MY MASTER'S THESIS ON THE KLAMATH FOREST

MY MASTER'S THESIS WAS ABOUT MY ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK DURING A LARGE SURVEY PROJECT ON THE KLAMATH NATIONAL FOREST IN 1975. WHEN I WAS HIRED THE YEAR BEFORE I WORKED ON THE OAK KNOLL DISTRICT. I RECORDED PRIMARILY HISTORIC MINING CAMPS ALONG MANY OF THEIR CREEKS AND RIVERS. I WAS THE ONLY ARCHAEOLOGISTS THERE. THE NEXT YEAR BOTH MY HUSBAND AND I LED A SMALL GROUP OF ARCHAEOLOGISTSON THE GOOSENECK DISTRICT AND THEY HAD MANY TYPES OF PROJECTS. WE DID PREFIELD RESEARCH IN ORDER TO PLAN OUR SURVEYS. IT WAS A MUCH FLATTER AREA THAN THE OAK KNOLL DISTRICT. I ALSO DID SOME PREFIELD RESEARCH TO PLAN OUR SURVEYS USING AERIAL PHOTOS. WE CONDUCTED A MULTIPLE PLAN APPROACH TO LOCATING SITES OUR SURVEYS WERE DONE WITH THREE TO FOUR PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT AREA.

WE CONDUCTED A SAMPLE SURVEY OF A NUMBER OF TIMBER SALES, REVEGETATION PROJECTS AND OF SPECIAL IMPROVEMENTS. I DECIDED TO USE THE LAVA TIMBER SALE AS MY THESIS PROJECT. THIS LAND BASE OF ABOUT 3000 ACRES CONTAINED NUMEROUS RAILROAD GRADES FROM THE 1930S. THEY ORIGINALLY CUT THE PINE AND FIR TREES FOR MAKING HOUSES AND SENT SOME OF THESE LOGS TO WEED, THE LARGEST MILL TOWN HERE. WE RECORDED ALL OF THE HISTORIC RAILROAD GRADES AS SITES AND RECORDED AND PLOTTED NUMEROUS HISTORIC LOGGING CAMPS ALONGSIDE THE RAILROAD GRADES AS WELL AS NEAR THE LARGE GLASS MOUNTAIN. WE ALSO FOUND NUMEROUS PREHISTORIC TEMPORARY CAMPSITES THAT CONTAINED FLAKING STATIONS AND SEVERAL PROJECTILE POINTS AS WELL AS GRINDING SLABS AND GROUND STONES. WE PLOTTED, MAPPED, AND RECORDED THESE SITES IN ORDER TO PROTECT THEM FOREVER FROM THE TIMBER CUTTING PROCESS.

WE NOTED ON THE AERIAL PHOTOS MANY BARREN AREAS ADJACENT TO THE RAILROADS WHICH WE SURVEYED. THESE WERE SOME OF THE CAMPSITES OF RAILROAD WORKERS WHO HAD CUT SOME OF THE TREES IN THE 1930'S. WE RECORDED THE TYPES OF HISTORIC CANS AND BOTTLES AND DISHES THAT WE FOUND IN THESE CAMPS. SOME OF THE MEN PROBABLY SLEPT IN RAILROAD CARS IN THE WINTER. THERE WERE MANY CAMPFIRES.

GLASS MOUNTAIN WAS AN UNUSUAL FEATURE THAT HAD US CONFUSED. WE TRIED TO CLIMB THIS 30 FOOT TALL OBSIDIAN MOUNTAIN BUT FOUND IT TOO DANGEROUS. WE SURVEYED AROUND THE ENTIRE MOUNTAIN AND WE FOUND FINE OBSIDIAN CHIPS AND DEBITAGE, CORES, SOME SCRAPERS AND SOME NATURAL MADE FLAKES FROM FOREST FIRES THAT HAD OCCURRED IN HISTORIC TIMES. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE WHICH FLAKES WERE MADE BY MAN VS. BY FOREST FIRES. IN ANY CASE, WE RECORDED SEVERAL PREHISTORIC KNAPPING STATIONS AND AREAS THAT WERE CAMPSITES FOR HUNTING AND PERHAPS FOR COLLECTING SPECIAL VEGETATION AND EATING BIRDS OF VARIOUS TYPES.

WE BECAME FAMILIAR WITH THE TYPES OF HISTORIC SITES ON THIS RANGER DISTRICT AND COULD DATE THE SITES BASED ON THE BEER CANS AND OTHER BOTTLE TYPES. I WROTE UP MY FINDINGS OF THIS PROJECT IN SOUTH DAKOTA WHERE WE HAD AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL BUSINESS DOING PRIMARILY SURVEY WORK IN THREE STATES. WE MOVED BACK TO PHOENIX AND I DEFENDED MY THESIS TO COMPLETE MY M.A. IN ANTHROPOLOGY.