Denali National Park’s prehistoric past came to light when a portion of a prehistoric Athabaskan arrow was recently discovered by a park visitor along the Teklanika River near the Denali Park Road.
Children were playing along the river gravel bar when a young boy picked up the foot-long artifact. The parents recognized it as a valuable item and brought it to Denali park headquarters.
Until this discovery, archeologists have only recovered artifacts in the area from much earlier periods of human habitation. The discovery of this piece indicates that early Athabaskans used the area as well, providing concrete evidence that the site was continuously used for thousands of years.
Similar artifacts discovered in other areas of Alaska and the Yukon have been radiocarbon-dated to be 100 – to over one thousand – years old. Denali archeologists are submitting a sample of the arrow for radiocarbon testing to determine its actual age.
Park officials remind visitors that its best to leave artifacts where they are found since it might lead to even more information about the area. The family was afraid the item was in danger of being washed away by the river and brought it to park officials
