Petroglyphs at Lake Pend Oreille, Bonner County, Northern Idaho

摘要

Archaeological and Historical Services conducted a rock art reconnaissance for the Seattle District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to record the known and reported rock art sites within the Albeni Falls project area. Seven sites, all petroglyphs, were identified in the northern and eastern areas of Lake Pend Oreille. Various sizes and styles of bear paws and intersected circles dominate the assemblage of figures. A few examples of other motifs are present, including anthropomorphic figures, quadrupeds, curvilinear and abstract figures, and many unidentified forms. The techniques used to create the figures were primarily pecking, with a few instances of incising. Several causes of deterioration were observed. Lichen and moss growth obscured the rock surfaces, water percolation combined with freeze and thaw cycles caused spalling, wave action eroded the rock surfaces and erased the figures, and gravel covered portions of the petroglyphs.