Title:

Giant Raccoon Creek

Authors:

Emily Cebrowski, Whitney Seal, Stefania Wilks

Introduction:
The Range Creek Research Project was begun in 2003 as a University of Utah Field
School to support Anthropology and Geology undergraduate and graduate students, educators,
and researchers with a multidisciplinary, hands-on experience in many archaeological methods
and techniques. Research in this area involves hypotheses concerning foraging and hoarding
behaviors, midden excavation, dendrochronology, and intense occupation periods.
Range Creek is a unique research site because of its exceptionally dense and undisturbed
Fremont archaeology. More than four-hundred sites have been located and recorded so far.
Historic survey records show the isolated property used as a cattle range. The most recent owner,
Waldo Wilcox, sold the property after years of isolation and protection. The nonprofit Trust for
Public Lands bought the land and in turn transferred to the Department of Wildlife Resources in
2004 to survey, map, and then to the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration in
2009 so the area could be used by the University of Utah as a research and field school site.
While the ruins are not spectacular in nature, with this state of preservation, most experts expect
to find thousands of pristine sites. The sites do express a sort of defensive retreat with the amount
of excessive protecting and hoarding of food; food that was left in place after the abandonment
of the settlements. There is much left to be discovered and analyzed. The site is not entirely
pristine. It was used for trapping and cattle ranching since the 1800s and one rancher, Charles

Pilling found clay figurines that were eventually donated to a museum and then lost. Through
excavation of the Giant Raccoon site, we hope to add to the body of knowledge regarding the
local Range Creek Fremont culture and possibly establish a Paleoindian presence nearby. We
would also like to contribute to the historical context of the location with comparisons of local
ranching activities during the same residential time period as the Wilcox family.
Historical Background:
Pre-history
Fremont settlement with sturdier houses (pit houses) and storage facilities (granaries) of
stone and mud.
History
In 1884, Deputy U.S. Surveyor, Augustus Ferron discovered a small, perennial stream in
a remote and unoccupied canyon on the plateau. He called the stream Ranch Creek. The
following year, Ferron and four partners renamed the stream Range Creek and formed the Range
Valley Cattle Company. The company claimed all the land and water on the West Tavaputs
Plateau between the Price River on the south and Nine Mile Canyon on the north. Ferron's
partners all came from New York and Pennsylvania to pursue mining and railroad interests in
Utah. None of them had any experience in cattle ranching, but Ferron recognized the value of
this previously undiscovered range and convinced the group to join him in the venture. The
group filed seven Desert Land Entries along the creek, securing the valuable water and blocking
the only route to the abundant summer range on the upper plateau. The first Ranch Manager for
the new enterprise was Clarence Allen, a Professor of Literature who had moved west hoping the
dry air would provide some relief from his tuberculosis. The hard work and dust of Range

Valley proved to be a bit too much for Allen, and he left the ranch after the first summer. Allen
later became the first U.S. Congressman from the new state of Utah in 1896. His replacement
was Joe Wing, the young nephew of one of the original Range Valley partners. Like his
predecessor, twenty-four year old Wing had come west from Ohio seeking a cure to his
dyspepsia, and an adventure in the wild, wild west. In 1898 Wing returned to his home in Ohio
where he continued to serve as Company President until the ranch was sold in 1902. Wing
became one of the leading agricultural spokesmen of his time and gained national prominence as
an expert in sheep husbandry. As a correspondent for the Breeders Gazette, Wing often wrote of
his experiences in Range Valley, and left some of the most important records of the early years
of the canyon.
Range Valley Cattle Company continued operation until 1902, when the partners sold
their interests to Utah cattle baron, Preston Nutter. In 1915, Range Valley was opened to
homesteading, prompting several attempts to break Nutter's hold on the valuable land and water
in the canyon. Helper Mayor and banker Joe Barboglio attempted to take control of the canyon
by enlisting surrogate homesteaders to secure title to improved Nutter holdings. Protracted legal
battles ensued and Nutter lost possession of the two most valuable pieces of property.
Unfortunately, Barboglios own fortunes had declined and he was unable to take advantage of
his victories. The Preston Nutter Corporation remained the primary landholder in the canyon
until 1951 when the Range Creek holdings were sold to Ray Wilcox and his sons Don and
Waldo. Don and Waldo divided the ranch following the death of their father. Don assumed
control of the upper ranch on the plateau and Waldo retained the Range Valley portion. In

