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Analysis of paleofeces from Hidden Cave, western Nevada provides new evidence for occupation history, diet and dietary change, and occupation of the cave by women. Dating of the coprolites shows two main periods of occupation, from 3800 to 3400 BP and 1900 to 1500 BP. Faunal and floral macrofossils, coupled with pollen analysis, show a dependence on wetland food resources, augmented with small seeds from dryland plants. Fecal steroid analysis indicates that the occupants of the cave were probably women. These results shed insights on prehistoric settlement patterns in the Carson Desert at times prior to major residential occupation of the Stillwater Marsh. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.