Abstract
The Jackson Lake Archaeological Project completed its 5th and final field season in late October, 1988. While the current drought caused many problems, the lowered water levels in Jackson Lake allowed more archaeological work to be accomplished than imagined at the inception of the project in 1984. Funded by the Bureau of Reclamation, the work was completed by crews from the Midwest Archaeological Center of the National Park Service. During the project, 109 archaeological sites were recorded. This is the highest density of sites in any area in the Grand Teton-Yellowstone area and is presently reshaping the thinking of archaeologists about the importance of this area in prehistoric times. The materials found range in time from Paleo-Indian materials (ca. 11,000 - 9,000 years before present) to a historic trapper/hunter cabin (ca. A.D. 1875-1910). Much of the prehistoric material is badly disturbed by wave action due to the reservoir. However, survey, testing, and excavation by the Park Service crews, study of the landforms by U.S. Geological Survey geologist Dr. Ken Pierce, and backhoe trenching by the University of Wyoming succeeded in defining a significant amount of information.