Near Wapiti in Park County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)

Solving the Prehistoric Puzzle

Photographed by McGhiever, June 26, 2023

1. Solving the Prehistoric Puzzle Marker

Inscription. About 3,000 years ago, small groups of people camped here for a short time. In 1985, archaeologists found stone tools and thousands of bone fragments associated with two fire hearths. The excavation revealed that in winter, the people subsisted mainly on mountain sheep. These people were intimately familiar with their environment and may have even timed their stay to hunt small bands of bighorn sheep wintering in the valley.

Pieces of the Prehistoric Puzzle
Thousands of butchered mountain sheep bone fragments were found in and around the hearths. Chipped stone flakes on the upwind side of the hearth and burned bone on the downwind side indicates that prehistoric stone workers deliberately positioned themselves to avoid smoke.

Research Revealed
Bone remains at the site indicate the prehistoric people used mountain sheep, elk, deer, bobcat and bear for food, shelter and tools. Every part of the animal was used. Bones were crushed to extract marrow, and the remaining bone was boiled for its nutritious juices and fats. This area, which has supported large numbers of elk and bighorn sheep since prehistoric time, still

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provides travelers with abundant wildlife and solitude along their modern journeys.

Erected by United States Forest Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Location. 44° 27.804′ N, 109° 35.029′ W. Marker is near Wapiti, Wyoming, in Park County. It is on North Fork Highway west of County Route 414, on the left when traveling west. Marker is at an unmarked wayside on a slight rise on the south side of the highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cody WY 82414, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Bighorn Basin

and in Greater Yellowstone.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Touch the Past (here, next to this marker); Protection

Solving the Prehistoric Puzzle marker (left) at a wayside overlooking the Shoshone Canyon image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, June 26, 2023

2. Solving the Prehistoric Puzzle marker (left) at a wayside overlooking the Shoshone Canyon

Proves Profitable (approx. 2.9 miles away); Is This Forest Healthy? (approx. 2.9 miles away); Shoshone National Forest (approx. 2.9 miles away); A Burning Need (approx. 2.9 miles away); Absaroka Volcanic Field (approx. 6.1 miles away); Home for Ten Thousand Years (approx. 8.9 miles away).

Credits. This page was last revised on July 17, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 16, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 221 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 16, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.