Browsing by Subject "Archaeological sites"
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Item Late Prehistoric Cultural Affiliation Study, Grand Portage National Monument, Minnesota(1999) Clark, CavenThis is a desk study of indigenous history of the Grand Portage tribal lands over the past 10,000 years. Notes that fisheries were a major resource until the Terminal Woodland sub stage (approx. 700 AD) when subsistence practices became highly specialized and centered on wild rice and pottery making. Discussion centers primarily on previous literature documenting pottery types and burial practices, although there is some mention of use of water and water routes (e.g. cultural exchange through pottery traded along water routes). "Other factors influencing the formation of the archeological record include issues of settlement and seasonality that undoubtedly conditioned the best time of year to visit a site, and the number of people that could reasonably camp there. In a "good place to camp," such as a logistically important river mouth or sheltered bay, at a place of resource abundance, or at a place of spiritual significance, the likelihood of many visits over a long period of time is high...In this regard, Grand Portage, which lacks any significant evidence of a terminal Woodland occupation, was likely not the primary point of departure for groups traveling to and from Isle Royale, nor the destination of groups coming from the east or west. Although Grand Portage is one of the best sheltered bays south of the Canadian border, the mouth of the Pigeon River/Pigeon Bay, Pigeon Point and Waswagoning Bay probably were the focus of occupation prior to the advent of the fur trade as the only nearby locations for spawning whitefish and lake sturgeon. Unfortunately we have no archeological evidence to support this. Mobility and food security depended on large part to water resources. The basic pattern of subsistence followed the seasonal round of resource availability. Spring was a time of coming together for the spawning runs of suckers and sturgeon at river mouths on Lake Superior and the larger inland lakes. It was also a time for harvesting the incoming flight of passenger pigeons arriving from the south. Summer was a period of resource abundance with many options, including beaver, moose, caribou and deer hunting. Group size could vary widely and mobility was at its peak as canoe travel made all the islands, rivers, and lakes the highway of the people. Another major fish run occurred in fall as trout and whitefish sought out their spawning groups and large numbers of people gathered at the river mouths on Lake Superior for the last time of the year for this harvest. Fall brought the harvest of wild rice for those with access to this important crop. The western portion of the Grand Portage Band territory touches upon the "rice district" and provided a storable resource that would, along with preserved fish, meat and berries, provide a savings account for winter survival when the availability of food was least secure. As game fattened and coats thickened in anticipation of winter, attention returned to hunting, and the hunters and their families dispersed to their interior camps. Winter was a period of relative isolation and limited mobility, occasionally ending in a lean period..." Provides an interesting narrative of the fur trade and interactions between French traders and Native communities, noting that Grand Portage was the deport where the great cargo canoes and bateau of the Great Lakes exchanged their westbound loads of trade goods for eastbound bales of castor gras, arriving in the lighter and smaller canoes of the inland waterways of the west. A substantial post was built on the shores of Grand Portage Bay. In the 1790s the depot consisted of 16 buildings surrounded by a log stockade. The waterfront included wharves and a dock capable of accommodating the 75 ton schooner Otter. In 1834 the American Fur Company hired about twenty Grand Portage resident to fish between Grand Portage and Grand Marais, but the fishery closed in 1842 due to lack of markets. In 1836 the American Fur Company expanded its operations to include commercial fishing. Grand Portage Ojibwe were sought after for their knowledge and expertise in the local fishery. Ojibwe men and women were employed by the company at Grand Portage and on Isle Royale. The men were engaged in fishing and the women in processing the catch. Noted is an important spirit associated with water by The Grand Portage and other regional Ojibwe, 'variously called the Underwater Manitou, Underwater Panther, Long-Tailed Underwater Panther, Mishebeshu, or Michi-Pichoux, the Great Lynx. This spirit reflected the abundance and availability of land and sea animals. With its numerous underwater allies it controlled all game, withholding animals and fish from its enemies. The early Lake Superior Ojibwe offered it sacrifices to obtain good fishing, and in the Creation Myth Nanbezho fought it to secure the right to hunt for future Indians. The Underwater Manitou possessed great and dangerous powers. It could cause rapids and stormy waters, and often sank canoes and drowned Indians, especially children. The Ojibwe associated it with the sudden squall waters of the Great Lakes which prevented fishing...' "Item Points and Pits: Archaeological Investigations in Minnesota’s Region 9, the Lake Superior Shore, Carlton, Cook, Lake, and St. Louis Counties, Minnesota(2011) Mulholland, Susan C; Mulholland, Stephen L; Hamilton, Jennifer R; Stark, StaceyThis report is essentially an archeological survey of northeastern Minnesota’s coastal region, for which little is known about prehistoric human occupation. The authors first conducted a literature review, then carried out field investigations at 34 sites in 2010. Most of the sites were already known, and only four new sites suggesting historic use or habitation were found, all in Jay Cooke State Park. The study focused on sites that were not far from water. The report describes archeological and GIS methods used to select and explore the sites. The authors conclude that some progress has been made in contributing to a historical database for the region, but that much more remains to be discovered about prehistoric occupation on the Lake Superior shoreline. Key sections of the report are extracted and reproduced below. Summary: "This project was designed to add to our knowledge of Region 9, which was poorly known as a result of relatively few previously recorded. Four objectives were stated for the project to be conducted in three tasks. A summary of what is currently known about the prehistoric occupation of the region was the first task. Both literature and collections review were specifically included as sources. Updating the State Archaeologist site files for known sites and locating new sites was the second task, including both checking on sites reported by private collectors and new survey. The fourth objective was to develop a narrative predictive model of prehistoric site location for agency managers prehistoric archaeological sites (a total of 34). The field survey for new sites, most of which had to be conducted in fall 2010 before the ground froze, focused on a GIS compilation of several environmental factors previously thought to be important predictors of prehistoric site locations: distance to water (50 and 100 m) and slope (5%, 7%, 10%). Where possible, information on shoreline features from glacial lakes was also incorporated. Factors of access and land ownership (public lands preferable) were also compiled. Specific locations were then selected by the field archaeologist, drawing on decades of experience. Survey followed standard procedures, mainly shovel testing but pedestrian walkover where possible. Only four new archaeological sites were located, all in Jay Cooke State Park and all initially found by surface finds in Park trails. “Most of the areas selected for survey (County and City lands in St. Louis County, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park in Lake County, Judge Magney State Park in Cook County) were either negative or untestable. Concurrently with preparation for new survey, informant reports of new sites were recorded and, where possible, field verified in fall 2010. The response from members of the local archaeological society was overwhelming; over three dozen leads were given, about half for prehistoric sites and half for historic sites that might have prehistoric components. Additional site leads were supplied from members of the general public who heard of the project from media releases or by word of mouth. Although some site leads were either natural items or outside the Region 9 boundary, several prehistoric sites were recorded from this source. The data from both sources suggest that sites in Region 9 do tend to correlate to water, both past and present; however, specific numerical values for environmental variables are not as productive as viewing topography in the field. Areas of low slope are also high potential but not all flat area near water have site materials. Areas of low to no potential would include areas of steep slope (but not all area greater than 10% slope), water saturation (both permanent and seasonal), and/or areas at far distances from water (although quantitative measures are not firm). Much more research needs to be conducted to understand the pre-Contact occupation of the region, as well as develop a better predictive model of site location."