The Beloit Archaeological Survey: Report of the 2004 Field Season By Sara L. Pfannkuche Project Supervisor and Dr. William Green Principal Investigator Report submitted by the Logan Museum of Anthropology, Beloit College, to the Neighborhood Planning Division, City of Beloit The activity that is the subject of this report has been financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, and administered by the Wisconsin Historical Society. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior or the Wisconsin Historical Society. Project No. 55-19352-04 Wisconsin Historical Society Tracking Number 04-6604 August 2005 Table of Contents List of Figures iii List of Tables vii Acknowledgments viii Introduction 1 Goals and Objectives 1 Background 2 Archaeological Resources and Regional Planning 2 Beloit Archaeology in the 19th Century 5 Beloit Archaeology in the Early 20th Century 8 Beloit Archaeology in the Cultural Resource Management Era 11 Methods 13 Background Research 13 Phase I Survey of City Parks 14 Field Reconnaissance of Known Mound Groups 15 Identifying and Surveying Potential Areas of Archaeological Significance 15 Artifact Registration and Data Analysis 16 Results 16 Mounds 16 Pre-contact Habitation Sites 20 Historic Sites 20 Conclusions and Recommendations 20 References Cited 22 Appendixes Appendix A. National Register of Historic Places Eligibility Criteria. 26 Appendix B. Individual Site Descriptions and Supplemental Documentation. 27 47Ro15 Beloit College Mound Group 28 47Ro16 Big Hill/South Lookout Site 36 47Ro18 West Beloit Camp Sites 42 47Ro22 U.S. 51 Campsite 44 47Ro23 Yost Mound 45 47Ro29 Reilly/Lather’s Mound Group; Lather (Reilly) Group 47 47Ro30, 26 Weirick/Peck’s Mounds 49 47Ro31, 32 Adams/Dugway(“Duquy”)/Eaton Group 52 47Ro36 McLenegan Group South 53 47Ro39 State Line Mound Group(Hutchinson Site) 54 47Ro41 Hillcrest/Beloit Junction Mound Group 56 47Ro140 Murphy Mound Group/Lather’s Mound 58 47Ro141 McLenegan Group North 60 47Ro142 Joint Switch Group 63 47Ro143 Partridge/Strong/Totem Park Group 67 47Ro144 Whitfield Campsite 71 47Ro211 Walsh Site 77 47Ro213 Moore Site 81 47Ro216 85 47Ro217 Indian Cornfields 86 47Ro219 Winnebago Council House 87 47Ro220 West Bank Campsites 92 47Ro286 Morgan School Enclosure 95 47Ro405 Slocum Site 101 47Ro406 Fass Site 103 47Ro407 Oakwood Cemetery Mounds 105 47Ro409 Neese/McClain Site 110 47Ro410 Beloit Pool Copper Find 114 47Ro411 West Collingswood Bluff Site 115 47Ro412 Hilliard Park Site 122 47Roxxx Blodgett/Turtle Creek Millrace 124 ii List of Figures Figure 1. Map of the City of Beloit showing archaeological sites studied by BAS 2004. 3 Figure 2. General Land Office survey map of Beloit. 6 Figure 3. “Map of Ancient Mounds in the Vicinity of the City of Beloit, Wis.” by James Wilson, Jr. (from Peet 1898:164). 9 Figure 4. Map of Beloit College Mounds, 47Ro15, by Richard Yerkes, 1973, based on Bastian (1958). 30 Figure 5. Map of Beloit College Mounds, 47Ro15, based on 2004 BAS mapping and testing. 31 Figure 6. Artifacts from Beloit College Mounds, 47Ro15. 32 Figure 7. Late Woodland ceramic sherds from Beloit College Mounds, 47Ro15. 33 Figure 8. Portion of Beloit 7.5’ U.S.G.S. map showing previous and current boundary of Beloit College Mounds, 47Ro15 (arrow). 34 Figure 9. Big Hill site, 47Ro16; 1973 sketch map by Yerkes, Panhorst, and Salzer. 38 Figure 10. Big Hill/South Lookout site, 47Ro16; Beloit Archaeological Survey 2004 sketch map. 39 Figure 11. Artifacts from Big Hill/South Lookout site, 47Ro16. 40 Figure 12. Beloit 7.5’ U.S.G.S. quadrangle map showing the mapped locations of 47Ro16. 41 Figure 13. Possible gorget preform from 47Ro18; both faces (LMA 2001.1.2). 43 Figure 14. Map of Weirick/Peck’s Mounds, 47Ro26/30, by Richard Yerkes, 1973. 51 Figure 15. Map of State Line Mound Group, 47Ro39, by Richard Yerkes and Jeffrey Panhorst, 1973. 55 Figure 16. Map of Hillcrest Mounds, 47Ro41, by Robert G. Becker, 1912. 57 Figure 17. Locations of Murphy Mound Group/Lather’s Mound, 47Ro140, and Lathers Group (Reilly/Lathers Mound Group, 47Ro29). 59 iii Figure 18. Sketch map drawn in 1973 by Richard Yerkes of McLenegan Group North, 47Ro141, overlain with updated information on streets and shovel probe transects from the 2004 BAS. 61 Figure 19. View of the remaining mound at McLenegan Group North, 47Ro141, looking east-northeast to Cranston Road. 62 Figure 20. View of McLenegan Group North, 47Ro141, from Cranston Road looking northwest; mound is behind large tree in foreground. 62 Figure 21. Map of southeast part of Joint Switch Group, 47Ro142, by Robert G. Becker, 1912. 64 Figure 22. Sketch map of southeast part of Joint Switch Group, 47Ro142, by Richard Yerkes, 1973. 