Jump to content

Bridger Antelope Trap

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ser Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs) at 19:10, 23 March 2007. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Bridger Antelope Trap
File:CharlesThorntonTomb.jpg
LocationUinta County, Wyoming
Builtpre-1850
Added to NRHPJanuary 21, 1971

The Bridger Antelope Trap is an archaeological site in Uinta County, Wyoming, associated with local American Indian hunting practices. The antelope trap was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Archaeological investigations, conducted in the late 1960s by Dr. George Frison of the University of Wyoming, indicated that the trap was likely in use before 1850; although its length of service is unknown, it is believed that the site is associated with Indians of the Late Prehistoric Period. The Indians' technique, when hunting antelope, was to drive a herd into the long entrance of traps similar to this one. The entrance, made of juniper wood, led to the trap proper, which was located at the base of a hill. This portion of the structure was circular; antelope were driven around the path until exhausted, at which time they would be dispatched by hunters. The circle was also constructed of juniper wood.

The Bridger Antelope Trap covers close to twenty-six acres. Its entrance is arc-shaped, and is close to one-quarter of a mile in length, extending in a northeast-to-southwest direction across a smooth valley. The trap itself serves as an extension of the entrance, and has a diameter of around 700 feet.

Reference

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Bridger_Antelope_Trap&oldid=117348178"