High‐Altitude Occupations, Cultural Process, and High Plains Prehistory: Retrospect and Prospect

Models of hunter‐gatherer occupation in mountainous areas are evaluated in light of current data bases and field research strategies. Utilizing evidence from the mountain fringes of the North American High Plains, both climatic and task‐specific models are rejected in favor of a broad spectrum model. It is argued that the broad spectrum model better explains the extant data base for the Central Rocky Mountains and that it provides a point of departure for research strategies in other high‐country regions.