Late Pleistocene Archaeology and Ecology in the Far Northeast Peopling of the Americas Publications Sponsored by the Center for the Study of the First Americans general editors: Michael R. Waters and Ted Goebel A list of other titles in this series appears at the end of the book. Late Pleistocene Archaeology & Ecology in the Far Northeast Edited by Claude Chapdelaine • Foreword by Christopher Ellis Texas A&M University Press college station Copyright © 2012 by Texas A&M University Press Manufactured in the United States of America All rights reserved First edition This paper meets the requirements of ansi / n iso z39.4- 1992 (Permanence of Paper). Binding materials have been chosen for durability. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Late Pleistocene archaeology and ecology in the far Northeast / edited by Claude Chapdelaine ; foreword by Christopher Ellis.—1st ed. p. cm. Eight contributions adapted from presentations given at a symposium held at the 2009 annual meeting of the Quebec Archaeological Association in Sherbrooke; 2 additional contributions and the introd. written specifi cally for this book. “Peopling of the Americas publications”—Prelim. p. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978- 1- 60344- 790- 4 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 1- 60344- 790- 3 (cloth : alk. paper)— ISBN 978- 1- 60344- 805- 5 (e- book)—ISBN 1- 60344- 805- 5 (e- book) 1. Paleo- Indians—Canada, Eastern. 2. Paleo- Indians—Northeastern States. 3. Indians of North America—Canada, Eastern—Antiquities. 4. Indians of North America—Northeastern States—Antiquities. 5. Canada, Eastern— Antiquities. 6. Northeastern States—Antiquities. 7. Antiquities, Prehistoric—Canada, Eastern. 8. Antiquities, Prehistoric—Northeastern States. 9. Land settlement patterns, Prehistoric—Canada, Eastern. 10. Land settlement patterns, Prehistoric—Northeastern States. I. Chapdelaine, Claude. II. Association des archéologues du Québec. E78.E2L35 2012 971.3'01—dc23 2012004370 contents List of Figures and Tables vii Foreword, by Christopher Ellis xi Acknowledgments xv chapter i. Introduction: Toward the Consolidation of a Cultural and Environmental Framework Claude Chapdelaine and Richard A. Boisvert 1 PART I. REGIONAL SYNTHESES chapter ii. Paleoindian Occupations in the Hudson Valley, New York Jonathan C. Lothrop and James W. Bradley 9 chapter iii. Maritime Mountaineers: Paleoindian Settlement Patterns on the West Coast of New England John G. Crock and Francis W. Robinson IV 48 chapter iv. The Paleoindian Period in New Hampshire Richard A. Boisvert 77 chapter v. Geographic Clusters of Fluted Point Sites in the Far Northeast Arthur Spiess, Ellen Cowie, and Robert Bartone 95 PART II. SPECIALIZED STUDIES chapter vi. New Sites and Lingering Questions at the Debert and Belmont Sites, Nova Scotia Leah Morine Rosenmeier, Scott Buchanan, Ralph Stea, and Gordon Brewster 113 chapter vii. The Early Paleoindian Occupation at the Cliche- Rancourt Site, Southeastern Quebec Claude Chapdelaine 135 chapter viii. The Burial of Early Paleoindian Artifacts in the Podzols of the Cliche- Rancourt Site, Quebec François Courchesne, Jacynthe Masse, and Marc Girard 164 chapter ix. The Bull Brook Paleoindian Site and Jeff reys Ledge: A Gathering Place near Caribou Island? Brian S. Robinson 182 chapter x. Between the Mountains and the Sea: An Exploration of the Champlain Sea and Paleoindian Land Use in the Champlain Basin Francis W. Robinson IV 191 chapter xi. Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene Adaptation: The Case of the Strait of Quebec Jean- Yves Pintal 218 Contributors 237 Index 239 figures 2.1. Physiographic regions of New York 10 3.10. Cormier / Nicholas projectile point and point frag- 2.2. Late Pleistocene landscapes and key deglacial events ment from Vermont 62 in eastern New York and vicinity 12 3.11. Ste. Anne / Varney chert projectile point and Mount 2.3. Schematic of maximum footprint of Glacial Lake Jasper / J eff erson rhyolite bifaces and projectile point Albany 12 bases 64 2.4. Digital elevation map of west- central New 3.12. Ste. Anne / Varney projectile point fragments recov- York, showing west- to- east trending Cross State ered from Vermont 67 Channels 17 3.13. Map of the Far Northeast showing sources of lithic 2.5. Locations of selected Paleoindian sites in eastern raw materials 70 New York and vicinity 18 3.14. “Miniature” chert fl uted point from Newbury, 2.6. Railroad 1 site, bifaces 22 