Alaska
Ancient Alaskan Site May Explain How First People Reached North America
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A buried campsite in Alaska’s Tanana Valley is offering a sharper picture of what the first migrations into North America may have looked like, right down to campfires, stone flakes, and a mammoth tusk set in time. Researchers argue that the newly analyzed evidence from the Holzman archaeological site shows people were present in Interior Alaska about 14,000 years ago, and that their tool-making traditions hint at technological continuity with the later, famous Clovis culture farther south.
The study, published in Quaternary International, doesn’t “solve” the peopling of the Americas on its own, but it strengthens a key section of the chain: what was happening in Alaska in the centuries just before Clovis appears across much of mid-continental North America. For a debate often dominated by big routes and big dates, Holzman brings the story back to the intimate scale of daily work – processing ivory, shaping stone, and returning to the same landscape across generations.
Late Pleistocene extent of glaciation at 14 and 13 ka (Dalton et al., 2020, 2023) with the Beringia landmass, and ancient archaeological sites >13 ka. Clovis sites from (Anderson and Miller, 2017).Ancient lakes at approximately 14 ka include Glacial Lake Atna at the 777 m asl level (Wiedmer et al., 2010) and in Beringia (Bond, 2019).
A 14,000-Year-Old Campsite in the Tanana Valley
The Holzman site sits in Alaska’s middle Tanana Valley, a region archaeologists consider especially important because it preserves deeply layered, well-dated traces of Late Pleistocene life. In the paper, the authors describe multiple occupation layers, with the oldest (Component 5b) dated to roughly 14,000 years ago and containing a nearly complete mammoth tusk along with evidence of hearths and stone-working debris.
Just above that, the team reports a later layer dated around 13,700 years ago that looks like a focused production episode: abundant quartz artifacts and a clear emphasis on mammoth ivory reduction. That layer also produced what the researchers describe as the earliest known ivory rod tools in the Americas, made with techniques that later become more visible in Clovis contexts, explains Phys.org.
Findings associated with the Holzman archaeological site. (Wygal et al. Quaternary International (2026)
This matters because it places people with a sophisticated organic-technology tradition (ivory working doesn’t preserve as readily as stone) in eastern Beringia earlier than or alongside the first big expansions south of the ice sheets. In other words, Alaska is not just “a corridor people passed through,” but a place where key technologies may have been refined before dispersal.
Why Mammoth Ivory Tools Are the Real Clue
Stone tools are the durable headline, but mammoth ivory is the more surprising thread. At Holzman, the authors link clusters of quartz flakes and working areas to the carving and shaping of ivory into rods and blanks – materials that would have been valuable, portable, and useful for composite hunting tools.
Phys.org summarizes the connection the researchers are drawing: ivory rods made at Holzman (around 13,700 years ago) appear to use carving techniques later seen in Clovis contexts (around 13,000 years ago). That doesn’t mean “Clovis came from Alaska” in a simple, one-step way, but it does support the idea that some technological roots of later Paleoindian traditions could have been laid in the north during earlier movements through Beringia and Interior Alaska.
This is also where the Tanana Valley’s broader record becomes important. The region has yielded multiple stratified sites with early dates, so Holzman is being presented as part of a wider cultural landscape, one that can connect Siberian-Beringian adaptations to later expansions deeper into North America.
Beringia (the Bering Land Bridge region) once linked Asia and North America during lower sea levels. (NOAA/Public domain)
The Route South: Land Corridor, Coastline, or Both?
Migration into the Americas is not about a single “path,” but timing can still rule routes in or out. The Holzman evidence supports the idea of a southward movement of ancestral Clovis-era populations sometime between 14,000 and 13,000 years ago, after reaching and circulating within eastern Beringia.
That interior story intersects with the long-running “ice-free corridor” debate. Ancient Origins has previously reported research suggesting the ice-free corridor may not have been viable for the earliest migrations until relatively late (around 13,800 years ago for full opening, in that report), which would imply that initial entry into the Americas could have relied more heavily on coastal or other alternatives, with interior pathways becoming more usable later.
The Holzman paper itself emphasizes dispersal south of the continental ice sheets during the 14–13 ka window, but it also sits within a field where multiple routes – coastal, interior, and mixed strategies – are actively weighed against new archaeological and genetic data. Rather than closing the debate, Holzman adds weight to the idea that Interior Alaska was populated early enough to feed later expansions, at least once conditions allowed those movements.
