Abstract
The Grissom site (45KT301) is a multi-component archaeological site in the
northeast Kittitas Valley within central Washington State. It was originally excavated by
Central Washington State College from 1967-1971 as part of their efforts to find an annual
meeting ground that held a substantial food source that fed the first people within the Plateau
culture area. Accounts both historically and ethnographically name known people such as
the Kittitas, Taitnapam, Klickitat, Yakama, Moses – Columbia, Wanapum, and Wenatchi, the
majority of whom annually visited and engaged with this landscape. The location of the
meeting ground known as Chelohan (Che-lo-han) and the Grissom site rests between two
language families, the Salish and the Sahaptin, who annually shared and utilized this area
together. Recently rehabilitated in the 21st century, the Grissom assemblage has the potential
to address the role of women as lithic creators and users, through an analysis of the unifacial
tools. As such, the questions raised from this study can help identifty the role of women in
prehistory. Following a technological classification of these expedient tools, the intent is to
show the extent of use for these unifacial artifacts throughout the Grissom site. This thesis is
a summary of my analysis and a synthesis of my findings compared to other investigations
at the Grissom site