<< Other Photo Pages >> Onion Portage Archaeological District - Ancient Village or Settlement in United States in Alaska
Submitted by AKFisher on Monday, 14 August 2023 Page Views: 504
Multi-periodSite Name: Onion Portage Archaeological District Alternative Name: Kobuk Valley National Park Onion Portage SiteCountry: United States
NOTE: This site is 348.275 km away from the location you searched for.
Region: Alaska Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Nearest Town: Ambler, AK
Latitude: 67.112294N Longitude: 158.224523W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
Internal Links:
External Links:
Ancient Village or Settlement in The West
The Onion Portage Archeological District encompasses a major archaeological site in Kobuk Valley National Park in northwestern Alaska. The site is a deeply stratified site, at which archaeologists have located nine complexes ranging dating from approximately 6500BC to AD1700. The site has been of critical benefit for the study of Arctic cultures, and is used to determine the cultural chronology of the region.[4]
The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972[5] and was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1978.[3]
Setting:
The Onion Portage site is located on the northern banks of the Kobuk River. Above the site is a sandy knoll, from which material is washed onto the site from deeply eroded gullies.[6]
Archaeological History:
The Onion Portage site was first identified by the pioneering Arctic archaeologist J. Louis Giddings in 1940, during his first visit to the Kobuk River. He returned to the site in 1941, at which time some house pits were excavated, but the site's potential was not fully known. After World War II Giddings focused his efforts on other areas (notably the Iyatayet site and sites at Cape Krusenstern, both also National Historic Landmarks, where he began to assemble a chronology of Arctic cultures. In 1961 he visited the site again, at which time its highly stratified nature was discovered. Giddings led a major excavation at the site in 1964, the last year of his life, seeking evidence of older cultures in the many layers of deposits.[7]
The only built structure to be included in the district is the Giddings Cabin, used by J. Louis Giddings during the 1964 excavation. The National Park Service has preserved the cabin.[4]
References:
3. Onion Portage Archeological District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
4. Giddings Cabin". List of Classified Structures. National Park Service. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
6. A Stone Age Campsite at the Gateway to America" (PDF). Alaska Resources Library. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
7. Pioneer Arctic Archeologist J. Louis Giddings" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
Further reading and information:
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion_Portage_Archeological_District
NPS: http://www.nps.gov/places/onion-portage-archeological-district.htm
Directions:
Kobuk Valley National Park is very remote. There are no roads to provide access, so planes take care of most transportation needs.
Commercial airlines provide service from Anchorage to Kotzebue, or from Fairbanks to Bettles. Once in Kotzebue or Bettles, you must fly to the park with authorized air taxis. From Kotzebue, commercial airlines provide regularly scheduled flights to villages near the park.
Summer access may include motorized/non-motorized watercraft, aircraft, or by foot. Some visitors bring their own packable boats and have pilots drop them off to start a float through the park. Study a topographic map, then talk with a pilot to decide on a feasible backcountry landing spot. Or plan to fly the boat as cargo on a small commercial plane to the villages of Kobuk, Shungnak or Ambler to start a trip on the Kobuk River. The take out and flight home can be from the villages of Kiana or Noorvik. Hiking into the park from Kotzebue or Bettles is possible, but it's a wilderness trek over rough terrain that requires many weeks to complete.
Winter access may include aircraft, snowmobiles or by foot. Small commercial planes fly to the local villages year round, weather permitting. Chartered aircraft may be able to land at backcountry sites on skis when the weather is clear. There are no local equipment rental services in Kotzebue. With advance planning, visitors can bring their own skis, snowshoes, dogteam or snowmobiles to travel into the park. Any winter trip requires advanced knowledge of cold weather survival.
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