I HERITAGE RESOURCES IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF THE I PORTAGE EAST SITE Submitted to SPIRIT OF MANITOBA QUATERNARY CONSULTANTS LIMITED March, 1996 EXEC WESLJMMARY The Portage East site, bounded on the south by Pioneer Avenue and on the west and north by the elevated Canadian National Railway track, was considered as the location for the construction of a major arena facility. As part of the pre-construction assessment of the location, a two-phase heritage resource impact assessment was conducted. The impact assessment focused upon that part of the designed facility which wuld result in some sub-surface impact. While most of the structure was to be built at ground level, some excavation was required for a crawlspace for mechanical and electrical needs. The curvilinear crawlspace had an oval configuration. Geo-technical studies had shown that the southwest portion of the location had the greatest depths of riverine-deposited sediments which wuld contain archaeological resources. Accordingly, the impact assessment concentrated on the southern arc of the crawlspace impact zone. A total of 168 metres of trenches were excavated within the impact zone. The upper strata consisted of gravel, cinder, and clay fill relating to land modification activities of the past two decades. Other layers, consisting of loam and sawdust, contained artifacts from the residential and business activities which occurred in the area after 1880. The artifacts spanned a wide temporal range with minor clusters of material dating to the 1890s and the 1910s. Basements of two former buildings (89 Pioneer and 81 Pioneer) were encountered. A moderately extensive archaeological horizon, dating to the Protocontact Period, was encountered in ,the southwestern part of the impact zone. The horizon contained lithic tools and debitage, sherds from ceramic containers, and quantities of faunal remains deriving from food processing. The presence of copper material indicates that the site occupants had limited contact with European trade goods. This, in conjunction with the high proportion of traditional Aboriginal artifacts, date the occupation of the site between A.D. 1650 to 1730. This period, just prior to the establishment of European fur trade posts and the subsequent modification of the Aboriginal way of life, is poorly documented in the historical archives and minimally represented by intact archaeological sites. The known area of the Protocontact horizon is approximately 300 square metres, lying approximately 2.0 metres below surface. The western and southern extent of the horizon is unknown and must be taken into consideration if and when any future development occurs on the site. .. 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..............................i TABLEOFCONTENTS ...............................ii LISTOFAPPENDICES ...............................v LISTOFTABLES .................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES ................................. vii LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATES ......................vii 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...................................1 1.1StudyTeam ........................................3 1.2 Scope of Project .....................................3 1.3 Project Methodology ...................................3 1.3.1 Excavation Methodology .............................. 3 1.3.2 Laboratory Procedures ...............................4 2.0 STRATIGRAPHY ...................................5 2.1Features ..........................................6 3.0 HISTORIC ARTIFACTS .............................. 15 3.1 Architectural Objects .................................. 15 3.1.1Hardware ...................................... 15 3.1.1.1 Nails .......................................15 3.1.1.2 Wire .......................................16 3.1.1.3 Porcelain House Insulators ..........................16 3.1.1.4DoorKnob ...................................17 3.1.1.5 Miscellaneous Electrical ...........................17 3.1.1.6Hinges ......................................17 3.1.1.7 Strap .......................................18 3.1.1.8 Miscellaneous Hardware ...........................18 3.1.2 Structural Elements ................................ 18 3.1.2.1Brick ....................................... 18 3.1.2.2Tile ........................................18 3.1.2.3 Miscellaneous Structural Elements ..................... 19 3.1.3 Accoutrements ................................... 19 3.1.3.1 Bathroom Fixtures ............................... 19 3.1.3.2 Windowpane .................................. 19 3.1.4 Detached Structure ................................. 