Venture into...

The Columbia River Gorge

with a GUIDED TOUR or HIKE

Select from the following for a closer look:
Phone/Fax: 509.427.7400
Toll Free:
1.888.877.9045

e-mail: explore@gorge.net
 

This site was created by:

 
cascadia@gorge.net
Watercolor images of the Columbia River Gorge courtesy of Marilyn Wood Bolles, Stevenson Washington.
© 2000, Cascadia Graphics & Publishing
    INVESTIGATE THREE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES in the rugged Silver Star area of the Cascade Mountain Range in Southern Washington. Map and document these unique sites with Forest Service archaeologists on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, just 20 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon. Camp overnight in sub-alpine terrain with scenic vistas and flower studded meadows. Learn about the area from natural science specialists. View a seldom seen collection from a world class museum. And …relax in hot tubs at superb hotels before and after the expedition.
SILVER STAR ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION is offered in partnership with the US Forest Service. It is part of a new national program, “Heritage Expeditions.”
    THIS IS A HANDS-ON field-based expedition to explore several upland sites associated with the prehistoric native peoples of the Columbia River. Prior to the expedition, dialogues with archaeologists and a behind-the-scenes trip to the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center in Stevenson, Washington will introduce you to Columbia River prehistory. From there, you will travel to the backcountry of the Silver Star Mountain area, on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Presentations by archaeologists, continuing discussions, and field experiences will explore the relationships between Columbia River sites and those located in the adjacent mountains.
    FOR TWO AND A HALF DAYS, you will map and record three sites, learning basic skills of archaeological field documentation and sampling from Forest Service archaeologists. Two of the sites are thought to be small base camps where stone tools were manufactured and maintained.
The third site includes a series of circular rock structures in talus slopes, possibly associated with vision-quest activity. If you’re looking for a physical challenge, you may also join an archaeologist in a day-long cross-country traverse to document prehistoric berry-drying features at another ridgetop site.
    NEAR OUR CAMP is a site that has been severely damaged by thoughtless vandalism. You’ll learn about the challenges that archaeologists face in trying to protect these important places from depredation, and the role of Indian tribes in that process.

    THE SILVER STAR EXPEDITION is led by Forest Service Archaeologists Rick McClure and Cheryl Mack, in partnership with Explore the Gorge, Inc. Rick and Cheryl have both worked on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwest Washington for 19 years. Together, they have coordinated numerous public archaeology projects. Jamie Tolfree, owner of Explore the Gorge, was formerly a District Archaeologist with the Forest Service, and did the first documentation of sites in the Silver Star area nearly 20 years ago.

ITINERARY, LOGISTICS AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION

INTERESTING READING PRIOR TO THE EXPEDITION