Sourcing Red River Jasper: An Archaeological and Geological Investigation of a Gravel Chert in the Red River Drainage

Red River Jasper, a lithic material found in the Red River drainage, is an understudied chert that was widely used by prehistoric populations in this region from the Archaic to late prehistoric (Caddo) periods. Despite its common occurrence at sites along the Red River, this tabular chert has received little attention compared to other raw materials on the eastern margin of the Southern Plains. Although the material is macroscopically diverse, ranging in color from brown to yellow to red, microscopic analysis indicates that the material is relatively homogeneous and likely came from a limited set of sources. The archaeological distribution of Red River Jasper, geological evidence, and a stream survey of gravels demonstrate that the primary bedrock source was located in the Johns Valley Formation of the Ouachita Mountains and was carried downstream by the Kiamichi River into the Red River

Mountain Fork Archaeology: A Preliminary Report on the Ramos Creek Site (34MC1030)

In May-June of 2010, the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Archeological Survey co-sponsored a field school at the Ramos Creek site (34MC1030) in southeastern Oklahoma. Ramos Creek is located in the Ouachita Mountains along the Mountain Fork, a tributary of the Little River. Recently identified by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), this site is the northernmost known site with a Caddo component along this stream (Figure 1). The best-known Caddo sites identified for this drainage were tested during the Oklahoma River Basin Survey project of the 1960s and today are covered by the man-made Broken Bow Lake. Archaeological investigations along the Mountain Fork have been conducted by Wyckoff, Klinger and Cande, Perttula, and Perttula and Nelson. This past summer’s work at Ramos Creek is part of a broader research program addressing several questions: What was the relationship of Ramos Creek to sites further downstream, including the multimound Woods Mound Group? How were the Caddo sites in this drainage organized politically and what social dynamics shaped their history? Is there a better way of understanding the socio-political organization of these communities than applying models used in other parts of the Caddo area and the wider Southeast? How were these communities related to those living in other parts of the Caddo archaeological area, including the rest of the Ouachita Mountains, the Little River Valley, the Red River Valley, and the Arkansas Valley