Paisley Caves, the location of human occupation beginning 14,300 years ago, has been added to the list of the nation's most important archaeological and historic sites.

Situated near the town of Paisley in south-central Oregon, the caves have been the subject of archaeological excavations that have produced evidence of humans in Oregon nearly 1,000 years earlier than previously thought.

The National Park Service recently added the Paisley Five Mile Point Caves to the list.

Other archeological sites listed in Oregon include Abert Lake Petroglyphs, Fivemile Rapids Site, Fort Rock Cave, Greaser Petroglyph Site, Mosier Mounds Complex, Picture Rock Pass Petroglyphs Site and Sunken Village Archeological Site.

The occupation of Paisley Five Mile Point Caves predates the appearance of "Clovis" sites by more than 1,000 years. Clovis sites, characterized by a distinctive projectile point, have been documented throughout many regions of the United States. For many years they had been widely accepted as evidence for the first human settlement of the Americas.



Led by Dennis Jenkins of the University of Oregon, a team of Paisley Caves researchers conducted archaeological excavations and extensive laboratory analyses to amass information challenging the "Clovis First" hypothesis. Much of the research occurred during five field seasons during the first decade of the century.

Along with stemmed projectile points, grinding stones, modified animal bone and woven plant fiber cordage, Jenkins' team recovered coprolites (feces) containing human DNA. The evidence was verified by multiple independent laboratories.

More than 200 coprolites were radiocarbon dated to pre-Clovis times. The discovery by UO researchers of 14,300-year-old human feces demonstrates the presence of an ancient human population in America's Far West at the end of the last ice age.



"Archaeologists have worked at the site since 1938," Jenkins said in a statement released by the UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History, where he is a research associate and director of the UO Archaeology Field School in the northern Great Basin. "As we have used increasingly sophisticated scientific techniques in recent years, our understanding of the cultural and megafaunal remains at the site has grown dramatically. Analyses by our research team provides significant new information regarding the timing and spread of the first settlers in the Americas."



The site is located on land managed by the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management. It is situated off a very rugged road along the southeast side of the Summer Lake Basin. Routine visitors would not likely know they are at the caves.



"BLM is indeed pleased to see the Paisley Five Mile Points officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places," said Stan McDonald, state archaeologist for Oregon and Washington for the BLM, in a statement released by the agency. "The site's listing underscores the importance of Oregon's archaeological heritage to understanding the full breadth of the human experience. We extend our thanks to our partner, the University of Oregon, and associated research team for their dedication and commitment to outstanding research."



Now a sagebrush steppe vegetation community, the Paisley site once was grassy plains surrounding a lake, marsh and river. Camel, bison, horse and waterfowl bones have been found in the area. Humans living there 14,300 years ago were gathering and consuming aromatic roots, for which they would have needed special knowledge that would have developed over time.



The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. More information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings is online at oregonheritage.org.



Information on research at the Paisley Caves is at pages.uoregon.edu.



October is Oregon Archaeology Celebration month. Look for events at this link at oregon.gov/.

-- Terry Richard