Southsider Shelter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Southsider Shelter
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| Nearest city | Powell, Wyoming |
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| NRHP reference No. | 12000470 |
| Added to NRHP | August 1, 2012 |
The Southsider Shelter is a special place in Big Horn County, Wyoming. It's a natural rock shelter where ancient Native American people once lived. Think of it like a natural cave or overhang that offered protection from the weather.
Scientists called archaeologists study places like this. They dig carefully to find clues about how people lived long ago. The Southsider Shelter is important because it shows signs of human activity for thousands of years.
What is the Southsider Shelter?
The Southsider Shelter is a type of rock shelter. This means it's a shallow cave or an overhang on a cliff. These shelters were perfect for early people. They offered protection from rain, snow, and strong winds. They also provided a safe place to sleep and store belongings.
Archaeologists found many things at the Southsider Shelter. These items help us understand the daily lives of the people who used to live there. It's like a giant puzzle, and each artifact is a piece.
A Home Through Time
People used the Southsider Shelter for a very long time. The earliest signs of human life there date back to the late Paleoindian period. This was a time when some of the first people arrived in North America. They lived there all the way up to the Late Prehistoric period.
This long period of use means many different groups of people might have stayed there. Each group left behind clues about their culture and how they adapted to the environment.
Tools and Treasures
When archaeologists dig at a site, they look for artifacts. These are objects made or used by humans. At the Southsider Shelter, they found several interesting artifacts.
- Projectile points: These are the tips of spears or arrows. They are often made from stone and can tell us about hunting methods. Different shapes of points can even help date when people lived there.
- Chipped stone: This refers to pieces of stone that have been shaped by breaking off flakes. People used chipped stone to make tools like knives, scrapers, and other cutting tools.
These tools show that the people living at the Southsider Shelter were skilled craftspeople. They knew how to use the natural resources around them to survive.
Protecting History
The Southsider Shelter is a very important historical site. Because of its value, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 2012.
The National Register of Historic Places is a list of places in the United States that are important to history. When a place is on this list, it means it's recognized for its special past. It also helps protect the site so future generations can learn from it.
By studying places like the Southsider Shelter, we can learn so much about the ancient history of Wyoming and the people who lived there long before us.
