6
Wednesday, April 8, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Prehistoric life at Lake Abert
By Helen Schmidling
Correspondent
Lake Abert, our state’s
only salt-water lake, is
hardly capable of supporting
a human community these
days. But Dr. Richard M.
Pettigrew of Eugene claims
archaeological evidence
that human occupation of
the lake’s margins was once
extensive.
Pettigrew
says,
“Concentrations of prehis-
toric habitation sites around
the lake, on terraces at differ-
ent elevations, suggest that
ancestral Native American
hunter-gatherers were able
to support surprisingly large
populations from the imme-
diately available biotic
resources.”
This evidence implies that
the ecosystem of the lake and
the area around it were signif-
icantly more productive at a
time pre-dating the 19th cen-
tury. A reasonable hypothesis
is that during the Holocene,
the lake was relatively fresh
and deep, compared to its
current condition, and sup-
ported a diverse and sizeable
biotic population. In other
words, enough fresh water,
plants, and fish for humans to
occupy the region.
Dr. Pettigrew is president
and executive director of
the Archaeological Legacy
Institute. He will speak on
the evidence for prehistoric
human use of Lake Abert,
and its ecosystem implica-
tions, at a symposium about
Lake Abert on April 25 at the
Black Butte Ranch confer-
ence rooms.
Like others who’ve
researched Lake Abert,
Pettigrew agrees that the
SISTERS
GARAGE DOORS
Sales • Service • Installation
Residential • Commercial
Door & Opener
Tune-Up - $89
Dale Lester
CCB#151832
541-815-1523
high-desert lake seems rela-
tively lifeless, outside of the
swarms of brine flies that
seasonally cover its alkaline
shores. “The rocky land-
scape, while starkly beauti-
ful, appears inhospitable to
human habitation. Historical
records mention a Native
American presence, but sug-
gest fairly light use.
Pettigrew said, “Imagine
the great surprise of archae-
ologists in the 1970s, while
examining a proposed high-
way project along the lake’s
margins, when the discovered
clear traces of many prehis-
toric village sites! How could
this be? We can’t even drink
the water!
“We archaeologists never
would have been inspired
to examine such a place
in detail, but the National
Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA) required serious
research during the highway
construction planning phase.
Whatever our preconcep-
tions, the law demanded that
we investigate, so we did.
“After the first inspec-
tions,” he said, “multiple
research phases demonstrated
that Lake Abert and its sur-
rounding basin were once
home to many people, per-
haps thousands of them, who
lived in hundreds of clearly
defined houses, many with
stone architectural features.
People moved their houses
up and down the slopes as
the lake – which was once
much fresher – rose and fell
with the changing climate.
They lived there until fairly
recently. So looks can be
deceiving!”
Pettigrew said the first
surveys took place in the
mid-1970s along Highway
395.
“When I walked the high-
way route in 1976, I was
stunned to find clear traces of
a substantial prehistoric soci-
ety,” he said. “The evidence
was obvious, and included
a staggering array of circu-
lar depressions, art motifs,
concentrations of all kinds
of stone tools, and even the
stone-walled ruins of appar-
ent houses.”
Subsequent surveys and
excavations took place into
the 1980s, both along the
lakeshore and upstream in the
lowlands of the Chewaucan
River basin. The total number
of prehistoric sites recorded
along the lakeshore and in
the basin was 326, including
at least 76 village sites.
“Altogether, more than
580 circular features, most of
them probably house struc-
tures, and 73 rock rings, are
recorded,” Pettigrew said.
Pettigrew and others have
concluded that people have
been living in the area for
more than 10,000 years, with
most of the evidence dat-
ing to after 4,000 years ago,
and before historic contact.
Patterns of site and artifact
elevation and relationships
with lake terraces indicate
fluctuations of lake levels
during that period of early
human habitation.
There is no currently
active program for site pro-
tection, beyond the regular
Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) monitoring of their
lands. Tribes were not
actively involved in exca-
vations and surveys in the
1970s and ‘80s, Pettigrew
said, but they have become
very involved with issues
surrounding the River End
Celebration of Life
Beatrice Louise Pilz
July 17, 1928 – January 4, 2015
A celebration of Bea’s life will be held Saturday,
April 18 at 2 p.m. at The Episcopal Church of the
Transfi guration, 68825 Brooks Camp Rd., Sisters.
A reception will follow in the social hall.
Contributions in Bea’s memory may be made to the High
Desert Museum, 59800 S. Hwy. 97, Bend, OR, 97702.
Sp
Spring
p
Into
Grea
Great Savings!
$3
$300 Discount
Fo r the month of April when
For
F
yo start
sta a comprehensive
you
trea
treatment
programO
Not va
valid with any other offer.
N
New
Patients Only.
Smile by Hailee and
The Brace Place!
photo provided
dr. richard m. Pettigrew will speak in a Black Butte ranch symposium.
Ranch and the dam that was
built there in 1991, which
they claim disturbed pre-
historic sites and revealed
human bones. “No archaeo-
logical excavation took place
in relation to dam construc-
tion,” said Pettigrew, “and
this outraged both the archae-
ologists and the tribes.”
Pettigrew, along with
private landholders, public
agency spokespersons, and
others concerned with preser-
vation of Oregon’s high lakes,
will meet for a workshop
on Friday, April 24, at the
headquarters of High Lakes
Aquatics Alliance Foundation
(HLAAF) in Camp Sherman.
On Saturday, April 25, a
seminar — open to the public
— will be held in the confer-
ence rooms of Black Butte
Ranch Reception Center.
Admission is $5 for the day’s
event, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
More than a dozen speakers
will present the latest infor-
mation on the system of high
lakes located in South Central
Oregon.
Dr. Frank Conte, emeritus
professor of zoology from
Oregon State University, a
resident of Camp Sherman, is
the president of HLAAF, and
the primary organizer of the
two-day event.
For more information or
to get a ticket, contact Conte
at spfclrecon@centurylink.
net. Financial support is com-
ing from HLAAF, the Sisters
High School biology pro-
gram, and various chapters
of the Audubon Society, Lake
Creek Lodge, Black Butte
Ranch, and the Metolius
Culinary Club.
ONSITE CAREER EXTRAVAGANZA
“Working at the ranch is like being on vacation!”
Are you a team player with an incredible work ethic and
outstanding guest-service skills? Do you have a desire to
work in a beautiful resort setting? Your opportunity awaits
you! For immediate consideration for any of our current or
upcoming jobs we would like to meet you in person at our
“Onsite Career Extravaganza”
WHEN? Sunday, April 12 from 3 to 6 p.m.
WHERE? The Black Butte Ranch Community Center
WHAT? We have openings in the these departments:
GMRC SPA/SPORT SHOP • BIKE SHOP • FACILITIES
FOOD & BEVERAGE • HOUSEKEEPING • GOLF
RECREATION • WELCOME CENTER
Maintenance Tech, Owner Services • PM Cooks
Any Candidates hired for Maintenance Tech or
PM Cook at the Career Extravaganza will receive a
$250 SIGN-ON BONUS!*
*Must meet eligibility requirements and time of payment is determined by BBR.
WHO? You! We will have managers on site available to
discuss current openings, interview, and hire!
541-382-0410
54
Visit our website: www.BlackButteRanch.com
or call Human Resources at 541-595-1523
410 E. C
Cascade Ave., , Sisters
— We look forward to meeting you! —
www.CentralOregonBracePlace.com
Black Butte Ranch is a drug-free workplace. • Equal Opportunity Employer