Browsing by Author "Meyer, Kelton A., author"

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Open Access
Absolute and relative chronology of a complex alpine game drive site (5BL148), Rollins Pass, Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Meyer, Kelton A., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Glantz, Michelle M., committee member; Breidt, F. Jay, committee member
Native American alpine game drive sites are recognized along major mountain travel corridors in Colorado's Southern Rockies. The Rollins Pass project area, located east of Winter Park, represents the densest concentration of alpine game drive sites in North America. Game drives at Rollins Pass vary in terms of size, frequency and diversity of features and artifacts, but also landform context. Past game drive research at Rollins Pass and elsewhere in the Colorado Front Range demonstrates that hunter-gatherer groups reoccupied some sites for centuries and even millennia, creating an amalgamation of material culture over the course of time. However, chronological reconstructions in alpine environments are limited by poor preservation, lacking stratigraphy, and the ephemeral nature of hunter-gatherer occupations at high altitudes. This thesis considers an investigation of the largest game drive at Rollins Pass, 5BL148, with a focus on chronology reconstruction. A relative occupation span is provided with an analysis of chipped stone tools and jewelry. Lichenometry is used to determine the age of lichen colonization events on stone walls, and radiocarbon dates on faunal remains and charcoal are used as absolute chronological measures. A spatial analysis of the artifact and feature assemblage is further used to identify evidence for distinct or temporally overlapping occupation episodes. The results indicate that 5BL148 represents a palimpsest of hunter-gatherer occupations, beginning in the Early Archaic era and ending in the Protohistoric era.
Open Access
Modeling spatial and temporal variability in a Folsom lithic scatter: views from the Reddin site, San Luis Valley, Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2025) Meyer, Kelton A., author; LaBelle, Jason M., advisor; Pante, Michael C., committee member; Van Buren, Mary, committee member; Shaby, Ben A., committee member
This dissertation explores Folsom mobility and campsite organization through the analysis of the Reddin site (5SH77), San Luis Valley, southern Colorado. Current models of Folsom mobility in the region focus on sites with buried and spatially discrete components, often representing single occupation events associated with bison hunting, lithic procurement, seasonal aggregation, or a combination of these activities. Reddin is a surface scatter of lithic debris lacking a buried horizon, but it includes a large Folsom assemblage and exhibits evidence of multiple occupations. Lithic analysis suggests Reddin was a place used for residential downtime and retooling broken equipment. I applied spatial statistical methods to detect multiple Folsom camps at the site using artifacts commonly associated with residential areas. Reddin contains at least 14 Folsom camps averaging more than 160 m distant, each with variable artifact densities. I then explored Folsom mobility patterns in each cluster by calculating mean per capita occupation span, based on artifact accumulation over time. I developed a new method of calculating occupation span using the steady accumulation of burned lithic debris, a common attribute of Folsom campsite spaces. The results indicate that each campsite was used for different lengths of time, representing a spectrum of Folsom mobility strategies used in the Valley's center. Multiple Folsom occupations at Reddin suggest the formation of a local cultural geography, which likely evolved in complexity with sequential visits to the site. Unless otherwise noted, all data, tables, maps, and figures in this dissertation were produced by the author.