Our Cultural Legacy: Current Research, Methods and Reports

Council for Minnesota Archaeology 2013 Conference

February 8th and 9th Inver Hills Community College Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota

Program and Abstracts

Sponsored by:

Council for Minnesota Archaeology Minnesota Archaeological Society Archaeology Department of the Minnesota Historical Society Inver Hills Community College Anthropology Department Inver Hills Community College Anthropology Club Minnesota Office of the State Archaeologist

Symposium Committee: Patricia Emerson - Archaeology Department of the Minnesota Historical Society Jeremy L. Nienow - Inver Hills Community College Anthropology Department Bruce Koenen - Office of the State Archaeologist Pre-Conference Events: Thursday, February 7th

Book Exchange and Lithic Collection Open House

On the Thursday evening before the CMA Conference (February 7, 2013) from 6:00 to 7:30 pm the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) will host a book exchange at the Historic Fort Snelling Visitor Center. At the same time researchers involved with the Minnesota Historical Society lithic comparative collection will host an open house also at the Historic Fort Snelling Visitor Center showcasing recent developments with the lithic comparative collection.

The OSA has accumulated a number of duplicate reports, textbooks and periodicals which will be available free to researchers beginning at 6 pm. Subject matter ranges from Minnesota archaeology through all of the subfields of anthropology. Archaeologists and researchers attending the conference are invited to bring books to share, with the caveat that you are responsible for taking home your own books if no one else takes them. The subject matter should also be of an anthropological or historical nature. If you have publications you would like to sell either bring a price list of your books, including your contact information to post, or contact the OSA and we will arrange some space for you (612-725-2729). If you wish to sell your books make sure they are clearly priced and you are responsible for completing the transactions, the OSA will not be doing sales.

The lithic researchers have continued to add additional material to the collection which has grown to over 1400 samples. Current research focuses on recording attributes for all of the samples including color, color pattern, texture, translucency and magnetic response. A searchable table of the attributes will allow researchers to identify comparative samples from the collection when identifying an unknown material.

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Session Information: Friday, February 8th

8:00 – 9:00 Refreshments (HH Lobby)

9:10 – 9:25 Welcome: CMA Organizers

Session 1 (Room HH203): Using LiDAR in Minnesota Archaeology: A Workshop

9:30 – 9:40 Welcome and Introductory remarks – Joe Artz and Scott Anfinson An Introduction to LiDAR 9:40 – 10:00 Introduction to the Minnesota LiDAR project – Tim Loesch 10:00 – 10:20 LiDAR Technology Overview – Emilia Bristol 10:20 – 10:40 LiDAR: Uses in Archaeology - Joe Artz The LiDAR Project: Finding Mounds with LiDAR 10:40 – 11:00 Georeferencing Existing Maps – Bill Whittaker 11:00 – 11:20 LiDAR Prospection: Methods and Results – Emilia Bristol Open Session 11:20 – 11:40 Discussion 11:40 – 12:30 Live Demonstrations

12:30 – 2:00 Lunch (available on or off campus – see program for details)

Session 2 (Room HH203): Papers in Honor of Seppo Valppu (Friday)

2:00 – 2:20 Seppo H. Valppu: A Retrospective of a Renaissance Man - Susan C. Mulholland

2:25 – 2:45 Running into a Wall (in a Good Way): An Update on the Protohistoric Burned House Excavation at Petaga Point - David Mather, Jim Cummings

2:50 – 3:10 Big Rice Lake Site: Wild Rice, Haggis, and Turkey Dogs - Stephen L. Mulholland

3:10 – 3:20 Break

3:20 – 3:40 Probable Presence of Wild Rice in Northeast Minnesota during the Late Paleoindian Period Inferred by Poaceae Pollen Grain Size Frequency Data - James K. Huber

3:45 - 4:05 Food Residues and Plant Microfossils: New Approaches to Paleodietary Analysis in the Boreal Forest - Alexandra Burchill, Matthew Boyd

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Session 3 (Room HH206): Historic Trade and Transportation

2:30 – 2:50 Waysides along the Highway: Examining three fur trade era sites in the Eastern Boundary Waters region through material culture analysis - Lee Johnson

2:55 – 3:15 Applications of Gunflint and Percussion Cap Analyses to the Interpretation of a Fur Trade Period Archaeological Site - Matthew Mattson

3:20 – 3:40 Iron in the Forest: Fur Trade History Told by Iron Axes Recovered in Aitkin, Ashland, Bayfield, Carlton, Cook, Douglas, Lake and St. Louis Counties - David H. Peterson

3:45 – 4:05 To Woman Lake in a Buckboard: The Pine River to Woman Lake Stagecoach Road - Christy Hohman-Caine, Grant E Goltz

4:05 – 4:45 Minnesota Archaeological Society & Council for Minnesota Archaeology Sponsored Reception (HH 203 and HH Lobby)

4:45 2013 Annual Meeting Council for Minnesota Archaeology (HH203) (Executive Officers meeting immediately after if necessary)

(This is a great opportunity to pay your 2013 dues!)

Conference reconvenes Saturday morning at 9:00am

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Ongoing Conference Presented Posters (HH Lobby & Hallway)

Applying LiDAR in Archaeological Reconnaissance. - Mike Magner

Subsurface and Micro-topographic Mapping of Historic Twin Cities Cemeteries. - Geoff Jones and David Maki

LiDAR and Shallow Subsurface Geophysical Methods: A Combined Approach for Studying Archaeological Sites in Minnesota. - David Maki, Geoffrey Jones, and Sigrid Arnott

Improved Archeological Site Identification using LIDAR: An example from McLeod County, Minnesota - Rama Mohapatra, Austin Jenkins, Cynthia Miller, Alison Hruby, Gina Aulwes, Ginger Schmid, Forrest Wilkerson, Donald Friend, and Dale E. Maul

How Did They Do It? The Experimental Archaeology of Carving Sioux Quartzite - Tom Sanders

Remote Sensing on a Budget: Tools Even an Archaeologist Can Afford - Chuck Broste

Computer aided mapping of Browns Valley fortification. - Paul Robert Carlson - Minnesota State University Moorhead

Scorched Earth; Archaeological Survey of the Lower Isabella Lake Region within the Pagami Creek Fire Area of the Superior National Forest, Lake County, MN - Kyleleen Cullen

New Approaches from Old Data: Using GIS to Understand the Maurer (21GD96) Site. - Jasmine C. Koncur

