Glenrose Cannery is one of the earliest sites of the Northwest Coast, located on the coast of British Columbia near the Fraser River delta, close to Vancouver. The site is now under the threat of being destroyed by the construction of a highway, which would destroy its deposit currently buried under many feet of soil.
Glenrose Cannery was excavated in the 70s by R.G. Matson, an archaeologist at the University of British Columbia. During this project, recovered faunal remains and tools provided evidence of a site occupation spanning between 7000 and 4000 B.P, covering the Archaic period. Artifacts included large leaf-shape bifaces and cobble tools. Matson defined these oldest components the “old Cordilleran” tradition. Faunal remains included elk, deer, seal, canid, beaver, salmon, flounder, halibut and shellfish. Fish remains constitute also an indirect evidence of net and spear use, and probably boat, since halibut don't live near shorelines. Salmon was by far the most exploited resource, along with other fish and land species available in the rich environment around the Fraser river delta. Only a single barbed point has been discovered at the site, along with some wooden stakes, but whether or not these stakes came from fish weirs is still debated. During this early phase, the site was probably occupied seasonally, in the spring and summer.
During the subsequent phase, the Early Pacific period, Glenrose Cannery may have been occupied for longer periods, or even year-round. However, no evidence of settlement or special purpose structures, such as salmon drying facilities or fisheries, have been recovered.
To the Early Pacific period, around 2000-1500 BC, dates one of the earliest piece of carved antler of the whole Northwest Coast found at Glenrose Cannery. This was probably an handle for some carving tool, perhaps a chisel, and it was carved in the shape of a human figure with a hair topknot and beard.
Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to Northwest Coast, and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Ames Kenneth M. and Herbert D.G. Maschner, 1999, Peoples of the Northwest Coast. Their Archaeology and Prehistory, Thames and Hudson, London.
Carlson, Roy L., 1998, Coastal British Columbia in the Light of North Pacific Maritime Adaptations, Arctic Anthropology, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 23-35.