Idaho First: How Archaeological Discoveries on the Lower Salmon River Change Our Perspectives on the Peopling of the Americas (Slides)

Presenter

Loren Davis, Oregon State University

Publication Date

3-18-2020

Document Type

Presentation

Abstract

Who were the First Idahoans? Archaeological research at the Cooper’s Ferry site on the Lower Salmon River indicates that Western Stemmed Tradition people were living in the Columbia River basin between 16,560 and 15,280 years ago until about 13,000 years ago. This exciting discovery is strong evidence for the deep antiquity of human entry into North America during the late Ice Age: a time that horses and other charismatic megafauna roamed Idaho. The First Idahoans arrived before the opening of an ice-free corridor, which favors the hypothesis of boat-supported migration from the Bering Strait down the Pacific coast.

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