GIS in the Field: Immediate Data Feedback During Site Investigation. - Andrew Brown

Mapping Mosquito Terrace - Jaclyn Skinner

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th Session Information: Saturday, February 19

9:00 – 9:30 Refreshments (HH Lobby)

Session 4 (Room HH203): Papers in Honor of Seppo Valppu (Saturday)

9:30 – 9:50 Investigation of Three Fire-Cracked Rock Features from Precontact Period Sites in Minnesota State Parks - Dave Radford, LeRoy Gonsior

9:55 – 10:15 Hot Rock, Pits and FCR, Radiocarbon Dates and Evidence of Food Processing: How Microbotanical and Archaeochemical Analyses Contribute to Site Interpretation - Chad Yost, Linda Scott Cummings

10:20 – 10:40 Cooking Rocks! The Construction, Use, and Excavation of an Experimental Earth Oven - Jim Cummings

10:40 – 10:50 Break

10:50 – 11:10 Initial Results of the Botanical Analysis from the Langseth Site (21NO11), Nobles County, Minnesota - Jared A. Langseth

11:15 – 11:35 Preliminary Report on the Botanical Remains of Two Features from the Silvernale Site (21GD03), Goodhue County, Minnesota - Travis G. Hager

11:40 – 12:00 Thoughts on Plant Use in the Red Wing Locality - Ronald C. Schirmer

12:00 – 1:40 Lunch (Available off campus)

Session 5 (Room HH206): New Research in the Rock Art of the Mid-continent

9:30 – 9:50 The Ongoing Process of Preserving the Jeffers Petroglyphs - Tom Sanders

9:55 – 10:15 Conservation Work at the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site - Chuck, Broste

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Session 5 (Room HH206) Continued

10:20 – 10:40 Comparison of two-dimensional drawings and three-dimensional scans from Jeffers Petroglyphs - John Soderberg

10:40 – 10:50 Break

10:50 – 11:10 The Past, Recently. New Sites, New Images, New Information From Canoe Country Pictographs - Bob Evans

11:15 – 11:35 Exploring Southwest Minnesota's Red Rock Ridge - Tom Sanders

11:40 – 12:00 Archaeology At An Aboriginal Engraving Site - Jack Steinbring

12:05 – 12:25 See the Invisible, Test the Rumor, Identify the Pigments: Photo Techniques Used in Studying Quetico and Boundary Waters Pictographs - Bob Evans

12:30 – 1:40 Lunch (Available off campus)

Session 6 (Room HH206): Managing the Past & New Research in Maritime and Industrial Archaeology

1:40 – 2:00 Curation for the Seventh Generation - Nancy Hoffman

2:05 – 2:25 The State of the State Site Files 2013 - Bruce Koenen

2:30 – 2:50 Minnesota’s Maritime Cultural Legacy: Surveys, Documentation, and Assessment - Ann Merriman and Christopher Olson - Maritime Heritage Minnesota

2:50 – 3:00 Break

3:00 – 3:20 Archaeological Investigation of the New London Mill - Mike Magner

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Session 6 (Room HH206) Continued

3:25 – 3:45 Big Pits, little pits, found pits, more pits: Ongoing Cultural Resource Survey of Lake Vermilion State Park - Doug George

3:50 – 4:10 The Cultural Legacy of Iron Mining on the Cuyuna Range - Fred Sutherland

Session 7 (Room HH203): New Research in Prehistoric Archaeology

1:40 – 2:00 Up a (Sometimes) Lazy River: The Cloquet River Survey in Northeastern Minnesota - Stephen Mulholland and Susan Mulholland

2:05 - 2:25 Re-Assessing the Plains Village Cultures of Minnesota - George Holley, Mike Michlovic, Rinita A. Dalan

2:30 – 2:50 Evidence for an Early Maple Sugaring Camp on Leech Lake in Cass County, Minnesota - Christy Hohman-Caine, Grant E Goltz

2:50 – 3:00 Break

3:00 – 3:20 Between a Rock and Hard Place I: Geoarchaeology Investigations at the Knife Lake Quarries 2012 - Susan Mulholland and Dan Wendt

3:25 – 3:45 Between a Rock and a Hard Place II: Geoarchaeology and Evidence for Selective Use of Quarry Sourced Knife Lake Siltstone - Dan Wendt and Susan Mulholland

Thank you for attending the 2013 Conference – have a safe journey home!

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Poster Abstracts

Applying LiDAR in Archaeological Reconnaissance. Mike Magner - Archaeology Department, Minnesota Historical Society

Cultural resource managers working with the DNR-Divisions of Forestry and Fish & Wildlife have been employing high-resolution LiDAR data as a tool in archaeological reconnaissance, using the data to identify and locate Pre-Contact earthworks and Post-Contact transportation and habitation features. In addition to depicting the human imprint on the landscape, LiDAR data has also proven useful in the recognition of subtle geomorphological features that might not be apparent on a standard USGS topographic map.

Subsurface and Micro-topographic Mapping of Historic Twin Cities Cemeteries. Geoff Jones and David Maki - Archaeo-Physics, LLC

The protection of cemeteries is a topic of unusual concern in archaeology. Not only are cemeteries of particular interest in research, they are also - and more importantly - of particular importance for preservation. Where conventional archaeological methods may be inappropriate for cemetery research, geophysical and remote sensing surveys have potential for addressing research and preservation issues without disturbance to human burials. This poster summarizes the results of several methodological studies at historic cemeteries with the intent of improving methods for mapping unmarked graves and other mortuary features. The Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery, and the Catholic cemeteries of Saint Mary in Minneapolis and Calvary in Saint Paul were chosen for study because their early date and varied conditions represented a range of challenges to non-invasive mapping techniques.

LiDAR and Shallow Subsurface Geophysical Methods: A Combined Approach for Studying Archaeological Sites in Minnesota. David Maki, Geoffrey Jones, and Sigrid Arnott - Archaeo-Physics, LLC.

The recent availability of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data from the State of Minnesota’s High Resolution Elevation mapping project has revolutionized archaeological investigations in the region. These data have allowed archaeologists to depict micro-topographic patterning over a large spatial scale, resulting in the identification and visualization of archaeological features with even limited surface expression. LiDAR imaging has been utilized recently in conjunction with shallow subsurface geophysical methods to gain a more thorough understanding of archaeological sites and features, both above and below the ground surface. This poster will present the results of three recent projects where the combined use of LiDAR, subsurface imaging methods and archival/historical research has resulted in an improved understanding of our cultural resource heritage. The example sites include: (1) A previously identified prehistoric burial mound group; (2) A multi-component site containing both a 19th century defensive earthwork associated with the latter stages of the Dakota conflict and a previously unknown prehistoric burial mound group; (3) A 19th century historic railroad roundhouse.

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Improved Archeological Site Identification using LIDAR: An example from McLeod County, Minnesota. Rama Mohapatra, Cynthia Miller, Ginger Schmid, Forrest Wilkerson, Donald Friend - Minnesota State University, Mankato Austin Jenkins, Alison Hruby, Gina Aulwes, Dale E. Maul - Bolton & Menk, Inc.

This study summarizes the prehistoric human occupation of McLeod County, Minnesota, provides updated site files for known sites, finds new sites, and creates a predictive model for identifying probable site locations. While constructing predictive models of American Indian occupation sites in the upper Midwest, archeologists have developed various methods for finding such locations on elevated terrain near water bodies. This model simplifies identification of potential occupation sites by locating flat slopes and relatively high level surfaces derived through the Topographic Position Index (TPI) using LIDAR data. After calculating the index for the county, cells were reclassified into three probability classes using the standard deviation method. It was found that in McLeod County, high flat surfaces identified with TPI have a strong positive correlation with the 13 known archaeological sites. All of the known sites are either on a shoreline or hilltop overlooking a lake, river, or wetland. Similar trends were observed for 16 new archaeological sites identified in this survey. These findings result from a partnership between the Department of Geography at Minnesota State University, Mankato and Bolton & Menk, Inc.

How Did They Do It? The Experimental Archaeology of Carving Sioux Quartzite. Tom Sanders, Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site, Minnesota Historical Society

At the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site there are approximately 5,000 petroglyphs carved in Sioux Quartzite. Since there are no ethnographic or American Indian traditional records about the process for the making of petroglyphs, experimental archaeology was used to answer the following questions: How did they do it? What did they use? How long did it take? What artifact evidence does the carving process produce that we might find in the archaeological record at Jeffers?

Remote Sensing on a Budget: Tools Even an Archaeologist Can Afford. Chuck Broste - Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site, Minnesota Historical Society This Poster Session will focus on methods of zero impact, low cost, high return methods of site investigation being used at the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site. Methods discussed will include; Pole Cameras, Kite Cameras, Magnifying Filters, Board and Mirror Shadow Casters as well as free internet resources.

Computer aided mapping of Browns Valley fortification. Paul Robert Carlson - Minnesota State University Moorhead

Browns Valley, Minnesota is located between lakes Traverse to the north and Stone to the south, on the border of South Dakota and Minnesota. The area is most notably known for The Browns Valley Man, a 10,000 year old Paleoindian. He was excavated from the walls of a local gravel pit. The Browns Valley Man was found on the eastern side of town, to the east of the actual fortifications. The Browns Valley excavation(21TR5) which started in 1934 and continued in 1936, concentrated on the Paleoindian aspects of the site. In the summer of 2012 Minnesota State University Moorhead, with funds from the Legacy Grant, conducted a geophysical survey of the site to locate part of the western edge of the fortification. This poster will focus on the use of computer aided mapping and reconstruction of the fortification, to help illustrate where the fortification would currently be located and will also give and idea of its shape and size.

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2012 Scorched Earth: Archaeological Survey of the Lower Isabella Lake Region within the Pagami Creek Fire Area of the Superior National Forest, Lake County, MN. Kyleleen T. Cullen - Superior National Forest

In July 2012 students from the University of Minnesota - Duluth Anthropology department participated in a joint archaeological survey trip with archaeologists from the National Forest Service to the Isabella Lake area within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The survey area, located in central Lake County, was recently burned in the 2011 Pagami Creek wildfire, resulting in ground visibility near 100%. The intuitive model was used to select high probability locations and a walkover survey was conducted using 5 meter transects. The area has an abundance of wild rice and prior surveys had identified scattered Terminal Woodland sites, however, the current survey identified many aceramic lithic scatters. These sites were located on elevated terraces and relic shorelines, including the Marley Elanor site, composed of several hundred KLS flakes and what has been provisionally typed as a Plano point preform. In total, the survey identified 19 sites including 1 historic and 18 precontact sites.

New Approaches from Old Data: Using GIS to Understand the Maurer (21GD96) Site. Jasmine C. Koncur – Minnesota State University, Mankato

In 1991, Dr. Clark A. Dobbs made a systematic surface collection of the Maurer site (21GD96) an Oneota site in the Red Wing Locality. A grid was placed with 627 five meter by five meter collection units to facilitate mapping the artifact distribution of the surface. Unfortunately, no further work been done with this wealth of information, until now. Using ArcGIS on this large surface collection with over 18,000 artifacts does give a better understanding of the site. The data sets created in ArcGIS are broken down into multiple different types of artifacts. Having this information available shows the complex structure of the village and will help with new research in the future on this important site.

GIS in the Field: Immediate Data Feedback During Site Investigation. Andrew Brown – Minnesota State University, Mankato

Archeological Application of GIS for analysis, interpretation, and data presentation is becoming more and more commonplace, but GIS has yet to be extensively used to aid decision-making in the field. Field data can be entered into a GIS each day and very easily manipulated to provide accurate artifact distributions, allowing for much better informed placement of excavation units. This poster presents an example of the use of GIS in the field from the 2012 field work at the newly discovered Area 51 site, an Oneota village in the Cannon River Valley, Red Wing, Minnesota.

Mapping Mosquito Terrace. Jaclyn Skinner – Minnesota State University, Mankato

A number of prehistoric Native American archaeological sites have been found along the Mississippi River in the Red Wing, Minnesota area. The Red Wing Locality is widely known as containing large, complex Upper Mississippian Tradition sites, but the prior Late Woodland stage is considerably less known. Mosquito Terrace (21GD260), a new, extensive site, believed to be predominantly Late Woodland in origin, was found by the Minnesota State University, Mankato’s (MNSU) 2006 Archaeological Field School. In 2012, MNSU returned to the site, equipped with GIS to more thoroughly document and investigate the site’s dimensions and internal patterning, and hopefully begin shedding light on this crucial period in the region’s prehistory. The site does, indeed, appear to be almost entirely Late Woodland, but it is far larger and more complex than expected.

