The Cory site (FaNq-75) and the Mummy Cave/Oxbow transition on the Northern Plains

Abstract

The Cory site (FaNq-75) is a multicomponent Middle Period site located in Saskatoon in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada. The site was excavated in 2001 by Stantec Consulting Ltd. as part of a remediation program for a SaskWater pipeline project. Four occupation levels were identified with one complete and two fragmentary projectile points identified. Level II of the Cory site contained a complete projectile point, which was an atypical Gowen point, and was radiocarbon dated to 5910 ± 60 rcybp. The collection from the site was obtained from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum for a more thorough analysis as part of this thesis. Three new radiocarbon dates were obtained for previously undated levels of the site. In addition to the description of the Cory site, this thesis also reviews the published material from a number of Middle Period sites on the Northern Plains. This review led to a reconsideration of the traditional classification of Middle Period archaeological cultures. Previously, the Gowen complex and the Oxbow complex had been considered separate, but related entities. In this thesis, a new classification is proposed with the Gowen complex and the Oxbow complex combined into a single archaeological culture.