Analysis of two late-prehistoric archeological sites on the upper Applegate River of southern Oregon

Graduation date: 1982Excavation of two archeological sites, 353A47 and 35JA49,\ud in the upper Applegate River Valley of southwestern Oregon was\ud conducted in 1978 by the Department of Anthropology, Oregon State\ud University. Site 353A47 is a multi-component site, of which only\ud the late-prehistoric stratum, containing one complete and two\ud partial housepits and a possible sweathouse, was the subject of\ud analysis. Site 35JA49 is the peripheral remnant of a once more-extensive\ud single component late-prehistoric site.\ud Each site was subjected to an activity area analysis to\ud locate specialized work areas and develop a picture of space use\ud by the occupants. At site 35JA47, seven cultural assemblages were identified from at least two successive late-prehistoric\ud occupations. Inside housepit One, activity areas were identified\ud for food processing, lithic manufacture, storage, and sleeping,\ud and similar areas, less the food processing focus, were identified\ud in the sweathouse. At site 35JA47, three activity areas related\ud to lithic manufacture and general work areas were located.\ud Vertical alignment of the areas indicates that site 35JA49 had\ud also been occupied several times.\ud The range and morphological styles of artifacts, with a few\ud minor variations, are consistent through the various occupation\ud levels and between sites. Theoretically, similarity of style\ud implies similarity of culture system. Therefore, it can be said\ud that a largely similar culture system was employed by the site\ud occupants across time and space, implying that a "culture steady\ud state" was in effect in the upper Applegate River Valley in the\ud late-prehistoric period.\ud Cultural ties can also be assumed between the Applegate sites\ud and other late-prehistoric sites in southwestern Oregon and\ud northwestern California, also on the basis of a strong similarity\ud of tool types and house style. This similarity lends support to\ud A. L. Kroeber's hypothesis of a related culture system common\ud between populations in that geographic region. Evidence provided\ud by the Applegate sites indicates that this culture area has\ud existed, however, far longer than Kroeber anticipated, perhaps for\ud 2,000 to 3,000 years