Time-Capsule-Turned-Rockshelter: 11,230-Year-Old Secrets Unearthed Near Marmes

Situated near Lyons Ferry Park and the confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers, this so-called rockshelter ain't your ordinary campsite. Excavated way back in 1962, it's been a treasure trove filled with remnants from early American life in the region. Sit back, relax, and let's take a gander. Back then, this was a seasonal campground for Native Americans, who hunted elk, deer, and beavers and gathered mussels from the river. Among the graves found at the site, an intriguing one dates back a cool 11,230 years.

In that grave, a wee one was laid to rest, surrounded by five matching stone knives. Chalcedony and chert projectile points were also discovered, along with stone tools such as scrapers, mortars, and pestles. Marmes Rockshelter is famous for housing the oldest human remains ever found in Washington. Shells found in the layers were dated back to 7,000 years ago, and many were imported from the West Coast of the United States, over 200 miles away. The shells had holes drilled through them, hinting that they were used for ornamentation.

One of the five known Jefferson Peace Medals was also unearthed at the site. These medals were made in France and distributed by the United States government to Native American chiefs as a symbol of peace. The area surrounding Marmes Rockshelter offered a range of ecosystems. Following the retreat of glaciers around 13,000 years ago, the site was a steppe ecosystem. Over time, it transformed into a mixed forest of pine and spruce, before eventually becoming a sagebrush prairie ecosystem.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons