Anthropology and Archaeology

This page was written by Denny Capps as part of the DLESE Community Services Project: Integrating Research in Education.

Native American family cooking. Details

Overviews of humans in Yellowstone

Resources describing anthropology and archaeology in Yellowstone.

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Archeology Around Yellowstone Lake. This 9-page PDF examines the importance of Yellowstone Lake to humans in prehistoric times. The shorelines around the lake have been eroding and exposing artifacts that remain hidden elsewhere in the Park. The archeological sites expose artifacts, mostly rock chips, which point to seasonal occupations such as stone procurement, tool manufacture and repair. (more info)
Pre-historic Land Use Patterns within the Yellowstone Lake Basin and Hayden Valley Region, Yellowstone National Park . This 19-page PDF discusses human use of the Yellowstone Lake area for the last 10,000 years through a summary of recent archeological studies. The article features a summary of lithic raw material usage, stone tool utilization, and food procurement practices during prehistoric times .The article also describes the importance of obsidian from the Obsidian Cliffs in Yellowstone National Park. (more info)
X-Ray Flourescence Analysis of an Obsidian Biface from the Fort Hill Site, Highland County, Ohio . This 15-page PDF describes the trace element abundance method used to analyze an obsidian artifact found at the Hopewell site in Ohio. The article also details the geochemical signature of the sample, and concludes that the origin of the fragment was the Obsidian Cliffs in Yellowstone National Park. (more info)
Yellowstone Archeology. This Yellowstone National Park website highlights the archeological resources of the park. Evidence suggests Native Americans have called the area of Yellowstone National Park their home for over 10,000 years. Information is organized by topic: past climates, Paleoindian Period, Archaic Period, Late Prehistoric, and site protection. (more info)
Yellowstone National Park Facts. This Yellowstone National Park website provides a fact sheet with a wide range of physical and cultural information. Key topics include general park facts, wildlife, flora, geology, Yellowstone Lake, cultural resources, visitation, facilities, roads, trails, and the latitude/longitude of several significant features. (more info)
Yellowstone National Park Online Slide File. This Yellowstone National Park website contains thousands of photographs of the Park. Images are organized by category including fire, thermal features, mammals, park structures, petrified trees, water, weather, scenics, and more. The photographs may be freely downloaded and more are being added through time. (more info)

Additional Literature

Additional useful literature about Yellowstone.

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Greater Yellowstone Bibliography. The Greater Yellowstone Bibliography is a database with over 28,900 bibliographic citations to scholarly, popular, professional, and creative literature about the greater Yellowstone region. It includes citations for journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, as well as books, book chapters, conference papers, government documents, theses, maps, CDs, and other materials. Citations can be searched by author, subject keyword, and geographic location. ( This site may be offline. )
Yellowstone Resources and Issues. This Yellowstone National Park online book is a compendium of concise information about the park's history, natural and cultural resources, issues, and major areas. Chapters, which are downloadable as PDF files, focus on the history of the park, the yellowstone ecosystem, geology, life in extreme heat (as in the hot springs), vegetation, fire in yellowstone, wildlife, and park issues. (more info)
Yellowstone Science. Yellowstone Science is a quarterly publication devoted to Yellowstone National Park's natural and cultural resources. It features articles about research in the park, provides a colloquium for scientists, and offers an opportunity for the public to view this research. Articles can be searched by topic, author, or volume and may be downloaded in PDF format. (more info)