Black Hills Interior spring sites: Assemblage characteristics and factors affecting site presence

This thesis contributes to our understanding of Interior Black Hills prehistoric occupation by focusing on archaeological site and landscape characteristics located adjacent to spring sources in the Limestone Plateau and Central Basin physiographic zones of the Black Hills uplift. Assemblage diversity values were calculated for Interior spring-side sites and used to address hypotheses about the nature of prehistoric occupation of the Interior Black Hills. GIS predictive models were generated to enhance our understanding of the spatial distribution of Interior spring-side sites, understand factors that influenced site placement, and variables affecting the current spatial pattern observed today. Results of the analyses indicate that Interior Black Hills spring sites are dominated by low diversity lithic artifact scatters produced by short term occupations and/or a limited range activity, and that relative high and low diversity assemblages do not differ in their spatial distribution with respect to various landscape characteristics at Interior spring locales. Analyses show that spring-side site and non-site locations differ significantly with respect to select environmental variables, but that post-depositional factors appear to be influencing the Interior spring-side site presence we see today.