HOY HOUSE: A PALYNOLOGICAL STUDY

Soil samples representing several diverse areas in and around Hoy House (5MTUMR 2150) in Johnson Canyon, Colorado were analyzed for their pollen content. These samples were taken during the summer of 1974 at excavations under the field direction of Paul R. Nickens. Dr. David A. Breternitz was the project director. Hoy House is the first cliff dwelling to be sampled for pollen studies in the Mancos Canyon project area, and it was expected that the samples would provide information for comparison with previous pollen studies in the Mancos Canyon and other studies of Long House and Mug House on Wetherill Mesa. It was hoped that this study would establish a climatic base for Johnson Canyon, to be compared with that developed in other studies in Mancos Canyon and on Mesa Verde proper. In addition to studying the climatic base, this study attempts to further interpret certain sampled cultural features.