Bulletin of the Texas Archeological Society, Volume 86, 2015 Page: 109

                                
Dating the Upper Toyah Component at Rowe Valley
(41WM437) Or Establishing A New Temporal Context
for Subsistence and Site Use at Rowe Valley
Haley E. Rush, Elton R. Prewitt, C. Britt Bousman, and Leslie L. Bush
ABSTRACT
The Rowe Valley site (41WM437) is a large-scale Toyah phase campsite on the southern bank of the San
Gabriel River in eastern Central Texas. It has an artifact assemblage typical of Toyah sites that includes Perdiz
and other arrow points, unifacial scrapers, bifacial knives, ceramics, and bison remains. Although bison re-
mains can dominate the faunal assemblages of Toyah sites, at Rowe Valley the majority of the faunal remains
examined are deer and antelope. Part of the dominance of the faunal assemblage by these ungulates is likely
due to differential hunting strategies employed for different-sized animals. Charcoal from eight features was
radiocarbon-dated; the results show there were at least two significant occupations pre-dating Spanish move-
ment into Central Texas. These dates and the results of other limited studies combine with observations from
the excavations to support characterization of Toyah people as focused hunter-gatherers who often lived and
hunted in large groups.

INTRODUCTION
The latter part of the Late Prehistoric period of
Central Texas or the Toyah phase is distinguished
from the earlier Austin phase by a distinct set of
artifacts that appear at or near A.D. 1300 or 650
radiocarbon years before present (B.P.) and spread
rapidly across Central and South Texas (Arnn 2012;
Collins 2004; Johnson 1994; Kenmotsu and Boyd
2012a, 2012b; Prewitt 1981, 1985). The Toyah
phase continues until approximately 250 B.P. or
A.D. 1700. A unique lithic toolkit is part of the
distinct set of artifacts; this toolkit includes Perdiz
arrow points, beveled bifacial knives, unifacial
blade end scrapers, and the common use of blade
core technology for the production of flake blade
tools. Ceramics are also included in this distinct
artifact assemblage. Ceramics generally occur in
low numbers compared to other artifact types at
Toyah sites, but this is the first time pottery appears
in the archeological record in Central Texas and
its presence helps to distinguish the Toyah phase
from previous and coeval cultural entities. The
nature of this complete tool kit is believed to reflect
a heavier reliance on hunting than in the preced-
ing Austin phase (Arnn 2012:52-56; Black 1986;

Johnson 1994:241-242; Ricklis and Collins 1994:9;
Kenmotsu and Boyd 2012a). A widely held belief is
that the adoption of the Toyah lithic toolkit was due
to a shift in focus from hunting and gathering to a
greater reliance upon hunting. This supposition was
supported by the fact that during early excavations
of Toyah phase sites it was often noted that these
materials occurred with bison remains, which are
unknown in Austin phase contexts. Other notable
characteristics include rare maize remains (Jelks
1962; Harris 1985; Holloway 1988) and evidence
of living surfaces and possible structures (Black
1986; Johnson 1994; Kenmotsu and Boyd 2012a;
Prewitt 1981).
Dillehay (1974) was among the first who
assessed the presence and absence of bison at
archeological sites in Texas over nearly a 12,000
year period. His conclusions placed the Austin
phase in a bison absence period and the Toyah
phase in a bison presence period, thus supporting
the hypothesis that the change in technology from
the Austin phase to the Toyah was a response to
bison. Dillehay attributed the movements of bison
into Central and South Texas to climatic changes.
Others (Baugh 1986; Lynott 1979) found that
bison were present during the parts of the Late

Bulletin of the Texas Archeological Society 86 (2015)