New Discoveries at the Cooper's Ferry Site in Western Idaho Push Projectile Technology Back to 16,000 years ago by Dr. Loren G. Davis

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Abstract: Archaeological excavations conducted at the Cooper's Ferry site in western Idaho revealed a collection of stemmed projectile points in two pit features. Animal bone found along with the points was radiocarbon dated to ~15,785 calibrated years before present, while another fragmentary stemmed point found outside and deeper than these pits indicates even earlier human occupation at the site. These discoveries push the timing of projectile point technology back almost 3,000 years earlier than the Clovis Paleoindian Tradition and show us interesting perspectives on early technological designs used by the First Americans. In this presentation, we will discuss these findings and talk about what they tell us about the earliest human inhabitants of the Americas.