An Assessment And Evaluation Of Heritage Resources In The South Thompson River Valley Of British Columbia (occasional Papers Of The Heritage Conservation Branch)

This report presents the results of a heritage site inventory of the South Thompson River basin conducted in the summer of 1978. Local culture history and settlement of the area are summarized from information obtained from ethnographic sources, previous heritage site inventories, and excavations. Moreover, information on the current status of the heritage resources of the valley is presented, and a planning policy is outlined for the conservation and protection of these resources. One hundred and sixteen linear kilometers were surveyed for heritage sites and a total of 192 sites were recorded over a six month period. The majority of these sites, 143 or 75%, are located on the valley floodplain; 49 sites, or 25%, are found on the terraces bordering the river. Sixty-five percent of these sites are found on the north side of the river, 35% on the south side of the river. The types of heritage sites recorded very considerably and include habitation sites, burial sites, cache or storage sites, pictograph sites, petroform sites, general activity sites, and one historic site. The majority, however, are pre-historic habitation sites. Heritage sites vary considerably in size and configuration as do the features they contain. Approximately 5,000 cultural features were recorded and the largest number at a given site is 716. The majority of cultural features recorded are circular cultural depressions which range in size from 0.4 metres to 21 metres in diameter. Other cultural structures and features recorded, which were not accounted for in the ethnographic literature, include petroforms, square housepit depressions, mounds, interconnected depressions, and depressions with side entrances. Extensive deposits of freshwater mussel shells were also found at a number of sites. Synopsis i Acknowledgements v List of Tables viii List of Figures ix List of Plates x 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Terms of Reference 1 2.0 Environment and Settings 3 2.1 Location and Physiography 3 2.2 Geology 3.0 Cultural Setting 9 3.1 Shuswap Ethnography 9 3.2 Cultural Chronology 13 4.0 Previous Archaeological Investigation 19 4.1 Inventory 19 4.2 Excavation 22 5.0 Scope and Purpose 32 5.1 Schedule and Methodology 32 5.2 Research, Management and Planning Objectives 35 6.0 Archaeological Data 37 6.1 Cultural Depressions 39 6.2 Subsurface Deposits 59 6.3 Petroforms 72 6.4 Pictographs 80 6.5 Petroglyph 81 6.6 Miscellaneous Surface Structures 81 6.7 Burials 84 6.8 Artifacts 89 6.9 Historic Sites 89 6.10 Distribution of Heritage Sites 93 6.11 Conclusion 96 7.0 Heritage Resource Planning 99 7.1 Current Status of the Resource 99 7.2 TNRD Settlement Plan 104 7.3 City of Kamloops Community Plan 105 7.4 Planning and Recommendations 107 8.0 Heritage Resource Management 117 8.1 The Concept 117 8.2 Education/Interpretation 118 8.3 Legislation 119 8.4 Planning 120 8.5 Management Alternatives 121 9.0 Conclusion 124 References 126 Appendix I Summary of Heritage Sites Located along the South Thompson River 130 Appendix II Current Status of Heritage Sites Located along the South Thompson River 139 Appendix III The Distribution of Cultural Depressions at Heritage Sites Located along the South Thompson River 148 Appendix IV Distribution of Habitable Size Features at Heritage Sites along the South Thompson River 156 Appendix V Notable Characteristics of Significant Heritage Sites along the South Thompson River 159 Appendix VI Changes to the Condition of Heritage Sites since the Original Compilation of this Report in 1979 169 By Gordon Mohs. February 1981--ser. T.p. Bibliography: P. 126-129.