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Appendix H - Historical Archaeological and ... - CBP.gov

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Figure H-6. Plateau Culture Area Chronology<br />

Early Period<br />

The Early Period (12,000 – 8,000 B.P.) spans the Late Pleistocene <strong>and</strong> Early Holocene, a time of<br />

initial human settlement when continental glaciers retreated north <strong>and</strong> climate remained warmer<br />

<strong>and</strong> drier than today. The Paleo-Indian archaeological components that date to this age are rare<br />

throughout the Plateau. The East Wenatchee Clovis Cache was discovered in Grant County just<br />

south of the PEIS zone <strong>and</strong> represents a notable, if atypical, assemblage of Clovis projectile<br />

points <strong>and</strong> other lithic <strong>and</strong> bone artifacts that date to this period. More widespread are<br />

components dated to the Early Period based on the presence of projectile points of the Western<br />

Stemmed Tradition, which may represent a separate influx of humans into the region around the<br />

time of the Pleistocene-Holocene transition (Beck <strong>and</strong> Jones, 2010).<br />

Humans adapted to environmental changes during the Early Period by utilizing a wide range of<br />

subsistence resources <strong>and</strong> establishing short-term camps near those resources. The<br />

Northern Border Activities H-66 July 2012

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