Written by Carla Burnside, Retired USFWS Archaeologist
Photo above of lizard petroglyphs, USFWS
The land we cherish as Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has been in use by humans for thousands of years and it is likely that people were using refuge resources around 17,500 years ago – archaeological evidence from the Rimrock Draw Rockshelter near Riley shows that people were in the area by at least 18,000 years ago! The Indigenous inhabitants of the Harney Basin used food and animal resources from the lakes, the basin floor, the valleys, the forests and Steens Mountain for food, shelter, clothing and tools.
Malheur, Mud and Harney Lakes provided a diverse array of plants, fish, waterfowl and animals that were processed and stored for year round use. Short and long term use, as indicated by a variety of archaeological sites, begins to show up around the lakes around 6,000 years ago during an episode of cooler and wetter climatic conditions that encouraged sustainable marsh conditions and more reliable food resources. It was around this time that people began occupying the area we know as Refuge Headquarters.
Archaeological research at the Headquarters site provides insight into the fish and animals that were found in the area. The inhabitants of the site were fishing for tui chub, suckers, redband trout and squawfish. The fish was smoked or dried and stored in underground, grass lined, storage pits for later use. Animal bones recovered from the site show that they were hunting ducks, antelope, mountain sheep, coyote, muskrat and bison. They also had access to a variety of plants from the marsh and valley that could be used for food, baskets, and mats for their homes.
The variety of fish, plants and animals found at the Headquarters site shows that their year was scheduled around seasonal movements to resource areas scattered around the basin. Waterfowl eggs were collected and water fowl were hunted in the spring around the lakes and as root resources ripened at the edges of the basin they traveled to collect root resources, such as biscuit root and camas, that could be processed, dried and stored. As summer temperatures began to increase groups moved to higher elevations to hunt and gather forest resources. In the late summer when waterfowl molted their flight feathers large nets, crafted from native hemp fibers, were used to capture large numbers of coots and ducks for processing and storage. These nets were also used in the lakes as gill nets for fish and to harvest jackrabbits when numbers were abundant. In the fall big game hunting continued and may have included organized antelope drives; berries and other fruit were collected for winter use. Hunting probably continued in the winter as game animals were pushed into the lower elevations by snow. Plant and animal foods processed and saved earlier in the year would sustain them through the winter.
Around 3,500 years ago small villages appear in greater abundance around the lakes and along the edges of the Blitzen Valley. Climate data indicates more stable conditions with moderately cool conditions and adequate precipitation to support lake and marsh resources. Three sites excavated in the Blitzen Valley consisting of stone ring structures or house pits show an increased use of marsh and river resources and suggest more stable food supplies. Rabbit, fish and large game animals were being eaten; grass seed (wild rye and rice grass) and juniper berries were being harvested; and conifer and sage brush were being used to fuel fires. One village near the Diamond Craters was abandoned during this time when hot cinders from an eruption blanketed the landscape and preserved the site – Malheur’s own Pompeii!!
Use of the area decreased around 1,400 years ago when a drought hit the area causing the lakes and marshes to decrease in size or dry up. Limited resources forced people to move to out of the area to find food and the number of archaeological sites decreased significantly. As conditions improved over the next 100-200 years, with the return of cooler temperatures and greater precipitation, use increased around the lakes, the Double-O and the Blitzen Valley. Archaeological research suggests that this may have been the period of most intensive use of resources in the basin.
The climate changed around 1,050 years ago and geomorphic data indicates that Malheur Lake rose significantly and flooded the area at headquarters. The water rose so high that the lake intruded into the Blitzen Valley, water flowed towards Princeton and then flowed into the South Fork of the Malheur River for a short period of time. As the lake deepened the marsh shrank and people moved to higher elevations to avoid the flooding and to access resources. As the water diminished, and marshes again expanded and people and wildlife moved back to the floor of the basin.
Droughts around 700 and 500 years ago briefly disrupted life in the basin, but improved climatic conditions meant a return to the lakes and the Blitzen Valley. At the Headquarters site archaeologists excavated a 400 year old storage pit filled with seeds from wapato (Indian potato), bulrush and goosefoot – that were used to make flour or eaten as a hot cereal. Fish bones were recovered from two hearths dated to this time period and the fires were fueled with sagebrush and willow. These discoveries offer a more intimate view of life at the headquarters site. Excavations on Harney Lake from this time period show us that gill nets were used to harvest tui chub from the lake and the catch was so abundant that the chub were being roasted in grass lined roasting pits heated by greasewood fires to preserve them for long term storage.
The ancestors of the Burns Paiute continued using the abundant resources found on Malheur Refuge until their access to these important resources was denied by ranchers and homesteaders. Members of the Burns Paiute Tribe continue to harvest important plants on the refuge to continue their cultural traditions of basket weaving and tule mat construction.