Vermont 71 2.7. Railroad 1 site, evidence of toolstone reduction 22 4.1. Map of Paleoindian sites and isolated fi nds in New Hampshire 78 2.8. Railroad 1 site, unifacial tools 22 4.2. Colebrook site and terrain 82 2.9. Twin Fields site, fl uted points and endscrapers 23 4.3. Whipple site and terrain 83 2.10. Twin Fields site, gravers, sidescrapers, and utilized fl akes 23 4.4. Potter site shovel test pits 84 2.11. Sundler sites, selected tools 24 4.5. Potter site and terrain 84 2.12. County centroids and rank order for ten New York 4.6. Israel River Complex sites and terrain 85 counties with highest fl uted point densities 27 4.7. Thornton’s Ferry and Hume sites and terrain 85 3.1. Map of Vermont showing the location of Paleo- 4.8. Thorne site and terrain 86 indian sites and spot fi nds 50 4.9. Paleoindian points from New Hampshire sites 89 3.2. Bull Brook / West Athens Hill fl uted projectile 5.1. Geographic clusters of Paleoindian sites in the Far points and projectile point fragments 52 Northeast 96 3.3. Quartzite projectile point preforms and biface frag- 5.2. Michaud site points 97 ments and chert biface, Mahan site 53 5.3. Vail geographic site cluster in the fl ooded Magallo- 3.4. Chert scrapers recovered from the Early Paleoindian way River valley 101 Mahan site 54 5.4. Aziscohos large biface made of red Munsungun 3.5. Tools from the Jackson- Gore site, attributable to chert 102 the Middle Paleoindian period 56 5.5. Lower Wheeler Dam site fl uted point 102 3.6. Reagen site points attributable to the Middle and 5.6. Morss site points 103 Late Paleoindian periods 58 5.7. Vail area Kill Site 2 point 103 3.7. Michaud / Neponset projectile points attributed to 5.8. Michaud geographic site cluster 104 the Fairfax Sandblows site 59 5.9. Lamoreau site artifacts 105 3.8. Michaud / N eponset fl uted points and fragments from Vermont 60 5.10. LaMontagne site artifacts 105 3.9. Crowfi eld type tools from Vermont, attributable to 5.11. Taxiway site under excavation, Auburn airport 105 the Middle Paleoindian period 61 5.12. Taxiway site artifacts 106 vii viii Figures and Tables 5.13. Beacon Hill site artifacts 106 7.7. Endscrapers, Cliche- Rancourt site 142 5.14. Keogh site artifacts 107 7.8. Sidescrapers, Cliche- Rancourt site 144 5.15. Cormier site fl uted points 107 7.9. Gravers, Cliche- Rancourt site 147 6.1. Radiocarbon dates for features at the Debert 7.10. Wedges, Cliche- Rancourt site 150 site 114 7.11. Channel fl akes, Cliche- Rancourt site 152 6.2. Schematic section of the Debert deposit 115 7.12. Nuclei or cores, C liche-R ancourt site 153 6.3. Original fi eld profi les and plan view of a unit exca- 7.13. Tool distribution in Cliche- Rancourt Area 1 154 vated at the Belmont I site 116 7.14. Tool distribution in Cliche- Rancourt Area 3 155 6.4. Belmont II 2 unit showing profi les to the level of 7.15. Debitage distribution in Cliche- Rancourt the presumed living fl oor 116 Area 3 155 6.5. Roofi ng shingles dumped at the original MacDon- 7.16. Cliche- Rancourt lithic network and the locations of ald site 117 major related sites 158 6.6. Elder Douglas Knockwood and executive director 8.1. Profi le distributions of artifacts at the Cliche- Donald Julien 117 Rancourt site 165 6.7. Schematic of Debert Site Delineation Project unit 8.2. Mégantic Lake area and location of the Cliche- with test pits 118 Rancourt site 166 6.8. Schematic of Debert Site Delineation 119 8.3. Plan view of the fi ve Cliche- Rancourt site excava- 6.9. Artifacts found in the Debert Site Delineation tion areas and location of soil profi le D 166 Project survey testing 119 8.4. Plan view of Cliche- Rancourt Area 3 and location 6.10. LIDAR relief base map showing locations of 20 m of soil profi les A, B, and C 167 survey squares 120 8.5. Values of soil pH in water and organic carbon con- 6.11. Map of the 2006 Debert geological augering tent in soil profi les, Cliche- Rancourt 170 survey 121 8.6. Concentrations of extractible Fe and Al in soil 6.12. Size distribution histograms for selected sand de- profi les, Cliche- Rancourt 171 posits, Debert site 122 8.7. Ancient pedoturbation in soil profi le A, Cliche- 6.13. Typical soil expression at Debert, showing L- F- H, Rancourt 172 Ae, Bf, B, and C horizons 123 8.8. Ancient pedoturbation in soil profi le B, Cliche- 6.14. Debert unit 12–20 showing a possible buried soil Rancourt 172 expression 124 8.9. Recent pedoturbation in soil profi le C, Cliche- 6.15. LIDAR image showing Debert archaeological sites Rancourt 172 in relation to the Younger Dryas cover sands 124 8.10. Two- dimensional spatial distribution of artifacts, 6.16. Comparative stratigraphies of the Debert sites and Cliche- Rancourt 173 four nearby geological sections 125 8.11. Three- dimensional spatial distribution of artifacts, 6.17. Extents of glaciation, sea levels, vegetation, and Cliche- Rancourt 174 glaciofl uvial / glaciolacustrine activity during the late 8.12. Floralturbation of a forest soil in the Lower Lauren- Allerød and Younger Dryas 126 tians, Quebec. 