The authors believe culture Complex A is related to what has been
termed the Fremont Culture of western Colorado and eastern Utah.
Complex A appears to manifest itself between the surface (the erosional
surface below a cow dung layer) and 44-48 inches below baseline.
Complex A and the Fremont culture have a number of similarities.
Foremost among these is pottery. All the plainware found is assignable
to this complex. Although the total number of sherds is not large, one
restorable vessel is represented. In shape, method of manufacture,
temper, paste, color, and firing, this specimen approximated
Wormington’s Turner Grey Variety II (Wormington, 1955). There are two
points of difference between this and classic Fremont ceramics. First,
it is a bowl, while most Fremont vessels are handled jugs. This is
offset by the possibility that a second large sherd does come from a
small pot or jug. Also Wormington (1955) and Taylor (1957) note the
presence of bowl-forms at their sites. Second, much Fremont pottery
is calcite tempered (Burgh and Scoggin, 1948; Wormington, 1955).
However, Gunnerson (1956) has recently shown that choice of temper for
the Fremont Culture is more a function of locality than of cultural
preference.
A second correlation is found in the gaming pieces assignable to
Complex A. The three decorated pieces illustrated are almost duplicated
in some of Wormington’s illustrations and descriptions. Similar items
have had a long history in the Southwest (Morris and Burgh, 1954).
Third, there is a similarity between class bb projectile points and
certain Fremont points, particularly at Castle Park (Lister, 1951).
Features include concavity of the edges, general narrowness, straight
short bases, and frequent serrations. One of the points of Complex A
is made on a curved flake, chipped only on one face. This is a rather
distinctive type occurring also in Fremont sites. Wormington (1955),
found some peculiar asymmetrical points like Fig. 27. She found no
evidence of utilization as knives which their shape suggests.
The presence of dent corn, similar to that grown in Fremont localities
is significant in indicating similarities in the ecologic orientation
of the two groups.
Other artifacts included in the levels of Complex A are: Leaf-shaped
and triangular knives, side, discoidal and serrated scrapers, expanding
base drills, perforators, prismatic flakes?, 1 graver, small ovoid
bifaces, utilized flakes, choppers/hammerstones, paint stones,
splinter, sliver and headed awls, rib or scapulae knives, antler
flakers, tubular beads, 1 tooth ornament, leather fragments, 1 wood
arrow shaft, handstones and grinding slabs. End scrapers, perforators,
prismatic flakes, small ovoid bifaces, sliver awls, perhaps antler
flakers, and the tooth ornament are either extremely uncommon or absent
at Fremont sites. These artifacts may be associated with culture
Complex B. None are confined to the interval between the surface and
44-48 inches below baseline. Evidently they were present before the
occupation of the site by people of Complex A.
A word of caution is in order. Relatively speaking there are few
artifact types assignable to Complex A. Pottery is especially scarce.
However, projectile points of the type believed to be associated with
it make up at least 40 percent of the total in the 44″-surface levels.
We have tentatively identified it with the Fremont Culture on the basis
of the evidence above. However, since so many distinctive traits of
this culture are in the realms of architecture and perishable goods, we
are necessarily dealing with a partial inventory. Without such features
we can suggest but cannot prove.
One item of interest is the evidence that the Fremont people did reach
eastern Colorado or at least trade with people of that area. A rather
spectacular headband found in Castle Park (Burgh and Scoggin, 1948),
was made from the feathers of a yellow flicker (_Colaptes anratus
luteus_) which occurs only east of the mountains.