Stone tools used by some of the first people in the Pacific Northwest had lain, for thousands of years, undisturbed beneath the forest floor.
A developer in 2007 uncovered thousands of artifacts — including spear points, stone knives and scraping tools — while performing a survey on land where he planned to build more than a dozen homes.
The ancient trove, investigated with just a few small test digs, put those plans on hold.
State archaeologists believe they’ve found one of the best preserved sites of human activity from what’s known as the Olcott period, 4,500 to 9,000 years ago.
“The developer accidentally bought himself one of the most significant sites in Washington state,” said Allyson Brooks, the state’s historic preservation officer. “The site is extremely significant for our understanding of the first inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest.”
The Stillaguamish and the Tulalip tribes are among those who have a strong interest in the site’s culture and history. The Herald was asked not to report the location to prevent looting.
The tools catalogued by archaeological consultants during the initial survey are probably a fraction of what remains below the soil. Initial estimates put the artifacts at up to 9,000 years old. That’s almost 4,500 years older than the first known pyramids in Egypt or the apex of the Indus Valley Civilization on the Indian subcontinent, both dated to around 2,600 B.C.
Scores of similar areas are known throughout the state. Brooks and others say this one is remarkable because it is undisturbed and rich with artifacts.
The developer is working with county, tribal, state and federal authorities to protect the land.
“This site gives us a lot of opportunities to discover a lot of history,” said Shawn Yanity, the Stillaguamish tribal chairman. “It’s so rich with history, it just needs to be preserved.”
The Olcott period
The find is among those that archaeologists call an Olcott site. The name comes from the Olcott family, who owned land near the Stillaguamish River where similar tools were uncovered, according to “Archaeology in Washington,” by Ruth Kirk and Richard Daugherty.
Most Olcott sites appear to be seasonal hunting stations, tool workshops or base camps.
A state database lists 23 designated Olcott sites, Brooks said, though there are many others. Archaeologists affiliated with the University of Washington’s Burke Museum say the number is closer to 200, including discoveries with a only a few tools.
Olcott sites are generally restricted to Western Washington, said Stephanie Jolivette, a doctoral candidate who handles the Burke’s archaeology outreach.
“Snohomish (County) is kind of the hotbed,” she said. “There’s definitely a lot concentrated in that area.”
Similar spear points, used for thrusting, not throwing, have come from Eastern Washington, British Columbia and Oregon. The tools are usually made from local volcanic rock.
Archaeologists don’t know much about the people who used the Olcott tools, largely because no human remains have been found with them.
Kennewick man — the 9,500-year-old skeleton found near Kennewick in 1996 — is from same general period. He has an Olcott point with a serrated edge embedded in his hip. The wound healed over; it didn’t kill him.
A lack of bones or plant material has prevented scientists from using carbon-dating on Olcott sites to determine their exact age.
“About all we find are the stone tools,” Jolivette said.
The number of archaeologists with deep expertise about them is limited as well.
The Snohomish County site could help change that, if excavated properly.
“If members of the public pull (an artifact) out of the ground, it’s kind of meaningless to us.”
Digging up an archaeological site without a state permit also is illegal.
Breaking the state law is a misdemeanor carrying a possible $5,000 civil penalty. When human remains are found, it’s a felony.
Saving the site
Given the new site’s importance, you might expect archaeology teams to be encamped there already. That hasn’t happened yet, and might take some time.
From 17 test holes each about the size of a small wastepaper basket, archaeology consultants dug up thousands of artifacts. Catalogued in plastic bags, they fill eight cardboard boxes.
County Councilman Brian Sullivan is keeping two of them at his office, while the developer holds on to the rest.
“This stuff belongs in a Stillaguamish museum or a Tulalip tribal museum,” Sullivan said.
The site isn’t in his council district; he’s gotten involved because of past work with tribal, cultural and natural resource issues at the county and in the Legislature, where he served before being elected to the council.
For now, Sullivan has been showing the artifacts to anyone who might be able to help. He brought them to Stillaguamish tribal leaders late last year and to Tulalip leaders early this year.
“I’ve gotta create some synergy to get this thing done,” he said.
U.S. Reps. Rick Larsen and Norm Dicks are aware of the issue. Members of Larsen’s staff recently toured the site with Sullivan and are looking into available grant money. They hope a local agency, such as Snohomish County, a tribal government or a nonprofit, could apply for the grant.
The Cascade Land Conservancy, a group that tries to find market-based solutions for preserving land, could be a partner, too. They’re interested in preserving the forest as much as the stone tools that are hidden below.
“It definitely seemed like a project worth pursuing,” said Nick Harper, CLC’s conservation director in Snohomish County.
Longtime Tulalip leader Stan Jones said the find is extremely important to tribal history. There might be a way to use some of the artifacts in a Tulalip cultural museum expected to open soon, he said.
Yanity, the Stillaguamish chairman, hopes all of the tribes with a stake in the process can work together. The chance to rediscover their common past could also be a great opportunity to train tribal archaeologists.
The site needs to be treated with respect, just like any other piece of history, he said. What they find is sure to have immeasurable value.
“(The) value isn’t in the dollar sense,” he said, “it’s in knowledge, remembering our ancestors.”
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