December 2001, after 50 years in the canyon, Waldo Wilcox and the government of the United
States agreed to a purchase price and the ranch was returned to the public domain.
For 115 years the remote valley along Range Creek was devoted to cattle ranching.
Coupled with the spectacular summer range atop the Tavaputs Plateau, the canyon fattened
thousands of cattle - and several bank accounts. In 1886 Joe Wing described the natural grass in
Range Valley as chest high. 115 years later invasive weeds and tamarisk accompany the
cottonwood trees and sage that greeted Gus Ferron. Irrigation ditches criss-cross the pastures
and the remnants of early cabins dot the landscape. Old equipment, rusting away in scattered
bone-yards whisper hints of a hard life. The isolated location and rugged terrain of Range Creek
tested those who made their livings there. Its proximity to the famed Outlaw Trail made it an
attractive hiding place for outlaws like Tom Dilly and Joe Walker. Their exploits have become a
part of Western lore and their names a part of the landscape. (Gerber n.d.)
Then, in 2001, Wilcox, entering his 70s, quietly sold the property for $2.5 million
to the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, and then federal and state agencies helped arrange for the
land to be deeded to the State of Utah. (Kloor 2006)

Site Description:
The Giant Raccoon site is located within Range Creek Canyon within the greater
Tavaputs/Colorado Plateau area. This is a multi-component site having both historic and
prehistoric occupations and modern (last 30 years) camping. Range Creek is known to be
associated with Fremont occupation approximately 1050 years AD and has a history of ranching
by the Wilcox family since the turn of the 20th Century.

This site can be divided into 3 areas geographically, as Range Creek runs along the center of the
site flowing from the northwest to the south east, on the east side, Giant Raccoon Creek drains
off the Tavaputs Plateau and is a tributary to Range Creek. Therefore, the portion of the site
lying on the west side of the Range Creek is considered Segment 1, and the east side of Range
Creek is broken into Segment 2 on the north side of Giant Raccoon Creek and Segment 3 on the
south side of Giant Raccoon Creek.

Segment 1 is on east facing bench overlooking Range Creek. This segment is composed of an
abandoned range cabin, privy and trash scatter. There is also what appears to be a manmade
ditch, of unknown date and cultural affiliation. The cabin is composed of saddle notched logs,
only three courses remain and the roof is collapsed. The privy is composed of un-notched logs,
remains include 3 courses of logs and corner beams are still upright. Within the cabin the
following artifacts can be seen: tin cans, tin muffin pan, tin bucket, glass bottles, domestic ware,
and pieces of wood. The cabin measure 10 x 8 and the privy measures 4 x 4. The trash scatter
measures 5 x 7 and is composed of charcoal stained soils, broken glass and broken ceramic.
The glass is cobalt blue, olive green, aqua and black. The ceramic is black, blue, pink, yellow,
and red.

Image: Segment 1

Segment 2 is on the east side of Range Creek and on the north side of Giant Raccoon Creek. It is
composed of a southeast facing bench and a rock shelter. The bench has no visible cultural
materials but the rock shelter has both prehistoric and historic artifacts. The prehistoric artifacts

are composed of one coiled pot and several potsherds. The historic artifacts are red, blue and
black pieces of ceramic. The alcove also has rock art pictographs, both prehistoric and historic.
The prehistoric figures include 3 anthropomorphic figures and 2 quadrupedal figures. These are
painted with red pigment. The historic component is a train and is painted in brown pigment. The
panel measures 8 x 4. Within this segment there is also a modern (~ 30 year old) camp. The
camp has a fire ring, Coors beer cans and broken aqua glass.

Image: Segment 2

Segment 3 is on the east side of Range Creek and on the south side of Giant Raccoon Creek. It is
composed of a northwest facing bench. The bench has a large rock alignment measuring 7
diameter, composed of 10 large rocks and a metate within it. Up slope from the rock alignment
there is two ceramic grayware bowls, digging stick and a granary within the rocky slopes. The

granary still has two corn cobs and corn kernels eroding downslope. Down slope from the rock
alignment there is an area of lithic debitage with one large obsidian flake and one large white
chert flake. Northeast of the rock alignment there is a looters holes with pot sherds eroding out of
it.

