PACKWOOD — Finding an American Indian arrowhead near the Columbia River Gorge in the 1970s set forester Steve Freitas on a new path in his career.
Such prehistoric arrowheads are not a surprise, as American Indians have occupied regional forests for multiple millennia, though Freitas, then a forester working with a group of high school interns near the Gorge, had never before stumbled upon an ancient tool.
"That piqued my curiosity in archaeology, and I've been fascinated ever since," said Freitas, who, for the past 20-plus years, has resided in Packwood and worked for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
Freitas is still employed as a forester, but long ago began serving also as a cultural resource technician for the Gifford Pinchot. Freitas also is the Heritage Program coordinator for the forest's Cowlitz Valley District.
The Heritage Program is the U.S. Forest Service's organized effort to preserve the cultural heritage of the Gifford Pinchot. This heritage encompasses historical periods during which miners, trappers, homesteaders, loggers and late-era American Indians used the forest, to prehistoric periods in which ancient American Indians relied on the natural abundance of the vast timberlands of what is now East Lewis County.
Though not a licensed archaeologist, Freitas does a significant amount of archaeological work for the forest, primarily conducting surveys in search of prehistoric and historic sites.
"Once you know what to look for, there are little signs and clues everywhere of the previous generations that have used the land," Freitas said of the aspect of the forest that drew him to the Heritage Program.
Many people appreciate the forest for its trees, topography, wildlife and water, but there is much more to the forest than meets the untrained eye.
"The Gifford Pinchot has a rich legacy of human interaction with the landscape that we look out on each time we go hiking or a camping," he said. "It adds a whole new dimension to the experience."
The Gifford Pinchot is home to more than 1,000 known prehistoric sites.
One particular site of interest is the Yuyutla area along the banks of the Cispus River in East Lewis County.
What is known about the Yuyutla site comes from small-scale excavations done in 1990, in which Freitas was a participant.
A fire hearth uncovered in the excavations produced a radiocarbon date that placed the site to around the year 1020.
"We believe it was used as a temporary seasonal camp by local native people," said Rick McClure, head archaeologist of the Gifford Pinchot.
Artifacts reflect hunting, food processing and tool manufacture.
Local native people during the historic period identified a place in the vicinity as "Yuyutla," translated as "person who shouts." That information came from Jim Yoke, a Taidnapam (Upper Cowlitz) elder who was interviewed in the 1920s.
Flooding in early January has revealed even more of the site, as a large section of river bank eroded to show layers of earth containing clues about the land's use over time.
"There is a very obvious and striking layer of Mount St. Helens volcanic ash — about 12 inches thick," Freitas said.
The ashfall has been dated back to 3,500 years ago.
"I remember dealing with half an inch in 1980, and I can't imagine an explosion that resulted in 12 inches," he said.
Some areas of the ash layer are as deep as 16 inches thick.
"It is a reminder of how previous generations also had to deal with the unpredictability and power of Mount St. Helens," Freitas said.
Freitas speculates that an eruption of St. Helens is perhaps responsible for the abandonment of a long-used cave in the forested hills above Randle.
In 1982, U.S. Forest Service employee Tim Layser rediscovered a secluded, ancient cave while surveying the area for a timber sale.
The cave, now known as Layser Cave, served as a dwelling for American Indians beginning 7,000 years ago and ending about 3,500 years ago.
The abandonment occurred around the same time as a huge volcanic eruption.
No one used the cave for the next 3,500 years, suggesting that the area was uninhabitable for a while, owing to ashfall, and the native people forgot about it.
No one knows precisely why the cave's former inhabitants never came back, but archaeological methods offer a glimpse of those ancient people.
Over time, the calcium carbonate in the cave's ceiling dripped into the soil of the cave floor, making the soil alkaline and allowing for the preservation of tools, bones and other items.
The oldest dated specimen of huckleberry was also found, Freitas said.
"It wasn't a local huckleberry, though. It was one that grows closer to the coast," he said. "That is an indication of the widespread trading network these people developed."