65 Figure 23. Beloit 7.5’ USGS quadrangle map showing previous and expanded site boundaries for Joint Switch Group, 47Ro142. 66 Figure 24. Sketch map of BAS 2004 survey at Totem Park Mounds, 47Ro143. 68 Figure 25. Woodland pottery sherds from 2004 BAS survey of Totem Park Mounds site, 47Ro143. 69 Figure 26. Sketch map of Whitfield Campsite, 47Ro144, BAS 2004 survey. 73 Figure 27. Sketch map of Whitfield Campsite, 47Ro144, by Richard Yerkes and Jeffrey Panhorst, 1973. 74 Figure 28. Woodland pottery sherds from BAS 2004 survey of Whitfield Campsite, 47Ro144. 75 Figure 29. Sketch map of BAS 2004 survey of Walsh site (47Ro211) and Indian Cornfields (47Ro217). 78 Figure 30. Sketch map of surveyed area and grooved maul or axe find spot at Walsh site, 47Ro211. 79 Figure 31. Drawing and photos of grooved maul or axe found at Walsh site, 47Ro211 (LMA 2004.17.1.). 80 Figure 32. Sketch map of Moore site, 47Ro213, by Richard Yerkes, 1973. 82 Figure 33. Woodland pottery sherds from the Moore site, 47Ro213; 1973 collection (LMA 2004.18). 83 iv Figure 34. Lithic artifacts from BAS 2004 survey of the Moore site, 47Ro213. 84 Figure 35. Sketch map of Winnebago Council House (47Ro219) vicinity. 91 Figure 36. Sketch map of West Bank Campsites, 47Ro220, by Richard Yerkes and Jeffrey Panhorst, 1973. 93 Figure 37. Updated boundaries of West Bank Campsite(s), 47Ro220, based on reanalysis of collections. 94 Figure 38. Top: T. H. Lewis 1888 map of Morgan School Enclosure, 47Ro286 (from Lewis n.d., Notebook 19). Bottom: sketch map of BAS 2004 survey of site. 97 Figure 39. Previous and current boundaries of Morgan School Enclosure, 47Ro286 (Beloit 7.5’ U.S.G.S. quadrangle map). 98 Figure 40. Artifacts from Morgan School Enclosure, 47Ro286. LMA 2004.53.1-.13. 99 Figure 41. Artifacts recovered from the Slocum site, 47Ro405. 102 Figure 42. Artifacts recovered from the Fass site, 47Ro406. 104 Figure 43. Oakwood Cemetery Mounds 1 and 2 (47Ro407), view to north. 106 Figure 44. Oakwood Cemetery Mound 2 (47Ro407), view to northwest. 107 Figure 45. Oakwood Cemetery Mound 3 (47Ro407), view to north. 107 Figure 46. Map of Oakwood Cemetery Mounds, 47Ro407, showing locations of mounds and shovel probes. 108 Figure 47. Oakwood Cemetery Mound 1 section, based on core samples. 109 Figure 48. Sketch map of Neese/McClain site, 47Ro409, showing shovel probe locations, findspot of Woodland ceramics, and Blodgett/Turtle Creek Millrace features. 112 Figure 49. Woodland pottery sherds recovered from the Neese/McClain site, 47Ro409 (LMA 2004.50). 113 Figure 50. Obverse and reverse faces of copper specimens from Beloit Pool Copper Find, 47Ro410 (LMA 1995.3.79). 114 Figure 51. Sketch map of West Collingswood site, 47Ro411, showing BAS 2004 shovel probe locations and site boundary. 116 v Figure 52. Lithic artifacts from West Collingswood site, 47Ro411, BAS Field #27-A. 117 Figure 53. Ceramics from West Collingswood site, 47Ro411. 118 Figure 54. Lithic artifacts from West Collingswood site, 47Ro411, BAS Field #29-A. 119 Figure 55. Lithic artifacts from West Collingswood site, 47Ro411, BAS Field #32-A. 120 Figure 56. Retouched blade from West Collingswood site, 47Ro411, obverse and reverse (LMA 2004.54.5.3). 121 Figure 57. Sketch map of Hilliard Park site, 47Ro412, BAS 2004 survey. 123 Figure 58. Clam shell, lithic debitage from Hilliard Park site, 47Ro412 (LMA 2004.48.1.1-.3). 123 Figure 59. Location map of Blodgett/Turtle Creek Millrace, 47Roxxx, by Robert Baller, 2003. 127 Figure 60. Article from The Round Table (Beloit College student newspaper), November 18, 1963, page 1, regarding William Godfrey’s excavation at “Samuel’s Dig,” the Blodgett/Turtle Creek Millrace. 128 vi List of Tables Table 1. Pre-contact periods in the Beloit region. 3 Table 2. Surveyed field localities. 14 Table 3. List of archaeological sites investigated. 15 Table 4. Inventory of artifacts recovered during BAS from Beloit College Mound Group, 47Ro15. 35 Table 5. Inventory of artifacts recovered during BAS 2004 survey at Totem Park Mounds, 47Ro143. 70 Table 6. Inventory of artifacts recovered during BAS survey of 47Ro144, Whitfield Campsite. 76 Table 7. Inventory of BAS collection from the Moore site, 47Ro213. 84 Table 8. Inventory of artifacts recovered during BAS from 47Ro286, Morgan School Enclosure. 100 Table 9. Inventory of material from “Samuel’s Dig” (Blodgett/Turtle Creek Millrace) excavation, 1963 (LMA 2004.11.1-.63). 129 vii Acknowledgments The Beloit Archaeological Survey has been a cooperative effort involving a wide range of individuals and public and private entities. We thank the following people for their invaluable assistance: Tim Bragg, Assistant Planner, City of Beloit Neighborhood Planning Division, for facilitating the project and serving as its representative within