Abstract

During the summers of 1996 and 1997, the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alberta taught their archaeology field school in Jasper National Park under a partnership agreement with Parks Canada. As part of the on going Snake Indian River Threatened Sites Project, the field school continued with the excavation programme begun by Parks Canada archaeologists at a stratified site located on the north terrace of the river valley. The approximately one metre of aeolian silts covering the terrace contain evidence for at least four cultural components. The upper occupation is characterized by fire broken rock and hearth features while middle and lower occupations consist of lithic debitage and several discrete lithic work stations. Radiocarbon dates and recovered projectile points suggest that occupations occurred during the Early, Middle, and Late Prehistoric periods. Given the rarity of stratified archaeological sites in the national park, continuing analysis of the assemblage and further work at the site will provide extremely valuable information concerning the precontact occupational sequence of the Jasper National Park area.