587 |. L14 p5 1990 PrehistoriC Sites In La CrOSSC COunty |||||||||||I|| SITY or 10 3 1855-632"##"g; PREHISTORIC SITES IN LACROSSE COUNTY, WISCONSIN by John T. Penman and Kelly Hamilton State Historical Society of Wisconsin October 1990 Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Archaeological Report 17 Madison, Wisconsin *~~ £27. .////-5 TABLE OF CONTENTS / ??0 Acknowledgments List of Tables List of Figures p al 3 e Prehistoric Sites on the LaCrosse County Expressway Introduction . Fieldwork in 1987 and 1988 . Fieldwork in 1989 . Excavations at the Tremaine Site . Excavation Methods . Excavated Areas . Artifacts from Tremaine . Artifact Analysis . Lithic Source Identification . Area D - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ll Area E . 12 Area F . 12 Area G . e e e e e o e º e e o e o e e e e e 14 Pipestone and Native Metal . 16 Historic Component . 17 Artifact Summary . 17 Cultural Chronology At Tremaine . 19 Paleoindian . 19 Early Archaic . 20 Middle Archaic and the Altithermal . 22 Late Archaic - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 31 Early Woodland . 34 Middle Woodland e - e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. 35 Late Woodland e - © e - e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. e. 38 Oneota . © e. Excavations at the Filler Site . 42 Testing in 1987 . 42 Excavations in 1988 . 44 Surface Survey at the 0t Site . 48 Excavations at the Firesign Site . 50 Fieldwork in 1988 . 50 Fieldwork in 1989 . 52 Summary . Archaeological Sites on S.T.H 35, shelty township . ; Tables . 58 Figures . 157 Bibliography . 188 Analysis of Floral Remains from the 1987 Excavations at Tremaine . 198 List of Publications ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Mary Galneder of the University of Wisconsin Geography Department provided access to aerial photographs of LaCrosse County. Jeff Anderson conducted the soil acidity testing at the Tremaine site. Ken Klose of the County Highway Department expertly graded the site in 1988. William C. Jung (Deputy County Surveyor) provided maps of the site area. During the 1989 excavations Myles Johnson, Derald E. Kading, Tom Kratt, Tim Maedke, Rich Schrader and Jack Stoffel of the DOT office in LaCrosse were most helpful. Grading of Area E was conducted by a GTE Telephone Company Crew in 1989. Art Bialkowsky, Kevin Day, Tom Elias, Tim Hunter, and Dave Wendorf of that cable crew are most appreciated. Additional grading at the sites east of Tremaine was acomplished by John Bader, Al Wan Gunde, and Bob Schroeder who are with Hoffman Construction Company. Robert A. Birmingham, Jeff Groethe, Diane Y. Holliday, Ken Karstens, and Rodney E. Riggs assisted in the artifact analysis. The pottery drawings are by Peter Nepokroeff. Some of the animal remains were identified by James L. Theler (University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse). Particular appreciation is due to James B. Stoltman (University of Wisconsin) for his aid in identification of the Middle Woodland pottery. G. Ian Brace (Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History) provided valuable information on Archaic projectile points. Mike Kolb (U.W. M.) and Marge Winkler (C.C. R. ) provided information for the hydrology study. Dave Berwick (Corps of Engineers, St. Paul) provided information on the geomorphology of the region as did Dennis G. Althaus and Robert A. Patenaude. The majority of the radiocarbon dates reported herein are from the Center for Climatic Research (C.C.R.), University of Wisconsin-Madison; which is supported by the National Science Foundation. The following individuals deserve particular mention for their participation in the fieldwork: Patricia Brooks 1987, 1988 Gregory A. Brubaker 1990 Tonya S. Droessler 1989 Sheryl Dowden 1990 John A. Evanson 1987, 1988, 1989 Joan L. Gerthoffer 1988, 1989 Daniel B. Goatley 1989 Holly P. Halverson 1989 Lorna Haubrich 1990 Matt G. Hill 1988, 1989 R. Eric Hollinger 1987, 1988, 1989 Alison Kadlec 1990 T. Cregg Madrigal 1990 Lidia Migacz 1990 Mark O'Malley 1987, 1988, 1989 Jon R. Paulson 1987, 1988, 1989 Mike Scott 1988, 1989 Kate J. Kachel 1987, 1988, 1989 Jodie A. O'Gorman 1987, 1988, 1989 Margot S. Neverett 1990 Sannie K. Osborn 1987 Tristine E. Perkins 1990 Robert A. Pope 1987, 1988 Rebecca A. Schneider 1990 Shari M. Silverman 1990 Laura R. Stiver 1990 Ron Smith 1989 Elizabeth Sobel 1989 Joseph A. Wradenburg 1988, 1989 Duane Witkowski 1987 COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Archaeological Excavations and Geomorphic Coring at Tremaine, June 1987. The University of Iowa Libraries TABLES page Reference Points for Excavation Grid at the Tremaine 58 Ceramics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Ar ea 59 Ceramics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area 61 Ceramics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area 63 Cerami cs from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Ar ea 64 Cerami