174 6.18. Chronology, climate, and pollen stratigraphy com- 8.13. Faunalturbation of a soil profi le 175 pared with a Greenland ice core 128 8.14. Cryoturbation in a soil of the Rupert River area, 7.1. General location of the Cliche- Rancourt site 136 Quebec 175 7.2. Map of the Cliche- Rancourt site 136 8.15. Synthesis of vertical distribution of dominant pedo- 7.3. Map of the Mégantic Lake area 137 turbation processes, Cliche- Rancourt site 179 7.4. Projectile points, Cliche- Rancourt site 139 9.1. Gulf of Maine showing exposed land at lowstand, 7.5. Large alternate beveled biface, Cliche- Rancourt circa 10,500 C yr BP 184 site 141 9.2. Features of the southern Gulf of Maine at the Late 7.6. Biface fragments, Cliche- Rancourt site 141 Pleistocene lowstand 185 Figures and Tables ix 10.1. Overview of the Far Northeast region and the 11.7. Corner- notched point and borer from site CeEt- Champlain Sea, ca. 11,800 cal BP 194 657, upper occupation level 224 10.2. Close- up view of Bull Brook / West Athens Hill 11.8. Point, drill, and gravers from site CeEt- 778 224 Paleoindian sites 200 11.9. Lanceolate to leaf- shaped points with concave bases 10.3. Paleoindian sites in relation to the Champlain Sea from site CeEt- 481 226 maximum 201 11.10. Lanceolate to leaf- shaped points with oblique bases 11.1. General map of the study area around Quebec from site CeEt- 481 227 City 219 11.11. Basally thinned points from site CeEt- 481 227 11.2. Holocene relative sea- level fl uctuations in the St. 11.12. Leaf- shaped points with undulating parallel oblique Lawrence estuary 220 surface patterns from site CeEt- 481 228 11.3. Paleovegetation maps of Quebec, 13,000–9000 11.13. Points or drills tips from sites CdEt- 1 and cal BP 220 CdEt- 2 228 11.4. Strait of Quebec, ca. 11,500 cal BP 221 11.14. Basally thinned point and drill from site 11.5. Locations of archaeological sites, Quebec City and CeEv- 5 228 surroundings 222 11.15. Corner- notched point, scraper, and drill from site 11.6. “Fluted” biface and knife from site CeEt- 657, lower CeEt- 5 230 occupation level 223 tables 2.1. Comparison of modal point forms, New England– 7.5. Graver attributes, Cliche- Rancourt site 148 Maritimes and eastern Great Lakes 15 7.6. Utilized fl ake attributes by area, Cliche- Rancourt 2.2. Settlement characteristics of Hudson Valley Paleo- site 151 indian sites 20 7.7. Lithic distribution in the fi ve areas of the 2.3. Rank order of ten New York counties with highest Cliche- Rancourt site 153 fl uted point densities 26 7.8. Relative chronologies of Paleoindian point 2.4. Transport of Paleoindian toolstone into and from styles 157 the New York region 29 8.1. Physical properties of the horizons of soil profi le A, 2.5. Investigated Paleoindian sites with reported artifacts Cliche- Rancourt site 168 of Normanskill Group cherts 31 8.2. Exchangeable cations and cation exchange capac- 2.6. Jasper tools found at selected fl uted point sites in ity in soil profi les A, B, and D, Cliche- Rancourt the Hudson- Mohawk Lowlands 33 site 169 4.1. Paleoindian sites and isolated fi nds in New 8.3. Mineralogy of the clay fraction in soil profi le A, Hampshire 80 Cliche- Rancourt site 170 4.2. Fluted point temporal sequence for the Far 8.4. Mineralogy of fi ne silts in soil profi le A, Cliche- Northeast 88 Rancourt site 170 6.1. Dates for features from the Debert site 115 8.5. Synthesis of the temporal changes in the dominant 7.1. Early Paleoindian lithic assemblage from the pedoturbation processes, Cliche- Rancourt site 178 Cliche- Rancourt site 138 11.1. Main attributes of the most complete points, 7.2. Major attributes of fragmented fl uted points, Quebec City sites 225 Cliche- Rancourt site 140 11.2. Preliminary chronological sequence for the late 7.3. Endscraper attributes, Cliche- Rancourt site 143 Pleistocene / early Holocene occupation of the Strait of Quebec 231 7.4. Sidescraper attributes, Cliche- Rancourt site 145