Image: Segment 3

Environmental Setting:

The elevation of Giant Racoon Creek ranges from 4700-6700 ft. The average regional
rainfall is 8 inches per year, with 150 clear days a year. The average temperatures range from a
cold temperature of 5 F in January to 95 F in July. (Range Creek Field Station, 2016)
Local topography consists of friable sandstones, mostly lacustrine deposits attributed to
the Tertiary period of geologic history, with a south-to-north tilt characterized by
dramatically deep erosional carved canyons that ultimately drain into the Green River.
(Utah, 2016)
The soil texture is sand to loamy sand, wind and water erosion is present. (Boomgarden, 2015)
Plants including cottonwood, boxelder, arrow cane, cattails, willows, skunkbush are found along
the creek.With pinyon juniper woodlands, greasewood, shadscale and Indian ricegrass in the
surrounding areas.
Wildlife at Giant Raccoon Creek is typical of the Great Basin region, including large
game like elk, moose, bison and bighorn sheep, small manuals such as deer mice, weasels,
cottontail rabbits, and fowl like turkey and sage grouse. (Utah, 2016) Reptiles such as garter
snakes, gopher snakes and western toads are commonly seen at Giant Raccoon Creek. (Utah,
2016) Giant Raccoon Creek is known in the region as the home of two unusually large creatures,
the raccoon which is the genesis of the name Giant Racoon Creek and the scorpion. It is
unknown why these two creatures are so much larger at Giant Racoon Creek than in other
regions in the state.

Historically Giant Racoon creek was used as grazing land for local ranchers resulting in a
landscape change from prehistoric times. Changes include, compaction of earth in grazing
pastures, cattle trails, and the introduction of foreign invasive plant life inclining pigweed and
goosefoot. (Utah, 2016) Both Prehistoric and Historic peoples occupying Giant Racoon Creek
participated in agriculture. Prehistoric people practiced a slash and burn technique to prepare
land for planting but planted native foods. Whereas historic people introduced new food
producing plants to the area. (Utah, 2016) Both farming techniques may have impacted the soil,
plant growth, and overall ecosystem of Giant Racoon Creek. (Utah, 2016) The total impact of
prehistoric and historic agriculture on the soil in Giant Racoon Creek is still an unknown and
more research on this subject will need to be conducted.

Research Objectives:
This site provides a wide angle view into the past. On one hand you have extremely well
preserved prehistoric Fremont Native American sites with minimal looting. This gives
researchers a great understanding of these people's cultural, way of living and hopefully, with
more excavation, an explanation for why they left.
On the other hand, you have historic ranches and evidence of modernization. Here we can
understand that kind of people migrated west and their reasons for doing so. With this migration
came other cultures and traditions that were left behind in artifacts. All together, this is a great,
well preserved place that will educate many people to come.

What Do Researchers Hope to Learn?

During the course of the excavation of the Giant Raccoon Site, we hope to learn if the
prehistoric activity areas were occupied by Archaic and possibly earlier, by Paleoindian peoples.
Collection of artifacts and the exposure of features within the activity areas will give additional
information regarding relationship to similar sites in the Range Creek region; exhibiting both the
cultural similarities and differences to other Fremont and/or Clovis discoveries.
Historically, we would like to use excavated artifacts to date the ranch property,
outbuilding, and midden and calculate its approximate occupation period. We expect to use those
same artifacts to describe the differences living in such an isolated location when compared with
the more populated regions nearby.

What Hypotheses are being tested?

We believe the artifact and feature evidence to be typical of the culture of the Fremont
people within the region. We also believe there is evidence of Clovis point manufacture at a
small, transitory site located nearby the Fremont occupation in Segment 3. Evidence suggests the
rock scatter in Segment 1 represents a Fremont irrigation system in their transition to an agrarian
society. Range Creek and Raccoon Creek would have provided a significant water source for the
cultivation and harvesting of plant food sources and may have been utilized by both Paleo and
Archaic inhabitants.
We believe the historic occupation of the Ranch site was approximately 100 years. The people
living on the ranch most likely had contact with the more populated community a couple of times
a year, whether to acquire supplies or to sell cattle and other ranch produce.

