OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — American Indian artifacts have been discovered along some of the most popular hiking trails in the Olympic Mountains.
To the untrained eye, the artifacts — which include stone scrappers used for hunting and berry processing and shards from original tools — go unnoticed.
But authorized researchers conducting ongoing studies in Olympic National Park recognize the treasures.
Olympic National Park archeologist David J. Conca has surveyed many areas of the park this summer, including Hurricane Hill, located about a mile-and-a-half from the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center.
Artifacts from tribes such as the Lower Elwha Klallam are plentiful along many of the Hurricane Hill trails.
“It is really amazing what is right on the surface,” Conca said. “This area was used extensively by the tribes and there are thousands of sites in the high country.”
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