Historic Archaeology at the Iowa 4-H Center : Research on Archaeological Sites 13BN343 (The Martelli Site) and 13BN392 (Rabid Coon)
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Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1-1-2003 Past lives remembered: historic archaeology at the Iowa 4-H Center : research on archaeological sites 13BN343 (the Martelli Site) and 13BN392 (Rabid Coon) Adam Joshua Meseke Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Recommended Citation Meseke, Adam Joshua, "Past lives remembered: historic archaeology at the Iowa 4-H Center : research on archaeological sites 13BN343 (the Martelli Site) and 13BN392 (Rabid Coon)" (2003). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 19504. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/19504 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Past lives remembered- historic archaeology at the Iowa 4-H Center: research on archaeological sites 13BN343 (the Martelli Site) and 13BN392 (Rabid Coon) by Adam Joshua Meseke A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial :fulfillment ·of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Major: Anthropology Program of Study Committee: Joseph A. Tiffany, Major Professor Nancy R. Coinman David M. Gradwohl Hector I. Avalos Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2003 Copyright© Adam Joshua Meseke, 2003. All rights reserved. ll Graduate College Iowa State University This is to certify that the Master's thesis of Adam Joshua Meseke has met the requirements of Iowa State University Signatures have been redacted for privacy iii For my wife, Jennifer Eileen and little Madeline Ann whose patience, encouragement, and tolerance made this work possible. I love you, girls. This work is dedicated to Ronald N. Meseke and little AJ. I love and miss you both dearly. lV TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. X CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... l Significance of Research .......................................................................................... 2 Plan of Presentation ................................................................................................. 3 CHAPTER 2. METHODS .................................................................................................. 5 CHAPTER 3. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING ................................................................. 8 Geology .................................................................................................................... 8 Geomorphology ..................................................................................................... 10 Present Environment and Soils .............................................................................. 18 CHAPTER 4. HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT ........................................ 26 Archaeological Cultural Context ........................................................................... 26 History of Boone County, Iowa ............................................................................. 35 History of the Iowa Coal Mining Industry and Boone County, Iowa ................... .38 History of the Iowa 4-H Center, Boone County, Iowa .......................................... 53 Previous Archaeological Investigations within the Des Moines Valley ................ 57 CHAPTER 5. HISTORICAL RESULTS AND REFLECTIONS .................................... 66 Historic Plats and Atlases ...................................................................................... 66 Local Folklore and Anecdotes ............................................................................... 70 The Martelli Family ............................................................................................... 78 Historic Records Search for the Occupants of 13BN392 ...................................... 90 V CHAPTER 6. 13BN343: The Martelli Site ...................................................................... 93 Archaeological Investigations ................................................................................ 93 Material Culture ................................................................................................... 101 Archaeological Interpretation of 13BN343 ......................................................... 141 Summary .............................................................................................................. 146 CHAPTER 7. 13BN392: Rabid Coon ............................................................................ 148 Archaeological Investigations .............................................................................. 148 Material Culture ................................................................................................... 153 Archaeological Interpretation of 13BN392 ......................................................... 173 Summary .............................................................................................................. 175 CHAPTER 8. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ...................................................... 176 REFERENCES CITED .................................................................................................... 181 APPEND IX ...................................................................................................................... 203 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. 262 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of Iowa showing bedrock formations. From Iowa Department of Natural Resources Geographic Information System (NRGIS) Library ............................ 9 Figure 2. Location of the Madrid Coal Field from Reese (1975:5) .................................. ll Figure 3. Map of Iowa showing location of the project area and regional landforms From Iowa Department of Natural Resources Geographic Information System (NRGIS) Library ................................................................................... 13 Figure 4. End moraines of the Des Moines Lobe (from Rube 1969:55) .......................... 14 Figure 5. Copy of Bemis moraine (from Bohlken 1980:88) ............................................. 15 Figure 6. Cross section of the Des Moines Valley (from Mandel and Bettis 1997:95) .... 17 Figure 7. Historic vegetation map from General Land Office (1996) .............................. 19 Figure 8. Soil map of the project area. From USDA ICSS ArcView sectional soil coverage ............................................................................................................. 22 Figure 9. Soil map of the area of 13BN417: Scandia Coal Mine #4. From USDA ICSS ArcView sectional soil coverage .............................................................. 23 Figure 10. Copy of mining techniques (from Schwieder and Kraemer 1973:19, 21) ..... .42 Figure 11. Mining techniques (from Schwieder and Kraemer 1973: 19) .......................... 44 Figure 12. Location of 13BN417 taken from the Granger 1976 7.5' Quadrangle........... .48 Figure 13. Historic Scandia Coal Mine #4 Photographs (from Madsen [1974:59-60] and Wilcox [1983:130]) ................................................................................... 49 Figure 14. Photographs of 13BN417 in 2002 ................................................................... 51 Figure 15. Photographs of 13BN417 in 2002 ................................................................... 52 Figure 16. Aerial photograph of the Iowa 4-H Center ca. 1958 ....................................... 55 Figure 17. Milestones at the Iowa 4-H Center (from The Iowa 4-H Foundation 1975:2) ·············································································································56 Figure 18. Map of the Iowa 4-H Education and Natural Resource Center ....................... 58 Vll Figure 19. Photographs of the archaeological field school for youth at the Iowa 4-H Center in 2000 .................................................................................................. 63 Figure 20. Photographs of the archaeological field school for youth at the Iowa 4-H Center in 1996 .................................................................................................. 64 Figure 21. Photographs of 13BN343 in September 2001 ................................................. 65 Figure 22. Copy of historic Madrid Quadrangle (1911) ................................................... 68 Figure 23. Copy of historic plat (from Andreas 1875: 100) .............................................. 69 Figure 24. Copy of historic map (from Hovey and Frame 1902: 17) ................................ 71 Figure 25. Copy of historic map (from Iowa State Highway Commission 1940:8) ......... 72 Figure 26. 4-H hikers creeping down a steep hill (from Holthaus 1968:6) ...................... 75 Figure 27. On-lookers at Molly Moore's well (from Holthaus 1968:7) ........................... 76 Figure 28. Photographs of the Martelli family .................................................................. 79 Figure 29. The Martelli family .......................................