Hoko River Archeological Site facts for kids

The Hoko River Archeological Site is a very old fishing camp in Clallam County, Washington. It's about 2,500 years old! Archeologists have learned a lot about the Makah people from this site. The Makah have lived in this area for about 3,800 years.

Scientists have also learned about how people stored food long ago. They even found out what plants and animals lived here around 2500 B.P. (which means "Before Present" or "years ago"). The site is named after the Hoko River.

Discovering the Hoko River Site

The Hoko River archeological site is located near the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. It's along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This site is sometimes compared to the Ozette site, which is 40 km to the west. Both sites used similar digging methods. However, the Hoko River site is about 2,000 years older than the Ozette site.

The Hoko River site was first found in 1935. A flood washed away some dirt, showing old tools and parts of an ancient camp. But archeologists didn't know about it until 1967. That's when the property manager told Dr. Richard Daugherty and Harvey Rice about it.

After that, several archeologists started digging. The Hoko River site was the first place where they used a special method called hydraulic excavation. This method uses strong jets of water to loosen the soil. Then, a suction tool removes the dirt. It's very helpful for digging in places that are underwater. This method is expensive and takes a lot of time. So, it's not used very often.

The Hoko River site has three main parts. Two parts are from the same time, about 3,000 to 2,000 years ago. The third part was used more recently, about 1,000 to 100 years ago. The two older parts are a "wet site" (underwater) and a "dry site" (on land). The wet and dry sites show different parts of ancient life. The water at the wet site kept many old items safe. The dry site showed how the fishing camp was set up. These two sites were used between 3,000 and 2,500 years ago. The newer site is called the Rock Shelter. It's located at the mouth of the river.

The Makah People and Hoko River

The Hoko River site was home to the ancestors of the Makah people. Today, people from the Makah tribe have helped archeologists with the digging. They have also helped recreate how the ancient Hoko fishermen dried fish. They even made copies of old fishing hooks from 2,500 to 3,000 years ago. Later, they tested these hooks at the Seattle Aquarium to see how they worked.

Exploring the Hoko River Sites

Digging at the Hoko River Wet/Dry Sites started in 1973 and is still going on. At these sites, researchers found 25 layers of well-preserved plant material. These layers were in the dirt and sand along the river's edge. By studying these layers, scientists have learned a lot about the people who lived here long ago.

The Wet Site Discoveries

Archeologists found many different items at the wet site. These include baskets, cords, and many types of fishing hooks. They even found a 3,000-year-old fishing net made from spruce branches! They also found tiny stone blades with their original cedar handles. There were also wood working tools, anchor stones, and small stone tools called microliths. These microliths were used as fish knives.

They also found carved wood art, other wooden objects, animal bones, and plant remains. The large number of fish bones and over 400 wooden fishing hooks show that fishing was very important here. The water at the wet site kept these items safe. Normally, they would have rotted away. These old items needed special care. They were treated with a glue solution to keep them from falling apart.

Archeologists also studied large mats of plants at the wet site. Each layer in these mats represents 10 to 20 years. At least 45 layers found are from 3,000 to 2,600 years ago. These mats also help scientists learn about the plants that grew in the area when the site was used.

The Dry Site Layout

At the dry campsite, researchers study layers of earth and rock. They compare these to the wet layers found below the river's high tide line. The dry site doesn't have preserved plant material like the wet site. Also, items found at the dry site are not as well preserved. Only stone tools are usually found here.

The dry site shows where campfires burned. It also has places where quartz was made into small stone tools. By studying the remains, researchers understand how the camp was set up. The camps were probably used in the spring and summer.

Evidence suggests that the shelters had roofs made of long sheets of cedar bark. They also used mats made from tule or bulrush. People likely slept on animal furs along the inside walls of these shelters. Other things found include evidence of canoe paths and drying racks. These racks were probably used to move canoes from the village to the beach.

The Rock Shelter Site

Digging at the Rock Shelter site began in 1980. This site was used by humans for about 900 years, starting about 1,000 years ago. The inside of the rock shelter is about 1300 square feet (120 square meters).

The most important discovery here is a 3.3-meter-deep pile of old shells and trash, called a shell midden. Over 1,300 different layers have been found in this midden. These layers show a lot of fish bones. This has helped archeologists understand what the ancient people ate. They also found tens of thousands of remains from sea mammals and birds at this site.

Ancient Food Habits

Scientists have created two ideas about how the Hoko River people ate. These ideas were made by Dr. Dale Croes and Dr. Steven Hackeenberger.

The first idea suggests that people ate about the same amount of each available food source all year. In winter, they would eat a lot of roundfish, halibut, flatfish, and elk. In summer, they would eat similar foods, but more halibut and flatfish. Spring was a time of change, moving from winter to summer foods. In the fall, they would eat more salmon than other foods.

The second idea became more popular around 3,000 years ago. This was when people learned how to preserve food. This idea assumes that people used a food storage system. Evidence of this system was found at the site.

The non-storage idea suggests a balanced diet all year. But the storage idea would let people eat more halibut and salmon for longer parts of the year. This meant they could eat their favorite foods more often. However, using a storage system might also mean they used up more resources over time.

The Hoko River Community

Many new things have been found about the Hoko River Community in recent years. As archeologists dig more, they learn more about the people who lived along this beautiful river. As mentioned, the wet sites helped keep old items safe for a very long time. The rock shelter and wet sites helped preserve these artifacts even longer.

Evidence shows that Halibut and Cod were the main fish caught here. The Hoko River community needed to preserve these fish. This was important to get through the off-season months when fish were hard to find. Wooden drying racks were found during one of the digs. These racks provided a safe place to dry fish in the sun. This helped the fish last longer.

Hooks, floats, and ropes were also found along the river. This suggests that fishing was the main way the Hoko River Community made a living. It also suggests that there might have been different social ranks among the people at that time.

• Kirk, Ruth; Daugherty, Richard D. (2007). Archaeology in Washington, University of Washington Press, ISBN: 0-295-98696-4.