Project Methodology:
Prior to excavation a 15-meter transect spacing intensive pedestrian survey was connected.
Due to the high ground visibility of the area shovel testing was not required several features and
artifacts were clearly visible from the pedestrian survey. Surface prehistoric and historic features
and artifacts were documented using the appropriate IMACS forms and photography overviews
and close-ups. Project maps without scale were drawn for each segment highlighting feature and
artifact design and placement during the intensive survey. Additionally, a scaled overview
project map was created. See below.
For the prehistoric site researchers hope to learn if the site was occupied by a more
ancient people before the Fremont and how artifact and feature construction and material used
compare and relate to similar sites in the region. Researcher plan to use trenching in the
southeast corner of segment 3, near the gray ware and digging stick. It is believed that this
mound may not be natural, researchers believe there is a high probability that subsurface artifacts
exist in this area which may help researchers determine an earlier occupation of the site.
Researchers plan to use trenching near the rock alignment in segment three and horizontal
excavation to learn more about the features construction so it can be compared to other similar
sites in the region. Trenching will also occur at the flake site in Segment 3, researchers feel this
site may help answer one or both of their research questions depending on subsurface deposits.
Segment 2 will also be excavated, the rock enclave holds an intact coiled pot and several
potsherds, vertical excavation will be conducted in this area to find out how this site was used
and if the pots were made at this site or carried over to it. Researchers hope to learn if this site
was a manufacturing area or something else and what materials were brought to the rock enclave.

Researchers also believe the mound in the north-east corner of segment 2 may not be natural, this
area will be trenched and horizontal excavation will ensue if artifacts are located.

The Historic section of the site appears to be limited to the west side of the site.
Researchers hope to learn how long the historic site was occupied and how isolated life was on
the homestead compared to other areas. To answer these questions researchers will use vertical
excavation the trash mound, the floor or the cabin, and the privy. Researchers hope to locate
objects that can be dated in each of these areas to pinpoint date ranges associated with site
occupation and understand outside contact patterns of the historic people who occupied the site.
Segment 3 holds a feature that appears to be an irrigation system coming off Range
Creek. Researchers are unsure if this system is historic or prehistoric. Researchers hope to
determine the origin of this feature and more about its construction, researchers believe that
understanding this feature will help answer their primary site questions regardless of if the site is
prehistoric or historic. Researchers will trench along the main feature line coming off Range
Creek and along the sub lines which run northwest and southeast.
Depending on what is located during the initial trenching process researchers may have to
change methodology. In the event significant materials are not found during the trenching
process horizontal excavations will not commence and researchers will refocus their energy and
resources on other project areas that have a higher potential for significant yield.

Giant Raccoon Creek: Scaled Overview Map

Expectations:
PREHISTORIC:
We expect to find more prehistoric intact artifacts, hearths, discover the function of the
round rock circle. We hope to better understand the people who occupied this site, how their

occupation changed overtime, who they traded with, their tool making techniques, and beliefs in
the supernatural.

HISTORIC:
We expect to understand more about how individual homesteads in the American West fit into
the larger story of western expansion and what role ranching plays in that story. Additionally we
hope to understand more about the temporary occupation of railway workers, including who they
were, and what day to day life was like for them moving across the west working on the railroad.

Subsurface deposits may change our perceived timeline, expand our possible ethnic occupation,
and clue us into which genders occupied which activity areas.

References:

Boomgarden, S. A. (2015). Experimental Maize Farming in Range Creek Cayon, Utah. Salt
Lake City. Retrieved from
http://content.lib.utah.edu/utils/getfile/collection/etd3/id/3904/filename/3897.pdf: Department of
Anthropology, University of Utah.

Range Creek Field Station. (2016). Retrieved from Utah Field Station Network:
http://www.utahfieldstations.org/stations/range-creek.php

Utah (2016). Range Creek Canyon; The Natural History Museum of Utah. Retrieved
from nhmu.utah.edu: https://nhmu.utah.edu/range-creek-geography-geology

Introduction References:
https://nhmu.utah.edu/range-creek/research
https://nhmu.utah.edu/range-creek/overview
http://www.greatoutdoors.com/published/the-lost-world-of-range-creek
http://anthro.utah.edu/field-schools/archaeology-field-school.php#course-fee-and-equipment
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/secrets-of-the-range-creek-ranch-110 879163/?no-ist