Granite Point (45WT41)

^{Museum of Anthropology} _{Major Archaeological Sites}

Granite Point Locality 1 viewed from across the Snake River, 1967

A view of the excavations at Area C at Granite Point, 1968 — Area C excavation, Granite Point, 1968

A satellite image showing the current location of the Granite Point site underwater in the Lower Granite Reservoir — Current location of the Granite Point site underwater in the Lower Granite Reservoir*

Granite Point Locality 1 (45WT41) is a prehistoric site that was situated along the Lower Snake River. The planned damming of the Snake River threatened archaeological sites located along the river’s edge leading the Army Corps of Engineers to contract salvage excavations at Granite Point and several other endangered archaeological sites. The excavation of Granite Point was contracted to Washington State University and fieldwork was conducted during the summers of 1967 and 1968 by Washington State University faculty and field school students. The 1967 field season was led by Roderick Sprague, while Ph.D. candidate Frank C. Leonhardy directed the 1968 excavation. These excavations uncovered the site’s long history of occupation and revealed a record of 10,000 years of cultural change which made Granite Point an important component to building a cultural chronology of the Lower Snake River Region. The completion of dams along the Snake River flooded Granite Point Locality 1, and though the physical locality is inaccessible, the river’s waters do not prohibit its continued study. Through the study of Granite Point’s archaeological collection, this archaeologically important site has the potential to further its contributions to understandings of prehistoric life in the Lower Snake River Region.

*Modern Aerial Imagery Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, i-cubed, USDA, 
USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, and the GIS User Community.