro-American contact. However, during explorations in eastern Oregon in 1826 Ogden reported bison skeletons in a dry lake bed, suggesting bison once lived in the area. This study reviews archaeological and paleontological records, and ethnohistoric accounts of early 19th century explorers, to synthesize the Holocene history of bison eastern Oregon. Bison NISP (number of identified specimens) was documented from site reports when available, and overall abundance was measured by number of sites and number of dated components containing bison. Optimal foraging theory suggests archaeofaunal assemblages can be used to determine abundance of high-ranked prey such as bison in the paleoenvironment. To determine bison chronology for undated archaeological and paleontological contexts, 15 bison bone samples were selected for AMS dating. In total, 136 archaeological site reports were reviewed, 102 include discussions of faunal analysis, and 20 provide evidence of bison. Two paleontological records provided sufficient data to include in this study. Bison NISP values were relatively small and in reports offering quantitative faunal data, bison represented a minimal percentage of the total mammalian assemblage. Of the AMS results, five were problematic and excluded from the study, and ten provided unambiguous ages ranging from 800-160 BP. Previously published dates in conjunction with new AMS dates support a late Holocene presence of bison in eastern Oregon. Bison are present, yet scarce, in the early Holocene and altogether absent between 7,000-3,000 BP. Research results for this study are similar to those from other Intermountain West regions. Research suggests large ungulates such as bison were never abundant in the Intermountain West due to environmental constraints. Grassland degradation caused by the introduction of cattle provides proof that the region is inappropriate for large grazing herds. Understanding the prehistory of bison in the region has implications for management of modern herds as well as grassland conservation issues.

The Fincastle site (DlOx-5) is located in Southern Alberta, Canada. Excavations from 2004-2007 unearthed a significant number of lithic artefacts, fire-broken rock and a dense bone bed. Radiocarbon dates (ca. 2500 BP) place the single occupancy kill site in the Late Middle Prehistoric Period. This thesis investigates the butchering activities that took place in the East Block of the site, where 60,000 bone fragments were collected. Of these faunal remains, 5,540 records were processed and examined using Brumley’s (1991) Bone Unit (BU) analysis scheme. They were then assigned to a Bone Unit Butchering Category, a classification system created to identify specific butchering activities. Detailed analyses of the articulations, location and quantity of impact and/or cut marks, and specific fracture types and lengths were also carried out. The evidence shows that both primary and secondary butchering operations occurred at Fincastle, including joint dismemberment, meat removal, marrow extraction and grease rendering processes. / xviii, 298 leaves : col. ill. ; 29 cm. --

xviii, 326 p. : ill. (some col.), maps. A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call number: KNIGHT GN799 .F6 H46 2002 / Archaeological evidence indicates that cold storage of bison meat was consistently practiced on the eastern Snake River Plain over the last 8000 years. Recent excavations in three cold lava tube caves have revealed a distinctive artifact assemblage of elk antler tines, broken handstones, and bison bone in association with frozen sagebrush features. Similar evidence has also been discovered in four other caves within the region. A patch choice model was utilized in this study to address how the long-term practice of caching bison meat in cold caves may have functioned in prehistoric subsistence patterns. Because the net return rate for bison was critical to the model, the hunting success of fur trappers occupying the eastern Snake River Plain during the early 1800s, as recorded in their daily journals, was examined and quantified. According to the model, the productivity of cold storage caves must be evaluated against the productivity of other patches on the eastern Snake River Plain, such as ephemeral ponds and linear river corridors from season to season and year to year. The model suggests that residential bases occurred only within river resource patches while ephemeral ponds and ice caves would contain sites indicative of seasonal base camps. The predictions of the model were tested against documented archaeological data from the Snake River Plain through the examination of Geographic Information Systems data provided by the Idaho Bureau of Land Management. The results of this analysis indicate that seasonal base camps are directly associated with both ephemeral and perennial water sources, providing strong support for the model's predictions. Likewise, the temporal distribution of sites within the study area indicates that climate change over the last 8000 years was not dramatic enough to alter long-term subsistence practices in the region. The long-term use of multiple resource patches across the region also confirms that, although the high return rates for bison made them very desirable prey, the over-all diet breadth for the eastern Snake River Plain was broad and included a variety of large and small game and plant foods. Bison and cold storage caves were a single component in a highly mobile seasonal round that persisted for some 8000 years, down to the time of written history in the 19th Century. / Committee in charge: Dr. C. Melvin Aikens, Chair; Dr. Lawrence Sugiyama ; Dr. Jon Erlandson ; Dr. Dennis Jenkins ; Dr. Cathy Whitlock ;