Introduction and History

Preface

       For those interested in prehistoric people of North America the artifacts described in this paper, which are only a few of the excavated remains, provide a view of the material culture of the prehistoric indigenous people of the region of what is now known as the Oklahoma Panhandle.
       Only a few sites exist in Oklahoma where such preservation occurs. Perishable food, seeds, clothing fragments, sandals and other items are represented among the items recovered from the various cave sites in the area.
       No dating of the artifacts directly has been attempted and the stratigraphy of the excavated cave deposits are for the most part undocumented. Thus it is not possible to assign the materials to a specific time frame, absolute or relative, except in a very general way. Keep this in mind when reading this paper

Introduction and History

       Site 34Ci50, is one of seven rock shelters, collectively known as the Kenton Caves located in the four corners region of Northwest Oklahoma, near the town of Kenton. This is a semi-arid region known for its flat topped mesa's including Black Mesa. The term shelter is used in lieu of cave since most of the caves, with the exception of 34Ci50, are no more than shallow recesses in the sandstone cliffs.
        The site, the shelter known as the Basket Maker I cave, was the largest measuring "forty-five feet wide at the front (west side), about sixteen feet high...and forty-five feet from front to rear."(Baker, 1929b,17). This shelter was first excavated by Dr. Etiene B. Renaud from the Colorado Museum of Natural History in July 1929. His excavations resulted in the recovery of perishable artifacts including basket fragments, sandal fragments, cloth, wood and plant remains. The collection at Denver University, Department of Anthropology is a result of this effort (See table xx).
        Later, in 1929, excavations conducted under the direction of Joseph Thoburn of the Oklahoma Historical Society recovered similar materials. These are in storage and on display at the Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City. Joseph Thoburn returned again in 1930 and continued excavation of the site. The location of the recovered artifacts is unknown.
        The fourth and final excavations conducted by Ele Baker and Forest Clements from the University of Oklahoma, in June 1934, resulted in the final clearing of the site. The artifacts recovered are on display at the Woolaroc Museum, Bartlesvile, Oklahoma and in storage at the Stovall Museum, Norman, Oklahoma.
        Additional materials recovered from the site by private individuals and groups are located at the No Mans Land Historical Museum, Goodwell, Oklahoma. For a detailed historical account see The Kenton caves of Western Oklahoma (Lintz and Zabawa,1984) and The Kenton Caves Rexamined (Zabawa 1981).
        The following descriptions and illustrations were compiled from a number of sources. Where direct examination of the artifacts was not possible, as is the case of items from Denver University, accession records, detailed photographs and museum notes were used to produce the descriptions and illustrations. For items on display and not directly accessible, as at the Wooleroc Museum, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, on site sketches were made and photographs were taken of the items. Accession records were also used when available. When hands on direct examination were possible, direct measurements and examinations provided detailed information about the nature and construction of the artifact.