More than 10,000 ancient artifacts were uncovered at Layser Cave.
The artifacts go too far back in time to be associated with any known tribe, though historically the Taidnapam inhabited the region.
The descendants of the people who used the cave are likely members of the Cowlitz and Yakama tribes, say Freitas and McClure.
The cave, while in use, was not a permanent dwelling, but was used periodically throughout the year.
Archaeological evidence shows that these opportunistic people lived in small bands that moved from place to place in a 30- to 50-mile territorial range depending on the game and vegetation available with the changing seasons.
The natives lived off deer, elk and grouse, as well as salmon from the Cowlitz River in the valley below.
Bone fragments discovered at the cave show evidence that 108 deer were butchered at the cave over the millennia.
Remains of mountain sheep, which may have also been a source of food, have also been found in the forests around the cave.
This implies that the topography near the cave was perhaps once grassy, as mountain sheep live on grassy landscapes, not in forests.
Stone tools were also uncovered at the site, Freitas said.
Hide-scrapers and stone perforators for creating holes during the making of clothing were among the findings.
Such tools are indicative of work historically attributed to women, said McClure, suggesting the people who used the cave were family groups, not just traveling hunting parties.
Artifacts found at both Yuyutla and Layser Cave show tool making also occurred at both sites.
Bone, stone, wood and sinew were skillfully used to manufacture a multitude of tools, including a prehistoric knife that can be likened to a prehistoric Exacto knife with serrated edges.
"The land that washed away at Yuyutla in the recent flood revealed all kinds of remnants from tool-making," Freitas said.
While some cultural treasures and historic information lies buried deep in the Earth for centuries, as with Yuyutla, or hidden for millennia in a deep forest, as with Layser Cave, other signs and clues of past generations are quite apparent.
One historic impression easy to encounter in the forest is the phenomenon known as "basket trees."
"The Native Americans had a technique for peeling away layers of Western red cedar to make a quick, simple basket while they were gathering huckleberries or other items," Freitas said.
The practice is still used by some modern American Indians, as basket trees have been found that were peeled two or three years ago.
However, most basket trees in the forest were peeled much earlier in the 1800s.
The Gifford Pinchot is home to about 1,000 such trees, Freitas said, and 300 of them are in East Lewis County.
"They are pretty easy to spot once you know how to identify them," he said. "And they are found throughout the forests of the West Coast."
If activity in the forest should call for the possible removal of trees or interference with the land, such as the building of a trail or the rare timber sale, Freitas will survey the proposed area to look for basket trees, along with other signs of prehistoric or historic use.
Some basket trees will be spared, should any be found, and others cut, though the peeled area will be preserved and the tree rings counted to determine when the basket was made.
"People can leave their imprint on the land hundreds and even thousands of years after they are gone," Freitas said. "The forest is full of subtle little clues that provide puzzle pieces to past generations."
The majority of the Gifford Pinchot's prehistoric sites are kept secret so as to deter looters.
Valuable material was looted from Layser Cave, leaving a permanent void in the knowledge about East Lewis County's first inhabitants.
Freitas said that as all Lewis County residents reside on land that has been used for thousands of years, there is always the possibility that historic, or even prehistoric, artifacts could be found.
"And if anyone ever encounters something that may be an archaeological discovery, they need to make sure to call an archaeologist and not disturb the site," he said.
"Artifacts are often useless to us if we don't know exactly were they were found," he said. "Moving something could prevent us from figuring out its age and use."
Objects found on private property are also off-limits, Freitas said.
Permission of the landowner was once all that was needed to excavate and collect archaeological material.
Laws now state that a permit must be obtained from the Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.
"It is important to preserve the human story," Freitas said. "That is why I love this job. I have viewed the forest in a different light ever since finding that first arrowhead. I am always looking for clues. It's not just a job, it's a way of life."
Amy Emerson covers energy, business and economic issues for The Chronicle. She may be reached by e-mail at aemerson@chronline.com, or by telephoning 807-8231.