21 iii 3.1.5 Furniture .......................................21 3.2 Lighting Equipment ..................................21 3.2.1 Oil Lighting .....................................21 3.2.2 Electric Lighting ..................................21 3.2.3Battery ........................................21 3.3 Science Related Artifacts ...............................22 3.4 Manufacturing Equipment ...............................22 3.4.1Indus trial .......................................22 3.4.2 Metalworking ....................................22 3.5 Communication .....................................23 3.5.1 Telecommunication ................................ 23 3.5.2 Written Communication ..............................23 3.6 Food Procurement ................................... 23 3.7 Food Processing ....................................23 3.8 Clothing .........................................24 3.8.1 Fastener .......................................24 3.8.2 Bodywear ......................................24 3.8.3 Footwear ....................................... 25 3.9 Transportation ...................................... 26 3.9.1 Draught ......................................-26 3.9.2Railroad ....................................... 26 3.9.3 Vehicle .......................................-27 3.10 Recreation .......................................27 3.10.1 Toys .........................................27 3.10.2 Smoking Equipment ...............................27 3.11 Housewares .....................................-28 3.11.1 Bric-a-brac .....................................28 3.11.2 Timepiece .....................................28 3.11.3 Tool ........................................-28 3.12Unknown ........................................28 3.13 Faunal Remains ...................................-29 3.14 Floral Objects .....................................32 3.15 Containers .......................................34 3.15.1 Storage ......................................-35 3.15.1.1 Closures .................................... 35 3.15.1.2 Plastic Containers ..............................35 3.15.1.3 Ceramic Containers ............................. 36 3.15.1.3.1 Flowerpots ................................37 3.15.1.3.2 Bottles ...................................37 3.15.1.3.3Cmks ..................................$37 3.15.1.3.4Jars .....................................37 3.15.1.3.5 Jugs ....................................38 3.15.1.4 Glass Containers ............................... 38 3.15.1.4.1 Canning Sealers .............................38 v 4.0 PROTOCONTACT HORIZON ..........................85 4.1 Protocontact Artifacts ................................. 86 4.1.1 Lithic Artifact Recoveries ............................86 4.1.1.1 Lithic Tools ................................... 87 4.1.1.2 Lithic Detritus .................................90 4.1.1.3 Ochre ...................................... 92 4.1.1.4 Fire-cracked Rock ............................... 92 4.1.2 Ceramic Artifacts ................................. 93 4.1.2.1 Rim Sherds ................................... 94 4.1.2.2 Body Sherds and Sherdlets ..........................96 4.1.3 Trade Goods .................................... 97 4.1.4 Floral Artifacts ................................... 97 4.1.5 Faunal Recoveries ................................. 99 4.1.5.1 Faunal Tools .................................. 99 4.1.5.2 Butchering Remains ..............................99 4.1.5.3 Naturally Deposited Faunal Remains .................. 103 4.1.6 Samples ...................................... 103 5.0 DISCUSSION .................................... 104 5.1 Archival Data ..................................... 104 5.1.1 Current Land Use ................................ 104 5.1.2FormerLandUse ................................ 104 5.1.2.1PrecontactPeriod(4000B.C. .A.D. 1737) .............. 104 5.1.2.2 Fur Trade Period (1737-1860) ...................... 105 5.1.2.3 Immigration and Industrial Period (1860-1900) ............ 107 5.1.2.4 Urban Period (1900-1970) ......................... 107 5.2 Archaeological Data from Historic Strata .................... 108 5.2.1 Artifact-Derived Data .............................. 108 5.2.2 Contextual and Feature Data .......................... 116 5.3 Protocontact Horizon ................................ 117 6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 119 7.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................. 121 LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A: Request for Heritage Resources Impact Assessment ....... 131 APPENDIX B: Impact Assessment Proposal ...................... 133 APPENDIX C: Heritage Permits ............................. 138 APPENDIX D: Provenience Data and Stratigraphic Profiles ............ 143 APPENDIX E: Catalogue of Recovered Artifacts ................... 169 vi LIST OF TABLES 1: Windowpane from the Portage East Site ....................20 2: Footwear Recoveries from the Portage East Site ...............25 3: Unknown Artifacts .................................29