Gatecliff Rockshelter
National Register of Historic Places

Gatecliff Rockshelter

Austin, Nye County, Nevada
Listed
April 26, 1979
Type
Site
Period
Modern
Ref No.
79001464

About this property

Gatecliff Rockshelter (26NY301) is a major archaeological site in the Great Basin area of the western United States that provides remarkable stratigraphy; it has been called the "deepest archaeological rock shelter in the Americas". Located in Mill Canyon of the Toquima Range in the Monitor Valley of central Nevada, Gatecliff Rockshelter has an elevation of 7,750 feet (2,360 m). David Hurst Thomas discovered Gatecliff Rockshelter in 1970 and began excavations in 1971. Full scale excavations occurred at Gatecliff Rockshelter for about seven field seasons in which nearly 33 feet (10 m) of sediments were exposed for a well-defined stratigraphic sequence. The well-preserved artifacts and undisturbed sediments at Gatecliff Rockshelter provides data and information have been applied to a range of research topics. Based on the analysis of the artifacts at Gatecliff Rockshelter, it can be determined that it was most likely a short-term field camp throughout prehistory. The latest evidence for human usage at Gatecliff occurs between ca. 5500 B.P. to 1250 B.P. In August 1974, a short-film was created: Gatecliff: American Indian Rock-Shelter. In April 1979, Gatecliff Rockshelter was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Location

Austin, Nye County, Nevada
39.00840, -116.78073

Categories

HISTORIC - ABORIGINAL
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Nearby Historic Sites

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Questions about this property

When was Gatecliff Rockshelter listed on the National Register?

Gatecliff Rockshelter was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 26, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Gatecliff Rockshelter?

Gatecliff Rockshelter is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Gatecliff Rockshelter?

The period of significance for Gatecliff Rockshelter is recorded as the modern era.

Can I research the history near Gatecliff Rockshelter?

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