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Conference Abstracts

Session 1: Using Lidar in Minnesota Archaeology: A workshop

Joe Artz, Emilia Bristol, Bill Whittaker – University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist Scott Anfinson – Minnesota Office of the State Archaeologist Tim Loesch – Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Minnesota is fortunate in being one of six states with statewide coverage by airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). Through presentations, audience discussion, and live demonstration, this workshop will explore the exciting possibilities that LiDAR opens up for Minnesota archaeologists. An overview of how the data are acquired, processed, and delivered to the user in GIS-ready formats will be provided. Specifics on obtaining LiDAR data for Minnesota will be given, along with information about the hardware, software, and training needed to work with the data. Archaeological applications will be illustrated in the detection and imaging of PreContact burial mounds and ridged fields. Attendees will be invited to join in an open discussion of what the advent of LiDAR means for the state in terms of archaeological needs including survey planning, landform mapping, feature detection, resource management, and predictive modeling. The workshop is organized by the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist, which is currently conducting LiDAR analysis of known burial mound sites in 16 Minnesota counties, a project undertaken, like the statewide LiDAR acquisition itself, with Legacy Amendment funding.

Session 2: Papers in Honor of Seppo Valppu (Friday)

Seppo H. Valppu: A Retrospective of a Renaissance Man. Susan C. Mulholland - Duluth Archaeology Center

Seppo Valppu, who died unexpectedly in 2011, was a lifelong proponent of learning and brought exuberance and enthusiasm to his career. That career focused on paleoethnobotany, particularly of macrobotanical remains, with applications to peatlands and invasive plants as well as archaeology. Seppo’s work ranged from academic research to practical applications, in interdisciplinary archaeology at the UMD Archaeometry Laboratory, wetland mitigation at the UMD Natural Resources Research Institute, invasive plants at the Army Corps of Engineers, and field archaeology at various companies. His contributions went beyond the project-specific tasks to inciting enthusiasm for the field of botany in all its myriad applications. This symposium brings together both colleagues who worked with Seppo and those whose research continues his tradition of solid contributions to botanical investigations.

Running into a Wall (In a Good Way): An Update on the Protohistoric Burned House Excavation at Petaga Point. David Mather - Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office Jim Cummings - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Seppo Valppu's analysis of plant remains greatly advanced our study of the burned house at Petaga Point, identifying a range of species used for food, construction of the house and perhaps medicine, and suggesting a summer season for the fire that destroyed the house. This update on the public archaeology project expands on our hypothesis that the semi-subterranean house was an earthlodge, with examination of the wall and the discovery of two postmolds. Our excavation in 2012 also recovered another sample of the burn layer (yet to be analyzed).

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Big Rice Lake Site: Wild Rice, Haggis, and Turkey Dogs. Stephen L. Mulholland - Duluth Archaeology Center

Excavations were conducted at the Big Rice Lake site (21SL0163) from 1984 through 1986 by the Cultural Resources unit of the Superior National Forest, U.S.D.A. Forest Service. Big Rice Lake is a medium sized shallow lake, approximately one by two miles, that during good ricing years had its entire surface area covered by a variety of wild rice that produced very large rice grains. The Big Rice Lake site was used primarily from the Initial and Terminal Woodland periods to the present for processing wild rice. During the 1985 and 1986 excavations Seppo Valppu was part of the team collecting sediment samples to analyze for a masters thesis. Seppo’s thesis concentrated on plant use over time at the Big Rice Lake site, demonstrating wild rice use in the Initial Woodland Laurel context. Thus started the saga of Seppo, wild rice, haggis, and turkey dogs.

Probable Presence of Wild Rice in Northeast Minnesota during the Late Paleoindian Period Inferred by Poaceae Pollen Grain Size Frequency Data. James K. Huber - James K. Huber Consulting

Wild rice grain size frequency in addition to pollen percentage data were used to establish the expansion of wild rice in Shannon Lake, St. Louis County, Minnesota. Based on reference pollen grains, the average size of a wild rice pollen grain is 35 m, range is 28-46 m, and 90% confidence limits are 28 m and 41 m. The long axis of each grass pollen grain identified in the Shannon Lake slides was measured, and size frequencies for each slide was calculated. The grain size distribution data for Shannon Lake indicate that it is highly probable that many of the grass pollen grains were derived from wild rice beginning at the base of the core. Wild rice was probably present in small stands in Shannon Lake by the 770 cm level when the percent of grass grains inside the 90% confidence limits exceeds 20%. Based on correlation of the Shannon Lake pollen zones to those established to those established for northeast Minnesota, wild rice was probably established in Shannon Lake and available for human consumption by the late Paleoindian period at approximately 9,000 yr B.P.

Food Residues and Plant Microfossils: New Approaches to Paleodietary Analysis in the Boreal Forest. Alexandra Burchill and Matthew Boyd - Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University

The boreal forest presents a number of challenges for paleodietary research, largely as a result of poor organic preservation and stratigraphy. The analysis of carbonized food residues (preserved on pottery), non-carbonized residues (preserved on lithics such as grinding stones), and soils, for plant microfossils promises to yield considerable new insight into subarctic food systems. This presentation will provide an overview of these methods, and some recent applications from northern Minnesota and adjacent Northwestern Ontario.

Session 3: Session 3: Historic Trade and Transportation

Waysides along the Highway: Examining three fur trade era sites in the Eastern Boundary Waters region through material culture analysis. Lee R. Johnson - Superior National Forest

Approximately 150 miles of the historic water route connecting Grand Portage to the Pay d’en haut, or “Upper Country” stretching northwest of Lake Superior, form the US-Ontario border on the northern fringes of the state of Minnesota. Commonly referred to as the “Voyageurs Highway”, or “Old Road”, this ancient route is comprised of a series of interconnected waterways, overland carries, campsites, and geologic features, many of which still bear place names of French and Algonquian derivation. To date, investigations of fur trade era sites (ca. 1680-1830) along the ‘Old Road’ within present day Minnesota have focused on the major entrepots, or depots, such as Grand Portage (Lake Superior), Fort Charlotte (Pigeon River) and Fort St. Charles (Lake of the Woods), while sites in the interior portions of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness remain enigmatic and ill-defined. Through the CMA 2013 Conference page - 13 examination of material cultural remains from recently discovered ‘waysides’ in the eastern Boundary Waters region, this paper attempts to shed light on temporal, spatial, and functional questions regarding fur trade activities along interior portions of the route. The sites, save for one, are documented in late 18th century records: L’Anse du Sable (FS# 02-774); Portage La Marte (FS# 02-051); and the Log site (FS# 02-169).

