Obsidian Cliff
Obsidian Cliff | |
| File:Obsidian Cliff YNP1.jpg Obsidian Cliff | |
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| Nearest city | Mammoth Hot Springs, WY |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Area | 3,580 acres (14.5 km2)[1] |
| NRHP reference No. | 96000973 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 19, 1996[2] |
| Designated NHL | June 19, 1996[3] |
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Obsidian Cliff Kiosk | |
| File:Obsidian Cliff kiosk YNP1.jpg | |
| Nearest city | Mammoth, Wyoming |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. |
| Built | 1931 |
| Architect | National Park Service |
| MPS | Yellowstone National Park MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 82001719 |
| Added to NRHP | July 9, 1982[4] |
Obsidian Cliff, also known as 48YE433, was an important source of lithic materials for prehistoric peoples in Yellowstone National Park near Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, United States. The cliff was named by Philetus Norris, the second park superintendent in 1878.[5] It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996.[1][3]
Geography
[edit | edit source]It is located about 13 miles (21 km) south of Mammoth Hot Springs, on the east side of the Mammoth-Norris section of the Grand Loop Road.[1] The Obsidian Cliff Kiosk, just north, is also listed on the National Register. Obsidian Cliff is also located on the northern end of Beaver Lake in Yellowstone National Park. A 1988 wildfire cleared trees from the site, allowing further archaeological expeditions.[6][7]
Geology
[edit | edit source]The cliff was formed from thick rhyolite lava flow that occurred about 180,000 years ago. The vertical columns are cooling fractures that formed as the thick lava flow cooled and crystallized.[7] The Cliffs stands at an elevation of nearly 7,400 feet (2,300 m) above sea level and goes on for about half a mile. The cliffs also extend between 150 and 200 feet above Obsidian Creek. The flow consists of obsidian, a dark volcanic glass. The obsidian is most abundant at the base of the cliff and slowly tapers off to larger concentrations of pumice at the top.
Significance to Native Americans
[edit | edit source]Obsidian has been quarried from the site for the past 12,000 years. Highly valued for its sharpness, Obsidian was used by Native Americans throughout the Western United States and Canada as knives, spear/arrow tips, and other ceremonial and sharp-edged objects.[7] It appears that the Clovis culture did not use the obsidian consistently and its earliest heavy excavation dates to the Cody culture linked to Mummy Cave, 9,000 years ago.[8]
Obsidian Cliff use was continuous throughout the Archaic period (8000–1000 BC) and peaked in the Late Prehistoric period (1000 BC–1000 AD).[9] Thousands of pounds of obsidian was transported thousands of miles to Ohio using the Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio rivers between ~200BC and ~400AD for use as ceremonial goods by the Hopewell Culture.[10][11] Hopewell grave goods include not only obsidian, but also copper shaped to resemble the horns of bighorn sheep native to the Rockies, which suggests the Hopewell may have made the journey themselves.[12] More recent Native groups such as the Shoshone, Crow, and Cheyenne made use of obsidian sources in Jackson, Wyoming which were closer and easier to access.[13]
Obsidian Cliff Kiosk
[edit | edit source]The Obsidian Cliff Kiosk is a small structure that shelters an interpretive exhibit in Yellowstone National Park at Obsidian Cliff. The kiosk was built in 1931 as part of an effort to provide interpretive exhibits along the park's Grand Loop Road. In common with the Fishing Bridge Museum, Madison Museum and Norris Museum, the kiosk exemplifies the National Park Service Rustic style. The interpretive exhibit was designed by National Park Service's Carl Russell, who provided many other innovations in visitor experiences.[14]
This is significant as the first "wayside exhibit" in the National Park system.[14]
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). and Accompanying nine photos, from 1884, 1889, 1920 and 1989 (32 KB)
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
- Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
- Obsidian Cliff National Historic Landmark at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. WY-99, "Obsidian Cliff Kiosk, Near Obsidian Cliff on Grand Loop Road, Mammoth vicinity, Park County, WY", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- Obsidian Cliff Kiosk at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
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- Landforms of Yellowstone National Park
- Cliffs of Wyoming
- Landforms of Park County, Wyoming
- Volcanism of Wyoming
- Native American history of Wyoming
- National Historic Landmarks in Wyoming
- Natural features on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming
- Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming
- National Register of Historic Places in Park County, Wyoming
- Obsidian
- Quarries in the United States
- Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming
- Rustic architecture in Wyoming
- Kiosks
- Historic American Buildings Survey in Wyoming
- National Register of Historic Places in Yellowstone National Park
- 1931 establishments in Wyoming
- Buildings and structures in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming