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(Map modified from Mierendorf and Harry, 1993)
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Archaeological Survey Near Newhalem
If you visit the North Cascades Visitor Center today, you will
find yourself surrounded by a forest of Douglas-fir, Western hemlock
and Western redcedar. Mosses and liverworts cover the forest floor,
making it nearly impossible to investigate the soil and rocks under
the vegetation. Before construction began on the new visitor center,
the National Park Service was required by law to complete a survey
of the area for cultural resources.
In places free of vegetation, where soil and rocks are visible,
keen-eyed researchers can walk the surface of the landscape seeking
visual clues to determine if archaeological sites might be in the
area. But in Newhalem, where vegetation is dense, another method
had to be found.
Systematic Surveys
Since a large area of land needed to be surveyed, scientists used
their creativity to devise a systematic survey for the densely-forested
area. Researchers dug 181 test pits spaced evenly over areas considered
likely to have cultural resources. An old river terrace which had
not been flooded by the Skagit River since the Pleistocene (over
12,000 years ago) was the site for this series of test pits.
 Researchers
recovered 156 stone artifacts from the test pits. Interestingly,
many of the artifacts were found in groups of test pits that were
clustered around one another. Scientists documented these clusters
together into sites and named them 400, 401, etc. (see map above).
See how well you do uncovering artifacts from the Newhalem area,
while testing your ability to produce a systematic archaeological
survey in Reading Between the Lines.
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