At the end of the last ice age, Oregon’s Paisley Five Mile Point Caves were located on a grassy plain, surrounded by a lake, marshland and a river. The area was inhabited by Camels, horse, bison, waterfowl and people.

Now a sagebrush steppe, the caves have been explored for evidence of human habitation since 1938. Since that time, researchers have uncovered projectile points, cordage made from plant fibre, modified animal bones and grinding stones. Most importantly, the team led by Dr. Dennis Jenkins of the University of Oregon found coprolites, the remains of human feces.

It was the corpolites, over 200 samples in all, which contain human DNA that allowed the site to be dated to 14,300 years ago. This is important because it pre-dates other human settlement sites by 1,000 years and challenges the belief that the “Clovis” people were the first to inhabit North America.

“As we have used increasingly sophisticated scientific techniques in recent years, our understanding of the cultural and megafaunal remains at the site has grown dramatically. Analyses by our research team provides significant new information regarding the timing and spread of the first settlers in the Americas,” said Jenkins in a statement.

The Clovis culture, identified by a particular style of flaking on their projectile points, appeared in North America roughly 13,200 to 12,900 years ago. Clovis sites have been found across what is now the United States and as far south as Chile. The DNA of Clovis people is present in, at least, 80% of known Native American populations. The Paisley Cave site significantly predates the earliest known Clovis sites.

The earliest non-Clovis site may belong to the Pedra Furada sites of Brazil which date back as far as 48,000 to 32,000 years ago. Those sites, however, have generated considerable controversy and no human remains.

The Paisley Five Mile Point Caves have now been added to the listing of the most important archaeological and historic sites in the U.S. by the National Park Service. The move will offer additional protection to the site in an effort to preserve its treasures.

“The site’s listing underscores the importance of Oregon’s archaeological heritage to understanding the full breadth of the human experience. We extend our thanks to our partner the University of Oregon and associated research team for their dedication and commitment to outstanding research,” said Stan McDonald, state archaeologist for Oregon and Washington for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which currently manages the site.