Dunraven: An Ice Age encampment in the Catskill Mountains of New York
| Title | Dunraven: An Ice Age encampment in the Catskill Mountains of New York |
|---|---|
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2025 |
| Authors | J. Lothrop, Hewitt, J.B., S. Winchell-Sweeney, Hubbell, R. |
| Journal | The Bulletin: Journal of the New York State Archaeological Association |
| Date Published | 2025 |
| Volume | 139 |
| Pagination | 78-97 |
| Abstract | Identified in 1963, the Dunraven site in Middletown Township, Delaware County, provides the first evidence of an Ice Age Indigenous encampment in the interior of the Catskill Mountains of New York. Dunraven is situated along the East Branch of the Delaware River. Hewitt's surface collection recovered a fluted point base, endscrapers, and other Paleoindian unifacial tools. The fluted point is tentatively classified as a Barnes/Michaud-Neponset biface, indicating Dunraven dates to ca. 12,200 - 11,800 calendar years before present (Middle Paleoindian). This small assemblage suggests that maintenance of hunting weaponry, hide working, and other processing tasks took place during the encampment. Located on the southwest margin of the Catskill Mountains in Deposit, Delaware County, Beaver Lodge is only the second fluted point site recorded for the Upper Delaware Valley of New York (Rudler 2006). Viewed collectively, the Dunraven and Beaver Lodge sites demonstrate that First Peoples did not avoid the Catskill Mountains during the Ice Age, but rather, travelled seasonally through this rugged terrain. |