Top image: Illustrative Alaska image, Columbia Glacier, Columbia Bay, Valdez, Alaska. Source: Frank Fichtmüller/Adobe Stock
By Gary Manners
References
Sahir, R., 2022. Ice Wall Blocked Americas Land Route Until 13,800 years Ago. Ancient Origins. Available at: /news-history-archaeology/ice-wall-0016560
Karasavvas, T. 2018. Ancient Infant DNA Rewrites the History of Humans Entering North America. Available at: /news-history-archaeology/ancient-infant-dna-rewrites-history-humans-entering-north-america-009383
Wygal, B. T., et al. 2026. Stone and mammoth ivory tool production, circulation, and human dispersals in the middle Tanana Valley, Alaska: Implications for the Pleistocene peopling of the Americas. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040618225004306?via%3Dihub
Arnold, P., 2026. Ancient Alaskan site may help explain how the first people arrived in North America. Available at: https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ancient-alaskan-site-people-north.html
Two US soldiers were wounded by a brown bear during a training exercise in Alaska on Thursday, the US Army stated.
Anchorage Daily News reported that the soldiers were from the 11th Airborne Division, and that the exercise had been a “land navigation training event” near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
State wildlife officials said that the bear attack seemed to be a defensive one, from a bear which had recently emerged from its den. Staff members from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game collected evidence at the scene in an attempt to learn more about the bear, such as its species and gender.
“The incident is currently under investigation, and we are working closely with installation authorities and local wildlife officials to gather all relevant information and ensure the safety of all personnel in the area,” the 11th Airborne Division said in a statement, reported ABC News.
ABC News also cited an 11th Airborne Division spokesperson, Lt.-Col. Jo Nederhoed, who said that the two soldiers had been seriously wounded, but were receiving care at a hospital in Anchorage, and had shown improvement by Saturday morning.
“We hope both individuals have a full and quick recovery, and our thoughts are with them during this time,” Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow said in a statement reported by Anchorage Daily News. “In this case, having bear spray with them in the field may have saved their lives.”
Both of the soldiers reportedly had and used bear spray during the attack.
The bear’s condition and whereabouts are currently unknown.
Up, up and away … that’s where most travel prices are going.
It’s true. Not only are our nation’s geopolitical thrusts in the Mideast affecting the cost of your fill-ups, every component of your trip from airfares to car rentals and hotel stays are subject to price hikes.
Imagine filling up a jetliner with jet fuel that’s doubled in price. It’s enough to melt your credit card, regardless of the number of points you get for every dollar spent!
Because the price of oil affects everything, higher prices are eating away at your travel budget in many ways.
Bag fees
There’s lots of press on this. All airlines are increasing their checked-bag fees because of the jump in fuel prices.
Back in 2009, Alaska Airlines instituted a $15 fee for the first checked bag and $25 for the second bag. At the time, there was no charge for the first bag and a second bag was $25.
Last week, Alaska Airlines, along with other major airlines, increased its fees to $45 for the first checked bag and $55 for the second bag. Delta Air Lines charges the same.
Even if the cost of oil comes down, I don’t expect bag fees will ever be reduced.
Travelers who live in Alaska are somewhat insulated from the new hikes because both Delta and Alaska Airlines offer two free checked bags, with conditions:
1. Alaska offers two free checked bags for travelers flying to or from Alaska who are enrolled in Club 49. This does not affect other flights on Alaska. Separately, ATMOS credit card holders can get a free checked bag. Also, elite members of the ATMOS scheme get one or two free checked bags systemwide.
2. Delta offers two free checked bags for travelers flying to or from Alaska who are SkyMiles members who live in Alaska. Again, this does not apply to other Delta flights. Separately, Delta American Express cardholders can get a free checked bag.
3. Elite-level travelers with the oneworld airline cartel, including Alaska Airlines, can get one or two checked bags on American, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas or other oneworld carriers.
[Anchorage’s international airport rolls out self-driving wheelchairs]
Main Cabin vs. Basic Economy
The spread between the lowest available price, Basic Economy, and a more flexible ticket, Main Cabin, has increased. While the difference used to be $20-$30 each way when the Basic Economy scheme was introduced in 2018, the round-trip upcharge now can exceed $100.
For example, the lowest Basic fare to Portland is $337 round-trip on Alaska Airlines. The upcharge to Main Cabin, with full loyalty points, pre-assigned seats and more flexibility on changes and cancellations, is $447, a 33% upcharge.
