WET SITES: REDISCOVERING FORGOTTEN FINDS AND FINDING OVERLOOKED DEPOSITS

Conference Paper

WET SITES: REDISCOVERING FORGOTTEN FINDS AND FINDING OVERLOOKED DEPOSITS

Kathryn Bernick

Abstract

Detailed background research provides essential direction for locating wet-site resources in the field, since they are seldom detectable by normal survey procedures. A search of field notes, unpublished manuscripts, artifact records and collections in selected repositories documented 28 wet-site components in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, where previously only eight were on record. The data indicate likely locations for additional water-saturated archaeological deposits in this region, including former sloughs and creek beds up to 2.5m below present-day alluvial surfaces, and modern intertidal river beaches in front of terrestrial habitation sites.