Lincoln County, Nevada has a truly one-of-a-kind, ongoing program—the Lincoln County Archaeological Initiative (LCAI)—that supports important studies on the prehistory and archaeology of the county. This program was funded through the sale of public lands by the Bureau of Land Management and approved under an inter-agency partnership authorized by the Lincoln County Land Act.
Far Western has submitted successful proposals for several of these studies. Two in particular were aimed at increasing our understanding of the unique Fremont cultural expression in Lincoln County. By examining archaeological site distributions and artifact assemblages in Meadow Valley Wash and Pahranagat Valley, we were able to create a temporal framework for the obsidian and ceramic procurement, production, and conveyance systems in southeastern Nevada, along the western frontier of the Fremont Complex.
We also developed a study of hydration rates for geochemically distinct obsidian sources found in Lincoln County. This work included extensive background research and fieldwork to collect projectile points and radiocarbon-paired obsidian rim values to generate provisional hydration rates for four of the seven known geochemically distinct obsidian sources in the county. These data, together with the Fremont studies, allowed Far Western to develop a model for prehistoric land use in Lincoln County.
For LCAI public outreach, Far Western Art Director and Producer Tammara Norton recently completed the film A Point in Time. This 46-minute film has been shown on Vegas PBS channel 10 and is available on the PBS streaming service and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9o8oPNF-8o. Ms. Norton has also worked with Far Western Researchers to produce several booklets for the LCAI including Searching for Nevada’s First People, Cultural History of Southern Nevada with a Focus on Lincoln County, and Prehistoric Peoples of Lincoln County. Ms. Norton has prepared and presented lectures and slide shows to the public and produced a 30-second Public Service Announcement (PSA) that was broadcast on Nevada radio stations.
Lincoln County Archaeological Initiative Public Service Announcement
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