Abstract:
Native American archaeological sites post-dating A.D. 1450 are rare in the Appalachian Summit of northwestern North Carolina, which includes Allegheny, Ashe, Avery, and Watauga counties. The only confirmed sites at high elevations provide evidence that climate change allowed agriculture above 2,500ft after A.D. 900, human settlement was restricted to individual households, and permanent settlement was restricted after 1450.