Solving the Prehistoric Puzzle

Solving the Prehistoric Puzzle. . 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 provides travelers with abundant wildlife and solitude along their modern journeys.