PA3135 Glass Beads

Dooley Site

48PA3135 contains a variety of stone circle, hearths, and other activity areas distributed over about 2.4 ha. Both radiocarbon dates (N=5) and bead morphology suggest multiple occupations beginning just before contact and into the Contact Period. In addition to the Contact Period beads, the site also contains a metal arrow point manufacturing areas and assorted other metal trade items including a complete Dutch oven, apparently cached for anticipated reuse.

This site contains one of the largest assemblage of white heart (red-on-white or cornelian) beads from the GRSLE project area. These are a temporal marker that suggests a most likely age of occupation of the associated features as being after 1840 (Billick 2008). Bead diameter age of manufacture estimates using von Wedell’s (2011) regression formula and the radiocarbon dates also support the age of use differences for some of the site’s features. For more maps of artifact distributions at 48PA3135 see Todd 2019 (Figures 11.9 and 11.10).

Dutch oven from 48PA3135
48PA3135 is large open camp with beads found at several features. Lkely multiple occupations.
Work with the glass bead assemblage at 48PA3135 has included refitting individually mapped fragments of broken beads.

Bead Photos

Feature G8F-13 Stone Circle

Mapped beads in relation to center point of stone circle feature G8F-13
« of 4 »

Feature G8F-7

Beads associated with feature G8F-7
« of 3 »

Feature G8F-8

Beads associated with feature G8F-8

Feature G8F-9

Beads associated with feature G8F-9

References Cited

Billeck, W.T. (2008). Red-on-White drawn or Cornelian Beads: A 19th-Century Temporal Marker for the Plains. Beads 20:49-61.

Todd, L.C. (2019). Taking it to Another Level: Engagning the Archaeology of Northwest Wyoming’s High Elevation Landscapes. In Dinwoody Dissected: Looking at the Interrelationships Between Central Wyoming Petroglyphs.
Edited by. D. Walker, pp. 185-211. Wyoming Archaeological Society.

von Wedell, Christopher R. (2011). Methods of dating glass beads from protohistoric sites in the South Platte River Basin, Colorado. MA Anthropology, Colorado State University. MA Thesis Anthropology, Fort Collins.