Reanalysis of equid faunal remains from the Blacks Fork River site (48SW8319): A unique look at a protohistoric horse in Wyoming

Abstract

The reintroduction of Equus caballus (horse) into North America during European-American contact altered Native American life on the Plains. The horse influenced a variety of cultural practices, including transportation and warfare. Despite the impact of the horse on Native Plains cultures, there is a paucity of horse remains in the archaeological record in Wyoming and the Great Plains in general. In this article, the results of a reanalysis of a set of horse remains from the Protohistoric Period are described. The horse remains from the Blacks Fork River site in Wyoming provides a unique opportunity to examine a preserved interaction between humans and a horse from the early contact period. Reanalysis includes a re-examining of the faunal elements to re-establish the horse's age and evidence of butchering and radiocarbon dating to confirm the temporal span of the remains.