Applications of Gunflint and Percussion Cap Analyses to the Interpretation of a Fur Trade Period Archaeological Site. Matthew Mattson - Leech Lake Heritage Sites Program

The utilization of gunflints as a component of the ignition systems of muzzleloading firearms can be documented at least as early as the third quarter of the sixteenth century. Muzzleloading firearms were a significant commodity during the Fur Trade era. The changes in gunflint manufacturing technologies since the inception of their utilization present diagnostic morphologies that can serve as temporal indicators. In addition, the manufacturing technologies and material types can provide data relevant to the origin of the gunflints. The percussion caps which eventually supplanted the gunflint’s role in firearms ignition systems can further provide temporally informative data. Recovered gunflints may also present alterations consistent with their utilization for the purposes of fire-starting. Recovered gunflints may additionally display indicators associated with thermal alteration. The analyses and mapping of the gunflints and percussion caps recovered from the Horseshoe Bay site (21CA201) provided additional insight into the habitation sequence and habitation duration of the Fur Trade component of this site.

Iron in the Forest: Fur Trade History Told by Iron Axes Recovered in Aitkin, Ashland, Bayfield, Carlton, Cook, Douglas, Lake and St. Louis counties. David H. Peterson - Northern Lakes Archaeological Society

The story of 1650-1840 fur trade in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin is interpreted through the review of 100 plus axes recovered within the described area, curated and available for further study. The ancient network of canoe water routes, winter dog sled trails and adequate food sources created a desirable environment for Native American populations. From the mid-1600s through the 1840s, every major fur trade company and numerous independent traders worked the area retrieving animal furs, food, labor and transportation while trading iron axes and numerous other items. Iron trade axes were discarded when broken. They were lost in deep snow, on portages, when canoes capsized or shelters burned, or merely by human forgetfulness. Native clans left behind heavy utensils including iron axes at temporary camps as they moved every season following available food sources. Traders and missionaries used the identical pattern axe for their own survival activities related to heat, shelter, food and defense. This research reflects the continued expansion of “Peterson’s Trade Axe Compendium” reported in The Minnesota Archaeologist, 2009.

To Woman Lake in a Buckboard: The Pine River to Woman Lake Stagecoach Road. Christy Hohman-Caine and Grant E Goltz - Soils Consulting

A transportation system was essential to the settlement of the north woods of Minnesota. By the late 19th century railroads were serving the area, but travel beyond the railheads was difficult. In 1891, a tote road was established between Pine River and Woman Lake in Cass County, Minnesota. By the late 1890s this was being used as a stagecoach road, facilitating the development of the emerging tourist industry. The first tourist resort on Woman Lake, the Kabekona Camp, was built at the northern terminus of this road and was in operation by at least 1897. This paper discusses the history of the road, its structural features and present condition, and efforts to preserve and interpret this valuable cultural resource.

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Session 4: Papers in Honor of Seppo Valppu (Saturday)

Investigation of Three Hot Rock Features from Archaeological Sites in Minnesota State Parks. Dave Radford and LeRoy Gonsior - Archaeology Department, Minnesota Historical Society

Investigation of three archaeological sites in Minnesota revealed evidence of hot rock (fire-cracked rock) cooking features. These features were associated with Middle Woodland (Fox Lake component) at 21MU54 in Lake Shetek State Park, Late Woodland (Sandy Lake component) at 21ML129 in Father Hennepin State Park, and Oneota/Plains Village at 21OT191 in Glendalough State Park. These features contained granitic cobbles that were placed in a prepared pit, heated, and presumably used for earth oven cooking or stone boiling. Analyses included AMS dating of wood charcoal, phytolith analysis, starch grain analysis, and organic residue (FTIR) study of the Middle Woodland feature at 21MU54 and the Oneota/Plains Village feature at 21OT191. These features are interpreted as earth ovens. The identification of the use of maize and wild rice at 21MU54 represents the first evidence of maize from a Fox Lake component and a southern margin for the use of wild rice. Results of AMS dating of wood charcoal from 21OT191 are compatible with Oneota/Plains Village ceramics, but other analyses were inconclusive. AMS dating of animal bone from the feature at 21ML129 revealed a date compatible with Sandy Lake ceramics and the feature is interpreted as a small earth oven or a stone boiling pit.

Hot Rock, Pits and FCR, Radiocarbon Dates and Evidence of Food Processing: How Microbotanical and Archaeochemical Analyses Contribute to Site Interpretation. Chad L. Yost and Linda Scott Cummings - PaleoResearch Institute

Because the taphonomy and diagenesis of organic matter varies under differing environmental conditions, multiple lines of evidence are often necessary to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the paleoenvironmental and archaeobiological records and to build a picture of economic activity by people living at these sites. The unconventional use of fire-cracked rock (FCR) as a repository for trace- chemical (revealed by FTIR) and microbotanical remains derived from processing and cooking activities is presented as we traverse through the various microfossil and chemical records from earth ovens. FCR also often retains microscopic charcoal that is sufficient for radiocarbon dating when larger pieces are not available. Radiocarbon dating identified charcoal (hazel and white oak) laid the temporal foundation (Middle Woodland to Oneota/Plains Village) for understanding processing of wild rice, maize, and sedges in earth ovens. Identification of the foods processed in three hot rock features that have been interpreted as earth ovens relied heavily on recovery and identification of phytoliths. Surprises along the way were noted in recovery of remains from foods and weeds not anticipated for northeastern Minnesota.

Cooking Rocks! The Construction, Use and Excavation of an Experimental Earth Oven. Jim Cummings - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

In November of 2007 the author constructed and utilized an experimental earth oven. A hole was excavated and lined with granite cobbles. A fire was built in the earth oven and was tended until the rocks glowed red. The coals were removed and a beef roast wrapped in aluminum foil was placed in the rock oven. Rocks from the top tier of the sidewalls were toppled in upon the roast and the oven was covered with back dirt from excavation. After removal of the roast, the hole was filled and the location marked, with the plan of excavating the feature in five years. In December of 2012 the feature was excavated, with the pin-flag marker in the center of a 1-by-1-meter excavation unit. Progression of the excavation was recorded in 5-centimeter vertical levels. Research questions for this experiment included inquiry into the appearance of the feature as it was excavated, the vertical position of the rocks in the feature five years after their initial placement and use as a cooking oven, and the alteration of the rocks used in the experiment. This paper will provide an overview of the process and analysis involved in this archaeological experiment.