cs from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Ar ea 69 Cerami cs from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Ar ea 72 Cerami cs from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Ar ea 80 Local Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area AN 83 Local Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area AS 86 Local Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area B 89 Local Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area D 90 Local Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area E 97 Local Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area F 102 Local Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area G 111 Exotic Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area 116 Exotic Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area 118 Exotic Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area 120 Exotic Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area 121 Exotic Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area 125 Exotic Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area 127 Exotic Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Excavations in Area 134 Stone Tools from the Tremaine Si te, Area AN and AS 137 Stone Tools from the Tremaine Site, Area B . 138 Stone Tools from the Tremaine Si te, Area D . 139 Stone Tools from the Tremaine Si te, Area F . 140 Miscellaneous Lithics from the Tremaine Site, Area G 141 Artifact Comparison for Area D and Area G, Tremaine Site 142 Radiocarbon Dates for Sites on the LaCrosse Expressway . 143 Corrected Radiocarbon Dates for LaCrosse County Oneota Sites 144 Artifacts from the Filler Site, Test Excavations, 1987 . 146 Ceramics from the Filler Site, Graded Area, 1988 147 Local Lithics from the Filler Site, Graded Area, 1988 . 148 Cerami cs from the Firesign Site, Excavations in 1988, 1989 149 Local Lithics from the Firesign Site, 1988 Excavations . 150 Local Lithics from the Firesign Site, 1989 Excavations . 151 Exotic Lithics from the Filler Site . 152 Exotic Lithics from the Firesign Site . 152 Fauna From LaCrosse County sites e e 153 Artifacts from Sites in Shelby Township . 154 Litnics from Excavations at the Young Kitty Site 155 Artifacts from Excavations at the Young Kitty Site 156 FIGURES page Prehistoric Sites in the Vicinity of the LaCrosse Expressway 157 The Tremaine Site Complex . 158 Excavation Plan for the Tremaine Site, western area . 159 Excavation Plan for the Tremaine Site, eastern area . 160 Excavation Plan for Area AN and Area G, Tremaine Site . 161 Excavation Plan for Area AS and Area F, Tremaine Site . 162 Excavation Plan for Area D . 163 Tremaine Site, Excavation Plan for Area E . 164 Tremaine Site, Area E, Detail of 1988 Graded Area . 165 Artifacts from Area A at the Tremaine Site . 166 ll Oneota Ceramics from Area AS at the Tremaine Site . 167 12 Artifacts from Area AS and Area B at the Tremaine Site . 168 13 Oneota Ceramics from Area B, Area D, and Area E at Tremaine 169 14 Lithics from Area D and Area E at the Tremaine Site . 170 15 Oneota Ceramics from Area E and Area F at the Tremaine Site 171 16 Artifacts from Area F at the Tremaine Site . 172 17 Oneota Ceramics from Area F at the Tremaine Site . 173 18 Artifacts from Area F at the Tremaine Site . 174 19 Artifacts from Area G at the Tremaine Site . 175 20 Cultural Chronology for LaCrosse County . 176 21 Tremaine Site, Feature 8, Profile Along N 142 Line . 177 22 Tremaine Site, Area F, Profile Along N 30 Line . 178 23 Location of the Filler and 0t Sites . 179 24 Filler Site E77 Profile, East Wall . 180 25 Filler Site, North Field Graded Area . 181 26 Excavation Plan for the Firesign Site (47–Lc-359) . 182 27 Ceramics from the Firesign Site . 183 28 Archaeological Sites in Shelby Township . 184 29 Excavation Plan for the Young Kitty Site (47-Lc-244) . 185 30 The Stellzig Site (47-Lc-190) and Vicinity . 186 31 Artifacts from Shelby Township Sites and the Firesign Site . 187 PREHISTORIC SITES ON THE LACROSSE COUNTY EXPRESSWAY Introduction The proposed U.S. Highway 53 expressway will connect to Interstate Highway 90 and run northward along the bluff base, curve westward between Onalaska and Holmen, and terminate at State Trunk Highway (S.T.H.) 95 in northwestern LaCrosse County. The majority of this 17 kilometer (10.57 mile) long route is along Amsterdam Prairie, a high Late Pleistocene outwash terrace above the Mississippi River. Various archaeological surveys on Amsterdam Prairie have recorded a total of nine prehistoric sites that are within the proposed expressway right of way. The two northernmost sites are Lc-98 and Lc-103 which were surface collected and shovel tested in 1986 as part of a resurvey along the expressway. Also during that survey, test excavations were conducted at Lc-46 and Lc-249. This most recent survey also located sites Lc-247, and Lc-248. A sewer line survey in 1989 resulted in the recording of the Kloppenburg site (Barth 1989).