Discovery by WSU students prompts 2025 archaeological dig

Thousands of innocuous-looking stone circles dot the plains of Eastern Wyoming, remnants of tipi foundations used by nomadic peoples for over 13,000 years. Typically, these stone circles yield few significant artifacts, as the inhabitants of the region often carried their possessions with them when they moved on. Yet, a rare exception emerged last summer, thanks to a team of students led by Washington State University archaeologist Mackenzie Cory and University of Kansas archaeologist Carlton Shield Chief Gover.

During a five-week-long field school at the Hell Gap National Historic Landmark, the research team found hundreds of pieces of stone chipped by humans, along with several tools, within Stone Circle 21, one of more than 50 such features at the site. Their findings led to months of follow-up research during the fall semester and a student travel award at the Plains Archeology Society conference in October. Perhaps most importantly, their work also helped secure a contract extension to return to the site in summer 2025 to begin subsurface testing, the first conducted by WSU in the Northwest Plains region in decades.

"The whole goal of these field schools is to give students a sense of whether they'll enjoy a career in archaeology and the practical skills they'll need to pursue it," Cory said. "Much of the training we provided last summer and fall involved survey work, testing, and writing, skills the students will need to get jobs in cultural resource management."

Mapping the past

Cory said the students' groundwork during the 2024 summer field school and further analysis conducted in Pullman were critical for securing the 2025 excavation at Hell Gap, a famous archeological site originally discovered in the late 1960s by local teenagers.

Among the key discoveries was evidence of a central living area within Stone Circle 21, believed to be a winter dwelling. At the back of the structure, students uncovered a cluster of chipped stones and tools, hypothesizing that this area was used for activities like tool sharpening. This space, reinforced with a double course of stones, could offer a clearer picture of how the circle was used and the daily lives of its occupants.

"We're trying to figure out the story of that home." Cory said. "What was someone doing in that spot? Are we looking at their tools? Are we seeing evidence of resharpening? How does this space relate to descendent communities?"

In addition to the discoveries within Stone Circle 21, the team identified a potential rock outcropping where ancient toolmakers sourced and tested stones for tools over hundreds or possibly thousands of years. The area could ultimately provide insights into how technological practices of the region's nomadic peoples changed over time.

"What fascinates me about this site is its stratification, revealing layers of use over thousands of years by different groups of people," said Chris Moller (WSU Graduate, Fall 2024). "By studying the stone circles, artifacts, and materials, we're piecing together how these groups lived, moved, and interacted with their environment and each other.'"

Looking ahead, Cory hopes the 2025 excavation will reveal evidence of reoccupation at the site-instances where people returned to and reused the same stone circle over centuries.

"Maybe it was used three or four times over hundreds of years," he said. "We might start to see different lenses of archaeological materials from these occupations. That could help us determine how tools evolved over time and trace where people were coming from based on the source of their tool stones. For instance, if a type of stone found at Hell Gap originated in North Dakota, it would indicate trade or migration routes linking the two regions."

WSU's 2025 field school at Hell Gap will run from May 26 to June 29, offering students six credit hours of course work and hands-on experience.