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Initial Results of the Botanical Analysis from the Langseth Site (21NO11), Nobles County, Minnesota. Jared Langseth - Minnesota State University, Mankato

The Langseth Site (21NO11) consists primarily of a Woodland habitation site (200 BC- AD 1200) in the Prairie Lake Region of Southwestern Minnesota. Excavations of a large refuse midden at this site have yielded a wide variety of materials, including the materials recovered from several intact short-term features within the larger midden feature. This paper will present information on the botanical materials recovered from feature contexts and discuss how these remains relate to the subsistence behaviors of Woodland groups within in the Prairie Lake Region of Minnesota. Specifically, several native species have been identified within feature contexts at higher frequencies, indicating that these species of plants were introduced by human agency. These species role as possible cultivars will be discussed along with introduced non-native species that are known cultivars. These data will help develop a localized understanding of plant based subsistence strategies and in turn will help in understanding their relationship to broader regional strategies.

Preliminary Report on the Botanical Remains of Two Features from the Silvernale Site (21GD03), Goodhue County, Minnesota. Travis G. Hager - Minnesota State University, Mankato

The Red Wing locality encompasses many intensively occupied pre-contact villages located where the Cannon River flows into the Mississippi River near the city of Red Wing, Minnesota. Most of these highly populated sites date to the Silvernale phase (ca. A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1400). During recent investigations at the type site, two superimposed refuse features were carefully excavated and subsequently found to date about 50 years apart. The charred plant remains, and all pottery, lithic, and faunal remains, from these features have been identified. . This paper focuses on comparatively analyzing what the wood remains can reveal about ecological areas villagers from the Silvernale site (21GD03) were utilizing and identifying any possible similarities or differences in how these preferences may have change over a generation.

Thoughts on Plant Use in the Red Wing Region. Ronald C. Schirmer - Minnesota State University, Mankato

Plant remains from archeological sites have far more interpretive potential than is widely recognized. Even in light of this, paleoethnobotanical analyses are still frequently relegated to appendices or to comparatively insignificant portions of professional reports. Few indeed are the times that their wider cultural significance is recognized and fully integrated into interpretations of site function and human behavioral contexts. In Red Wing, however, nuanced and integrated contextual analysis has shown that plants were key elements in cultural interaction patterns and can not only be used to distinguish participating groups but also to highlight socially integrative activities.

Session 5: Rock Art

The Ongoing Process of Preserving the Jeffers Petroglyphs. Tom Sanders - Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site, Minnesota Historical Society

In 2006 Tom Sanders, Manager of the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site assembled a multi-disciplinary team of experts including; Native Elders, Geologists, Geochemists, Conservators, Curators, Archaeologists and Lichenologists to study the environmental processes affecting the preservation of these ancient rock carvings. The information has been used to develop and implement a management plan for the long term care of the site. In this presentation Tom Sanders discusses the results of the conservation research, how conservation decisions were made and the inclusion of Native Elders in the Conservation Process.

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Conservation Work at the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site. Chuck Broste - Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site, Minnesota Historical Society For a number of years now, a team of experts led by Tom Sanders has been studying the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site to identify conservation issues and develop a plan of action for the long term care of the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site. The past four years have seen the action phase of this project. Conservation actions have included removing selected areas of soil and lichen as well as intensive documentation. Chuck Broste, MHS Archaeologist discusses the new understanding of the site's geography, the processes of decay and the discovery of thousands of previously unknown carvings.

Comparison of two-dimensional drawings and three-dimensional scans from Jeffers Petroglyphs. John Soderberg - Evolutionary Anthropology Laboratories, University of Minnesota

Jeffers, located in southwestern Minnesota, has been a gathering point where American Indians have recorded stories and beliefs for millennia. The most visible remains at the site are approximately 5000 petroglyphs carved into an exposed stretch of Sioux Quartzite bedrock. Recent advances in techniques and perspectives have spurred a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional preservation and research program that includes 3D recording of petroglyphs. This paper will compare 3D scans of petroglyphs to drawing made in the 1970s. The drawings remain an important guide to the site, but the 3D scans add considerable information lost in two dimensional line drawings. This research was funded by the Minnesota Historical Society and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

The Past, Recently. New Sites, New Images, New Information From Canoe Country Pictographs. Bob Evans - Northwoods Memories Multimedia Productions, LLC.

A systematic effort to personally visit and document every known pictograph site in Quetico Provincial Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has resulted in as many new questions as answers. It is surprising that these well-traveled areas would have sites unknown or little known. Internet bulletin board discussions, conversations with canoe outfitters, emails referred to us from multiple sources, and even a random conversation with paddlers on an island beach have led us to previously unknown sites or images. Investigation of these sites has produced accidental discoveries, raised questions of authenticity, and proven some sites inauthentic. Some sites with reliable sources have not been located. Other reported sites have been found, investigated, and produced interesting cultural information. A brief history of our attempts to document known sites over nearly thirty years, and the expanding list of known sites, will be presented, along with cultural insight. The question of repainting, the cultural basis of newly reported sites as well as real questions of authenticity, and examples of inauthentic sites will be presented. Proposed plans for attempting to resolve some of these questions will be included.

Exploring Southwest Minnesota's Red Rock Ridge. Tom Sanders - Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site, Minnesota Historical Society

The 23 mile long Red Rock Ridge of Precambrian Sioux Quartzite in Cottonwood County is home to an amazing array of sacred sites. Since 1998, Tom Sanders, Manager of the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site has led an interdisciplinary team investigating this region. This team includes the Field School of Dr. Brian Hoffman of Hamline University, Dakota Elders (Tom Ross and Joe Williams) as well as MHS archaeologists Dave Mather and Pat Emerson. In his talk he discusses the importance of this sacred landscape, some of the more remarkable sites found there and the work being done to document it. Site discussed will include a prehistoric observatory, new research initiatives (including the 2500 newly uncovered petroglyphs) at the Jeffers Petroglyphs and a newly uncovered petroglyph site that deals with issues of women's health, fertility and spirituality.

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Archaeology At An Aboriginal Engraving Site. Jack Steinbring - University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Ripon College.

