Teton Archaeological Project

Packhorses are used to transport all of our equipment and food to a basecamp high in the mountains

A pack string carries research and camp equipment in the high Tetons

A researcher pauses to observe a high mountain lake

The Teton Archaeological Project team maps a 5,000 year old campsite above treeline. The mosquitos were so bad that it was nearly impossible to do paperwork.

A broken drill made from local obsidian

An archaeologist packages a massive soapstone bowl that was found near 11,000 feet. It is covered in tin foil so that the interior is not contaminated before being tested for biomolecular remains of ancient food

Hiking the Teton Crest, Wyoming

Basecamp

Laina, a camp cook, prepares fresh biscuits over a campfire.Just because you are in the wilderness doesn't mean you have to suffer.

A researcher takes notes while recording a 6,000 year old campsite

A broken rim of a soapstone bowl. Soapstone, or steatite, bowls were commonly made by the Mountain Shoshone and used to cook a variety of stews, soups, and to make glue from melting down animal hides. Fragments of these bowls were collected and non-destructively tested for absorbed food residues. We are now getting a glimpse of past diets and cuisine in the high mountains.

Pin flags are used to mark artifacts when recording an archaeological site.

An archaeologist holds a chert, or flint, scraper. This artifact would have been used to help process animal hides.

A camp cook and her son enjoy a quiet moment by the campfire during an archaeological project in the Tetons

The mountains of Northwestern Wyoming are typified by high alpine plateaus. These grass islands in the sky are vast and not always easy to navigate. During this day we overshot an ice patch by several miles.

A researcher on day eight.

A researcher takes notes at camp during a chilly summer evening in the high Tetons

A small fragment of a broken soapstone bowl. This particular piece tested positive for trout residue and marks some of the earliest evidence we have for prehistoric trout fishing in the high Teton Mountains

Sunrise tea by an unnamed lake near camp in the Tetons

The moment of discovery. This soapstone bowl was discovered when a piece of trash fell between these large granite boulders. It was likely cached there sometime in the ancient past and never recovered.

An archaeologist looks out over unexplored country in the Teton Range, Wyoming