Dry Creek medicine bundle, Northeastern Wyoming: Patterns, outliers, and the importance of small sites

Abstract

A cluster of two nonlocal flakes and two crystals is believed to be the remaining contents of a small personal medicine bundle carried by an individual and lost. Characteristics and arrangement of the four artifacts indicate they are an uncommon assemblage for the region and are distinct from surrounding prehistoric sites. Therefore, the site is considered an outlier to the general regional pattern of observed site types. The kinds of artifacts and intact nature of their placement on the surface suggests recent activity, probably Late Protohistoric or early Historic, about AD 1700–1850. The locality exemplifies the potential for small sites to contribute information to regional archaeology.