The Late Prehistoric of the East Fork: A Redefinition of Cultural Concepts Along the East Fork of the Trinity River, North Central Texas

By Mark D. Hughston and Wilson W. Crook III

Over the last 42 years, the authors have studied in detail the sites and archeological remains ascribed to the Late Prehistoric period of the East Fork of the Trinity River and its tributaries. This includes 20 major sites and a larger number of smaller campsites that occur within a 75 km by 15 km north-south corridor from Collin County in the north to northwestern Kaufman County in the south. As part of this study, we have accessed and examined all known extant collections from previous investigations with a combined artifact assemblage of nearly 32,000 specimens. In addition, we obtained access to the unpublished field notes and maps from many previous researchers and combined them with our own field and laboratory observations. The results of this study confirms the conclusion of both Bruseth and Martin (1987) and Prikryl (1990) that the "Wylie Focus," as originally proposed by Stephenson (1949, 1952), is an outdated concept. A new chronological sequence consisting of a Woodland period followed by two Late Prehistoric period phases is proposed. In detailing the proposed new sequences, extensive information on each major site, site features such as the distinctive rim-and-pit structures, burials, hearths and caches, and the diagnostic artifacts that characterize each cultural phase are provided. We also detail how the Late Prehistoric of the East Fork is a unique culture, similar but yetdistinctly different from all its surrounding neighbors including the Bird Point Island (41FT201) and Adams Ranch (41NV177) sites in Freestone and Navarro counties.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1508686521
• ISBN13: 9781508686521
• Release Date: May 2015
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 198 Pages
• Weight: 1.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.5" x 8.5"