Stillwater Marsh facts for kids

Stillwater Marsh is an important archaeological site in eastern Nevada. It was found when big floods in the 1980s uncovered many human bones. The area around the marsh had many different plants and environments. This made it a great place for people to live, as shown by what archaeologists found.

At Stillwater Marsh, scientists mainly studied skeletons to learn about how people lived there. Finding so many skeletons was special for the Great Basin area. It gave a rare chance to understand daily life from ancient times. A large part of the site, about 10,520-acre (4,260 ha), was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. This helps protect it.

Ancient Skeletons Found

Between 1982 and 1986, floods in the Great Basin uncovered about 4,000 human bones. These bones came from an estimated 416 people. They were found in scattered graves over a large area. There were no signs of special burial ceremonies or items buried with the bodies.

The Nevada State Museum started digging at Stillwater Marsh in 1985 and 1986. Then, a group of archaeologists called the Human Skeletal Field Survey continued the research in 1987. They found over 140 skeletons that were mostly complete. Many others were just small pieces of bone.

The skeletons at Stillwater Marsh were not from just one group of people. They belonged to different groups who lived there over about 3,000 years. Tests show people might have lived in the Marsh for as long as 2,500 years. The earliest settlements could be from around 3,200 years ago.

Health of Ancient People

The skeletons that could be studied showed different health conditions. Some had no signs of health problems. Others showed signs of a tough life.

For example, two young male skeletons from one burial spot showed signs of poor nutrition. Their bones had unusual marks where muscles attached. One skeleton also showed signs of anemia, a condition caused by not enough iron. This was seen as a pattern on the bones around the eyes. More signs of anemia were found in a young skeleton in 1987. These findings suggest that children, whose bodies were still growing, might not have always had enough good food. This made them more likely to get sick.

Osteoarthritis in Skeletons

One common finding in the Stillwater Marsh skeletons was osteoarthritis. This is a joint condition that causes wear and tear. It shows up as rough spots on joint surfaces and extra bone growth around joints. About 67 skeletons had signs of osteoarthritis. Many of these cases were very severe, meaning the bones rubbed directly against each other.

This severe osteoarthritis suggests a very active lifestyle. The people of Stillwater Marsh were likely hunter-gatherers. Men probably hunted animals away from camp. Women likely gathered nuts, plants, and other foods closer to camp. Their bones show they had to work harder to find food than many other hunter-gatherer groups.

Most joints in the body were affected by this severe wear, including jaws, ankles, wrists, elbows, hips, and knees. This kind of wear can happen from constant joint movement. For the Stillwater Marsh people, it seems constant movement and hard work caused their osteoarthritis.

The lower back bones (lumbar vertebrae) were the most affected joints for both men and women. This damage suggests they did a lot of lifting and heavy work. Women had more osteoarthritis in their lower backs than men. However, men generally had more severe osteoarthritis from their ankles up to their shoulders. This suggests men traveled long distances carrying heavy loads to and from the Marsh. This severe osteoarthritis was much greater than in other nearby ancient groups.

A study by Clark Spencer Larsen and Christopher B. Ruff looked at the long bones from these skeletons. It showed that these bones were very strong, needed for the heavy work they did. However, skeletons of people aged 40 or older showed little repair to damaged bones. This bone loss, at a relatively young age, suggests that their diet might not have been good enough to help their bodies heal.

Teeth and Diet

The teeth of the Stillwater Marsh people also showed signs of stress. They had marks called hypoplasias, which are defects in tooth enamel. These marks are caused by poor nutrition or stress on the body during childhood. A study found that these marks were not as common in Stillwater Marsh people as in other ancient groups. This is a good sign that they had slightly better food options. However, their diet still wasn't perfect, as these marks were still present.

The teeth also showed a lot of wear. People ate seeds and used their teeth as tools. They also likely chewed some grit or sand with their meals. The teeth of older skeletons (over 50 years old) were worn down to the roots. The grit also caused gum disease in many people. Interestingly, their teeth did not have cavities, because sugar was not part of their diet.

Overall, the skeletons from Stillwater Marsh tell us that these ancient people worked very hard to survive.

How They Found Food

Nutrition was very important for the health of the Stillwater Marsh people. The large number of human remains suggests the Marsh was a popular place to live in the Great Basin. This means people had to be good at using all the natural food sources around them.

Plants as Food

Archaeological samples from Stillwater Marsh show that seeds were a big part of their diet. Common seeds found included bulrush, cattail, and pickleweed. Bulrush seeds were the most common. It is believed that, like other Native Americans, the Stillwater Marsh people ate these seeds for food. Based on how hunter-gatherer groups worked, women likely gathered these seeds for their families. Some of these plants, like bulrush and cattail, still grow in the Stillwater Marsh today. This suggests they were a steady food source.

Animals as Food

The area also had many animals for food. Birds that migrate, like mallard ducks and coots, were very important. People used nets to catch them. Birds were not just food; their feathers and skins were used to make clothing.

Fish were another key part of their diet. The main fish they ate was the tui chub, a type of minnow. Smaller tui chubs were a food source, as shown by the many fish bones found.

Small mammals, mostly rodents, also provided food when fish and birds were not available. Rodents like ground squirrels were cooked whole. Larger small mammals, like muskrats, had their fur removed before cooking.

What We Still Don't Know

There are still some questions about the people who lived at Stillwater Marsh. For example, why did the men have such severe osteoarthritis? More research is needed to find out where the people of Stillwater Marsh went after they stopped using the burial area.

The skeletons studied from Stillwater Marsh were reburied on land owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe now protects them.