This trend is not specifically attributable to the new Iran War. It’s just a cost that continues to rise.
New fees
I’m impressed at the creativity of airline people who dream up new fees. Here are some of my favorites from Alaska Airlines:
1. Phone reservations: $15
2. Partner award booking fee: $12.50
3. Pet travel fee: $100 in the cabin, $200 in the baggage compartment with a kennel
4. Left on board item return fee: $20
On Condor Airlines, operating the only nonstop service from Anchorage to Europe, travelers can choose from four different bundles in economy class. The least-expensive, Economy Zero, from $840 round-trip, features fees for travelers:
1. Carry-on bag fee, up to 8kg: $35; a small bag like a purse always is included for free
2. Checked bag: $75
3. Airport check-in: $30
All three of these fees are included in the next-highest fare bucket, Economy Classic, from $900 round-trip. It’s cheaper to buy the bundle than it is to buy the components a la carte. Seat assignments are additional, from $25 for economy.
Airfares on the rise
There are a few good deals available for travel to select West Coast/Intermountain destinations in May, including:
1. Anchorage-San Francisco on Alaska Airlines, from $307 round-trip. Fly May 15-28 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main cabin.
2. Anchorage-Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines, from $317 round-trip. May 15-25 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main.
3. Anchorage-Phoenix on United, Delta or Alaska, from $267-$287 round-trip. Fly May 8-June 9 only. Add $90-$100 for Main.
4. Anchorage-Denver $357 round-trip on Delta. Fly May 8-June 9 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main.
For travel to other destinations, or later in the summer, be prepared to pay more.
Flying to Hawaii? Alaska Air’s nonstop prices out at $706 round-trip between May 30 and June 6. Add $110 round-trip for Main.
Nonstop flights from Anchorage to Salt Lake City start at $669 round-trip with Delta on May 17. That’s $100 more than the cost for the same flights last month. Add $90 more for Main.
Hotel costs continue to rise, accompanied by pesky resort fees.
The Outrigger on the Beach in Waikiki is a very nice beachfront hotel. It’s not plush, or the nicest property. But it’s solid. The cost is $334 per night.
But there’s more: a $50 per night resort fee, plus a variety of taxes and charges, totaling $112.55 per night.
Down in Seattle, the Sound Hotel in the Belltown neighborhood is marketed by Hilton. The discounted rate for “Honors” members — it’s free to join — is $313.34 per night for a king room in late May. Taxes and fees add an extra $56.40 per night.
There’s no appreciable bump yet for hotel rates as a result of the oil price surge. Yet. But if these hotel rates seem high, they’re in line with hotel rates in Anchorage this summer. At the Sheraton in Anchorage in June, it’s $450 per night, plus $54 in taxes and fees, when booked at Expedia.
Car rentals are not cheap
My go-to site for car rentals is the Costco site, which compares major brands and automatically includes Costco discounts.
In Las Vegas, for a one-day rental in May, Budget charges $67 per day, which includes taxes and fees of $22.77. In Anchorage, the same kind of car, medium SUV, costs $92.97 with Alamo.
The biggest differences so far in car rental rates seems to be the bill you’ll pay when you fill up the tank before returning. There’s no appreciable jump in prices because of the new war.
When it comes to making travel arrangements for the spring and summer, it’s more risky making completely non-refundable arrangements.
I made the decision to purchase most of my summer travel plans in advance, but only after determining I would not need to change the dates. Particularly with airline tickets, it’s expensive to change your dates.
There’s lots of uncertainty regarding travel arrangements, particularly international travel. As fuel prices go up due to oil shortages, travel companies will look for ways to recoup the increased costs. In most cases, those higher costs will be borne by travelers.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has led to a decrease in oil prices nationally, but Alaska’s senior senator said the state faces a different situation that could threaten rural communities.
“If you can’t produce power because you don’t have the diesel or you just can’t pay the prices, your little communities can collapse,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said at a Friday press conference at the Arctic Encounter Summit in Anchorage.
The price of oil has been a double-edged sword for Alaska. On one hand, the increased price of North Slope oil brings more revenue to the state, but consumer prices can also rise.
North Slope oil prices were $106.36 a barrel on Thursday.
“This is a very precarious time,” Murkowski said. “Our state has enjoyed a bounty because we have benefited from the higher prices of oil that goes into our treasury, but it’s the Alaskans in … the off-road communities that are threatened to be hit most hard.”
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