The Elk River Archeological District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

Elk County, Kansas Elk County (county code EK) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,483. Its county seat and most populous city is Howard. History Early history For many millennia, the Great Plains ...

and

Montgomery County, Kansas Montgomery County (county code MG) is a County (United States), county located in Southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the county population was 31,486. Its county seat is Independence, Kansas, Independence, and it ...

which includes 69

contributing sites In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978 for its information potential. The district encompasses sites in the Elk River Valley, including the area around Elk City Lake in Elk City. Several of the sites were discovered when the river was dammed to create the lake or in subsequent surveys of the surrounding area. Including sites discovered since 1978, there are now 135 known archaeological sites within the district. The sites represent evidence of continuous human habitation in the Elk River Valley from the Archaic period through the present day, with the earliest sites dating to circa 2000 B.C.

References

Archaeological sites in Kansas Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kansas National Register of Historic Places in Elk County, Kansas National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, Kansas {{Kansas-NRHP-stub