The Hensler Petroglyph Site in Dodge County, Wisconsin has undergone exploratory excavations since 2005. The antiquity has been established at a minimum of 8,000 B.P. The relationship between the rock art and the adjacent archaeological deposits is strengthened by the presence of "expedient imagery," cobbles of strange shape probably selected for use in rituals. The site itself is endowed with numerous "phenomenal attributes" such as acoustical properties, lightning strikes, elevational prominence with vistas, fierce winds, and compelling configurations in the rock formation itself. The diversity of lithic resources utilized, and the forms themselves, suggest a "pilgrimage effect," diverse groups journeying to the site in order to venerate (and add to) the many engravings on the site. The archaeological deposits appear to be essentially non-domestic. The site lies within a fully operational, commercial quarry, which radically restricts work-time and access. Quarry operations have destroyed at least one immediately adjacent archaeological site, and are depositing a dust-like fallout on the Hensler Site surfaces. The Hensler Site has not been researched for preservation and conservation issues. The site is on both the U. S. National Register of Historic sites, and the international register of threatened sacred sites.

See the Invisible, Test the Rumor, Identify the Pigments: Photo Techniques Used in Studying Quetico and Boundary Waters Pictographs. Bob Evans - Northwoods Memories Multimedia Productions, LLC.

Nearly thirty years of studying pictographs in Quetico Provincial Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has produced some interesting answers to common questions with the use of modern digital photographic image processing. Relatively simple techniques have been used to produce a number of different results. At several sites, images not visible to the unaided human eye have been demonstrated. The problem of differentiating abstract ochre images from surrounding red rock pigments has been at least partially solved. At one well-known site, two images mentioned in passing by many observers, almost as rumors, were located and clearly shown. Many faded “incomplete” images have been “filled in.” Known authentic images have been used by comparison to identify abstracts. Newly reported sites have been extensively studied in an attempt to identify all images not easily seen. These techniques and the results obtained will be presented using actual photographs from canoe country pictograph sites.

Session 6: Managing the Past & Maritime and Industrial Archaeology

Curation for the Seventh Generation. Nancy Buck Hoffman - Archaeology Department, Minnesota Historical Society

Archaeological curation means caring for the cultural heritage of generations past so that it is available for generations to come. Effective curation requires securing not only the objects, digital records, and paper records generated by research, but also the resources to maintain them. Curation relies upon a partnership between researchers and curators. Following best practices when conducting research lays the groundwork for effective preservation, but curation must build upon that by employing the highest standards of intellectual and physical control of collections, conservation, and data management. Value diminishes when responsible accounting of collections and documentation cannot be carried out over the long term. The goal is to facilitate use while maintaining the integrity of the collections because, in the end, use fundamentally demonstrates the value of funding preservation.

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The State of the State Site File 2013. Bruce Koenen - Minnesota Office of the State Archaeologist

In 1957 Elden Johnson began officially assigning Smithsonian style trinomial designations to the archaeological sites in Minnesota. While the accumulation of site data had begun long before, this was the beginning of a structured, universal system of numbering sites in Minnesota. The task of assigning site numbers has passed to different hands through the years, but generally the process was overseen by the state archeologist. In the beginning most of the numbered sites were drawn from Winchell’s publication, the Aborigines of Minnesota. The group of documents which constitute the “State” site files has varied through the years, initially consisting of a set of five by eight cards. While the style and length of the site form itself has changed through time the goal has always been to document basic site information, most importantly location and cultural components. New technologies used in archaeological survey such as LiDAR and geophysical survey have raised questions about identifying sites and site boundaries. Using examples, particularly from historic sites, a summary of recently raised issues will be presented.

Minnesota’s Maritime Cultural Legacy: Surveys, Documentation, and Assessment. Ann Merriman and Christopher Olson - Maritime Heritage Minnesota

Minnesota’s Maritime and Nautical Cultural Legacy is located on the bottom of our lakes and rivers as well as along our thousands of miles of shoreline. Between 2010-2012, the non-profit Maritime Heritage Minnesota (MHM) conducted five side and down-imaging sonar surveys in the Headwaters Mississippi River, the Minnesota River, Lake Minnetonka, White Bear Lake, and Lake Waconia. MHM identified 11 new wrecks sites over the years (some previously known, some not), seven new maritime archaeological sites, nine wrecks/sites that require further research before their status can be determined, and 238 other submerged anomalies during these surveys that require further investigation. MHM successfully nominated the Andy Gibson Wreck Site to the National Register of Historic Places and has produced a site plan incorporating data recorded from 2008-2012. MHM located the Red Mill Wreck in the Headwaters Mississippi River and began her documentation and condition assessments continue on the steamer wreck Swan and the USS Essex in Duluth. MHM will present the results of these surveys, primarily funded by the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants Program, part of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

Archaeological Investigation of the New London Mill. Mike Magner - Archaeology Department, Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently replaced the dam spanning the Crow River in New London, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. Mechanical excavation of the dam footprint encountered stone and concrete architectural features buried a meter or more below the ground surface. The MnDNR Division of Fish and Wildlife Cultural Resources Program assessed the uncovered features, determining that the construction had encountered intact remnants of the New London Mill, a commercial flour mill constructed at this site in the mid-1870s. The encountered architectural features were documented and described as they were removed from the footprint of the new dam. The results of the construction monitoring are presented here, and the chronological and architectural contexts of the finds are explored in relation to the development and eventual demise of the New London Mill.

Big Pits, little pits, found pits, more pits: Ongoing Cultural Resource Survey of Lake Vermilion State Park. Doug George - Archaeology Department, Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota State Parks and Trails Cultural Resource Management Program of the Minnesota Historical Society has conducted three field seasons of reconnaissance survey at the new Lake Vermilion State Park and portions of the adjacent Soudan Underground Mine State Park. Nearly 500 surface features, mainly hand-dug pits of varying dimensions, have been identified, most of which date to late nineteenth-century iron ore exploration that was aimed at defining the limits of the Vermilion

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Iron Range. A very few of these pit features also include remains of ore drilling operations and, to date, there is little information on when or who excavated these pits. Other pit features have been identified that do not appear to relate to iron ore exploration, but could be contemporaneous, that may demonstrate use of areas away from the shores of Lake Vermilion by Native American peoples or early White settlers. This presentation will summarize the results of the three seasons of field survey, discuss results of limited archaeological testing conducted on one of the sites, and suggest possible contexts for the features that have been identified.

