Lasley Vore Site
Lasley Vore Site is an archaeological site near the Arkansas River in Tulsa County, Oklahoma. It was discovered in 1988 during an environmental impact study for a Kimberly-Clark paper products plant, led by Dr. George H. Odell of the University of Tulsa. Field work in May and June 1988 found 81 features—pits and hearths—within a 2–3 hectare area after topsoil was removed to expose the subsoil due to a tight schedule. Radiocarbon dating places the finds in the early to mid-18th century, suggesting the remains of a Wichita village of about 6,000 people visited by a European trading party.
Artifacts include Wichita items like hide scrapers, projectile points, bison scapulae hoes, and pottery, along with French and other European goods such as trade beads, axe heads, knives, and gun parts. The gun parts are the only items clearly identifiable as French from that period, possibly brought by Jean-Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe during his 1719 visit. The collection fits La Harpe’s description of a large Wichita village along the Arkansas River.
Odell concluded this was likely a semi-permanent Wichita settlement that Europeans visited for trade. His findings were published in a 2002 book.
The site’s name comes from Lasley Vore, a Muscogee man who settled there around 1890 and was buried nearby. The land changed owners and was used as a dairy farm before being bought by Kimberly-Clark. Public access to the site is not allowed.
La Harpe’s 1718–19 expedition reached the Arkansas River region and documented a village of about 6,000 natives (mostly Tawakoni, a Wichita subgroup) with some Taovaya. The visitors were greeted with a calumet ceremony and stayed about ten days; about 1,000 more related people arrived seeking to trade and observe.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 00:02 (CET).