Amateur archaeologist W.C. “Slim” Lawrence stands next to a prehistoric fire hearth he discovered in 1937. The hearth was revealed during a period of low water along the eastern shore of Jackson Lake.
Two
EARLY HUMAN INHABITANTS
With the close of the Pinedale Glaciation Period approximately 10,000 years ago, plants and wildlife began to emerge in the park. Archaeological evidence shows that the earliest human inhabitants seasonally made homes in the park area approximately 11,000 years ago. Amateur archaeologist W.C. “Slim” Lawrence was a local ranch caretaker with a passion for collecting artifacts found in Grand Teton National Park. Lawrence collected artifacts for 30 years starting in the 1930s. His collection, which numbered in the thousands, was a primary contributor to those attempting to assemble an idea of prehistoric life in the park. In the 1970s, professional archaeologist Gary Wright, from University at Albany, State University of New York, gathered associates to investigate the area and formed a hypothesis about the prehistoric people of the region.
The nomadic Paleo-Indians who resided in the Grand Teton National Park area were primarily hunter-gatherers who arrived in northern Jackson Hole in early spring to harvest edible and medicinal plants and roots in the valley. They established base camps at the northern end of Jackson Lake. There they built roasting pits, fished in the lake with nets, and hunted for bison, elk, mule deer, and bighorn sheep. As temperatures warmed the higher elevations during the summer months, they followed the ripening plants up the mountainsides to continue harvesting and exited the valley into Idaho before the harsh winters arrived.
Materials used in the making of ancient artifacts found in the park provide clues about the migratory patterns of the Paleo-Indians. Obsidian, volcanic glass formed by rapidly cooling lava, was a popular material used to make tools. Each volcanic flow has unique elements, which allows scientists to date obsidian artifacts and reveal their sources. As glaciers gouged the valley, obsidian outcroppings were revealed in Jackson Hole, Yellowstone National Park, and other areas. Most artifacts found in the park come from an obsidian source known as the Teton Pass source at the southern end of the Teton range. Based on this evidence, it is thought that the Paleo-Indians entered Jackson Hole at the southern end near Teton Pass then continued on to the northern end of Jackson Lake.
Amateur archaeologist W.C. “Slim” Lawrence stands next to a prehistoric fire hearth he discovered in 1937. The hearth was revealed during a period of low water along the eastern shore of Jackson Lake.
The roasting pits pictured here during a low-water period in 1986 are the oldest discovered in the park. They are located at the Lawrence Site on the north shore of Jackson Lake and are carbon dated to the Early Archaic period (5,000 to 8,000 years ago). Early inhabitants gathered quartzite cobbles to fill the pits upon which a fire was built, then used the pits like ovens to roast root plants and to perform bone grease processing for winter food storage. These pits were used from year to year, and scientists now believe that some prehistoric people may have wintered in the park.
Archaeologist Gary Wright theorized that Early Archaic people spent early summer in the park at lower elevations, forming base camps along the shores of Jackson Lake. They gathered food in the valleys and fished in the lake, as shown by these fishing net weights from the W.C. Lawrence Collection. These and other artifacts, along with the roasting pits on Jackson Lake, support Wright’s theory.
In the Early Archaic period, mano and metate grinding stones—such as these artifacts from the W.C. Lawrence Collection—were used to grind various plant leaves, roots, seeds, berries, and flowers (like the blue camas bulbs in the picture) for use in various foods and medicines. The mano (the smaller, light-colored rock) was typically made of sandstone and was rolled back and forth across the flat rock known as a metate.
Steatite bowls from the W.C. Lawrence collection date to the Late Prehistoric period (1,500 to 500 years ago). Steatite, or soapstone, was a soft rock that was carved with an elk antler or other tool then hardened by fire. The Late Prehistoric period was marked by dramatic changes and innovation in sustenance and hunting apparatuses, from the spear and atlatl to bow and arrow. (Photograph by Olie Riniker.)
These various hammerstones were found at the W.C. Lawrence site in Grand Teton National Park. Hammerstones were used to make projectile points, such as spearheads, and other tools by striking the hammerstone against a rock until it was fashioned into the desired tool. Obsidian was a popular choice for items requiring a sharp edge. (Photograph by Olie Riniker.)
The oldest projectiles in the W.C. Lawrence collection date back 9,000 years to the Paleo-Indian period. Stone spear points attached to a wooden shaft were thrown by hand or with an atlatl (spear thrower). The atlatl increased speed and distance by acting as an extension of the throwing arm. This hunting method was used until 2,000 years ago, when the bow and arrow was devised. (Photograph by Olie Riniker.)
In this image, W.C. “Slim” Lawrence is standing in front of Ed Trafton’s hideout cabin. Trafton held up stagecoaches in Wyoming and Idaho and was a known horse thief, cattle rustler, and robber. He frequented the Jackson Hole area from 1881 to 1915. His hideout cabin was so well hidden in the Teton forest that it was not discovered until Lawrence found it in 1931.
W.C. “Slim” Lawrence is pictured in his living room with part of his artifact collection in the 1930s or 1940s. Lawrence was a ranch caretaker who began collecting artifacts he found in the park and Jackson Hole during the 1930s. He was an avid collector, and his collection grew over the next 30 years to include thousands of artifacts and discoveries. Although some of his finds were made while he was out hunting or trapping with his wife, Verba, the pair made regular trips by horse and on foot to hunt for artifacts. They particularly liked to take morning expeditions to Jackson Lake, where they explored the lake’s shores on foot. At the urging of Verba, who felt the collection was taking over their house and property, he partnered with Homer Richards in 1958 and opened the Jackson Hole Museum to house his collection. The museum was located in the town of Jackson, and Lawrence’s collection is still housed there today at the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum at 225 North Cache Street.