The Cultural Legacy of Iron Mining on the Cuyuna Range. Fred Sutherland - Michigan Technological University

The former Cuyuna Range iron mining district was contained within Crow Wing County, Minnesota. The Cuyuna Range project has been conducted by Michigan Technological University Ph.D candidate Fred Sutherland for his Industrial Archaeology degree. This presentation summarizes research and data collection from October 2011 through November 2012 with an outlook for 2013. Most of the data collected in 2012 was from a systematic documentation of 876 standing historic structures related to the peak years of iron mining in the district (1910 to 1960). Mr. Sutherland helped to train and lead a team of 12 local volunteers to photograph and document historic structures in their neighborhoods. The communities of the 2012 study include Cuyuna, Crosby, Deerwood, Ironton, Riverton, Trommald, and Wolford. One of the envisioned products of this study is to make a searchable database of historic sites in order to better aid local community leaders in developing historic tourism trails and destinations within their region. Other goals for the 2013 season include the possibility of intensive site studies on the remains of former mining communities such as Manganese and the settlement that surrounded the Milford Mine, site of a dramatic accident in 1924 claiming the lives of 41 miners.

Session 7: New Research in PreContact Archaeology

Up a (Sometimes) Lazy River: The Cloquet River Survey in Northeastern Minnesota. Stephen L. Mulholland and Susan C. Mulholland – Duluth Archaeology Center

Survey for pre-Contact archaeological sites was conducted in 2012 on the Cloquet River in northeastern Minnesota through the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Grants portion of the Legacy Amendment funds. Portions outside the Reservoir Lakes had received very little survey and few sites were recorded. The UMD GIS Laboratory correlated physical characteristics of topography (LiDAR 2 foot contours), water features, ownership, and access. The Duluth Archaeology center conducted the field survey. Over 45 sites were recorded, of which 8 were post-Contact and the rest were pre-Contact ranging from Late Paleoindian to Woodland in age. Some sites are on old channels of the Cloquet; many are on lakes associated with the river. The Cloquet River has great potential for undisturbed pre-Contact sites, including three of the five known Early Paleoindian points in northeastern Minnesota.

Re-assessing the Plains Village Cultures of Minnesota. George R. Holley, Michael G. Michlovic, Rinita A. Dalan - Minnesota State University Moorhead

The Plains Village culture concept originally developed out of finds made in the early to middle 20th century by Nickerson at Cambria and Wilford at Great Oasis. The notion that these archaeological cultures were affiliated with Mississippian gave way to their association with the Middle Missouri area. As with most Late Prehistoric phenomena situating these cultures is predicated largely on ceramic styles. After reviewing the reported (and finding unreported) instances of the three named Plains Village cultures in Western Minnesota (Cambria, Great Oasis and Big Stone), we maintain that ceramic styles represent an east-west adaptive profile reminiscent of the early descriptions of the Dakota. Small scale farming at these villages was normally associated with bison use and a Plains orientation. At least for southwestern Minnesota this Plains tilt was offset by the Oneota expansion. Recent field work at Browns Valley related to this issue is discussed along with a suite of new radiocarbon assays from the region.

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Evidence for an Early Maple-Sugaring Camp on Leech Lake in Cass County, Minnesota. Christy Hohman-Caine and Grant E. Goltz - Soils Consulting

The antiquity of maple sugaring in North American has been an unanswered question. Recent investigations at the Rocky Point Site, 21-CA-067, suggest that it may have been a maple sugaring camp associated with the Elk Lake Complex. Features at the site include a house structure and an elongated outside hearth. While concentrations of fire-cracked rock within the house structure suggest a cold season use, the location and artifact inventory are inconsistent with a wintering camp. The site occupation has been dated to ca 1850 B.P. from both residues on Brainerd sherds and OSL dating of the sherds. The arrangement and style of the house structure and its relationship to the elongated hearth resembles ethnographically documented maple sugaring camps. Stable isotope ratios from residues on ceramic sherds do not resemble those of commonly used plant or animal foods but are an exact match for the ratios in maple sap. This paper discusses the results of the site analyses and presents the case for the antiquity of maple sugar production.

Between a Rock and Hard Place I: Geoarchaeology Investigations at the Knife Lake Quarries 2012 Susan C. Mulholland – Duluth Archaeology Center Dan Wendt

The Knife Lake quarries on the U.S. – Canada border have been the subject of recent intensive survey and other archaeological investigations. However, the geology of the region was not previously studied in detail. Geological research focused on large-scale, broad patterns rather than fine-scale, detailed investigations that are relevant to archaeological problems. The rocks that comprise the quarries are very complex in origin, with sedimentary deposition of volcanics in complex deposits that were later subjected to metamorphic events. Documentation of the stratigraphy at the Wendt and Lillian Joyce quarries indicates multiple layers of siltstone and greywacke; cultural use focused on specific layers of the types best suited for knapping. The site geology informs the cultural patterns and provides a structure for understanding the archaeological materials.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place II: Geoarchaeology and Evidence for Selective Use of Quarry Sourced Knife Lake Siltstone. Dan Wendt Susan C. Mulholland - Duluth Archaeology Center

The Knife Lake Siltstone quarries on the U.S.-Canada border have been the subject of recent archaeological survey but have not had fine scale geological characterization to provide context to the quarries. Work by the Duluth Archaeology Center has started with the documentation of the geological stratigraphy at the Wendt and Lillian Joyce quarries. Results have documented multiple layers of siltstone interspersed with the majority constituent, a coarse sandy greywacke. Laboratory and complementary field methods have been developed to characterize variation in siltstone attributes including: color, texture, translucency, bedding pattern, metamorphic folding and magnetic susceptibility. These attributes quantitatively distinguish some siltstone beds and have been related to knapping characteristics in replicative studies. Procurement of siltstone at the Wendt Quarry focused on specific fine grained layers that also lack excessive jointing which would enable the knapping of large tools such as bifaces and adzes.

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Location Information (2500 East 80th St. Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076)

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Parking is available in five parking areas (North, Fine Arts, Liberal Arts, College Center, and South). The south parking lot is the closest to Heritage Hall. Parking is free and buildings are open during the time of the conference. IHCC does have classes Monday through Saturday. The “Main floor” of Heritage Hall is the second floor. The main entrance, lobby, and presentation rooms are all on the second floor.

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Variety of Food Offerings in the Immediate IHCC Surroundings

The closet hotels are north of IHCC at the intersection of HWY 52 and Upper 55th Street.

For additional information on hotels in the area please use this link: http://www.mapquest.com/#c699c3c3f4f9c92b98c2b529

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