Abstract
Prehistoric populations from California and the Great Basin used high elevations of the Sierra Nevada Mountains for seasonal resource procurement and as thoroughfares for trans-Sierran exchange networks. Hermit Valley, a subalpine valley on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and within the ethnographic territory of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, is abundant in seasonal resources and lies adjacent to Ebbetts Pass, which is a well-travelled route across the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This study uses a combination of toolstone provenance, obsidian hydration, and site distribution data from the archaeological assemblage in Hermit Valley to evaluate the applicability of three previously established macroregional trends to the specific regional context of Hermit Valley: (1) changing toolstone provenance and conveyance from the Late Archaic Period to the Recent Prehistoric Period; (2) the development and subsequent collapse of trans-Sierran exchange networks; and (3) increased residency of high elevations and resource intensification over time. By comparing Hermit Valley to the existing regional chronologies for the Tahoe-Truckee Region and the North-Central Sierra Nevada Region, I hope to refine regional boundaries and aid future cultural resource management archaeologists by developing a framework to efficiently assess the data potential of archaeological sites. I also hope to add to the current understanding of toolstone conveyance and exchange between California and the Great Basin.