A multi-substrate strontium isotope baseline for the Promontory Caves, Utah: implications for studies of ancient bison migration

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a framework for evaluating bison mobility in the eastern Great Basin during the thirteenth-century using strontium (Sr) isotope analysis. The Promontory Caves, Utah (42BO1 and 42BO2) were occupied for a relatively short period (A.D.1250-1290) but have a rich record of incredibly well-preserved organic remains including a high abundance of bison remains indicating that bison were a key prey species. Previous research indicates a decline in the local bison population which may have triggered a push for ancient people to navigate the landscape to shift their home (or seasonally-used territory). One possible site that the Promontory people visited is West Fork Rock Creek (WFRC) (10-Oa-275), Idaho. There is evidence that WFRC was visited by Promontory people as they were hunting bison in the late thirteenth-century. [...]