POLLEN ANALYSIS AT FORT LARNED, KANSAS

Fort Larned National Historic Site, Pawnee County, Kansas was the focus of archaeological investigations conducted by the University of Colorado from 1972 to 1974. During 1973 pollen samples were taken from various features in the vicinity of Fort Larned, as well as from the fort area proper. The primary reason for the sampling of archaeological features was to recover environmental and cultural data. It was hoped that analysis of the environmental data would provide information on the historic period climate and general vegetation types and that there would be an indication of non-native vegetal foods grown in the area. In an effort to establish a longer pollen sequence for environmental information, an eroded river bank was sampled (the Reed-Ott column). By sampling the Reed-Ott column, it was hoped that a pollen chronology spanning a longer temporal range could be developed for the area to facilitate comparisons with future studies.