The Old Cordilleran Tradition of the Pacific Northwest consists of a distinctive stone tool assemblage of projectile points, knives, and other items. It is found from central British Columbia to northern California and believed to derive from a similar tradition in Siberia. In much of western Washington it is known as the Olcott Complex. It is one of the mysteries of Northwest archaeology, as little is known of the people who produced these stone tools. Olcott sites are fairly common in the area, but they have little or no datable materials due to the highly acidic nature of the local soils.
In 2008, a highway project gave archaeologists the opportunity to study in depth two of the Olcott sites, and this volume reports on the results of this research. The scholars were able to gain information that allowed them to refine the dates for the Olcott complex, the major goal of the project. Obsidian hydration and cross-dating of point styles provided an approximate age range. Luminescence produced more precise dates—7,700 to 9,600 years ago—within that range. New information was also discovered about Olcott food sources and procurement methods.
This volume provides important new information about a well-known, but little understood regional culture that will be the basis for even more research in the years to come.
