pip ^o' 2^3"" McNARY RESERVOIR — SHINER 175 



was not proof enough, several artifacts, hammers and choppers, were 

 f omid to be considerably larger than the rodent holes. Furthermore, 

 hearths composed of rocks and mussel shells were found in situ. 



It was realized that the Hat Creek site was important to the re- 

 gional prehistory, especially since it was the first clear example of 

 pre-ash occupation. Therefore, it was decided that as much as pos- 

 sible would be saved for laboratory analysis. After the slumped face 

 was cleared, every bit of the midden material was screened through a 

 one- fourth-inch mesh hardware cloth. Every flake, fragment of bone, 

 and broken rock was saved. Arbitrary 1-foot levels were maintained 

 for bones and flakes, with the ash stratum as the datum plane. Every 

 artifact recovered during the excavation was recorded in three dimen- 

 sions to the nearest one-tenth of a foot. Closer inspection in the lab- 

 oratory turned up several small artifact fragments among the flakes. 

 These might well have been overlooked had the flakes not been saved. 



Analysis of the three levels of flakes showed that there was no 

 significant variation in materials from one level to the next. A level 

 between 3 and 4 feet below the ash included some of the sterile 

 hardpan, and for that reason is not included here. In numbers the 

 flakes were highest in the middle level and lowest in the upper level. 

 The same was true of the artifacts. Perhaps the intensity of occupa- 

 tion was dwindling before the volcanic ash fell. 



If there was any change in the material culture during the occu- 

 pation at Hat Creek, it did not show up in the relative position of 

 the artifacts. The similar proportions of stone materials also bear 

 this out. Therefore all of the cultural material is treated as though 

 it were the result of a single occupation. 



The following tabulation shows the distribution of flakes by ma- 

 terials, and is based on 3,000 flakes : 



Percent 

 Basalt 52. 7 



Crypto-crystalline 30. 9 



Quartzite 9.8 



Red ocher 6. 1 



Obsidian . 4 



AECHITECTURE 



There was no evidence of habitations at the Hat Creek site. If the 

 small fireplaces found there had been associated with dwellings, the 

 latter left no traces. Since the depth of the midden suggests an 

 occupation of some duration, some sort of shelters must have been 

 built. It is probable that such shelters were made of brush or mats, 

 and that they were light enough to stand without large posts. 



