Archaeology at French Colonial Cahokia Bonnie L. Gums Studies in Illinois Archaeology No. 3 Illi|ois Historic Preservation Agency ILLINOIS HISTORICAL SURVEY (V Archaeology at French Colonial Cahokia Studies in Illinois Archaeology Number 3 Thomas Emerson, Series Editor Evelyn R. Moore, Managing Editor Archaeology at French Colonial Cahokia Bonnie L. Gums with contributions by George R. Holley, Neal H. Lopinot, Terrance J. Martin, F. Terry Norris, and John A. Walthall Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Springfield, Illinois ISBN 0-942579-02-X Ulinois Historic Preservation Agency, Springfield, IL 62701 Printed by authority of the State of Illinois September 1988 This publication was financed in part with federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior and administered by the Illinois His- toric Preservation Agency. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. CONTENTS Figures vii Plates X Tables xii Acknowledgments xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Environmental Setting 7 Historical Background 12 Previous Archaeological Investigations 22 The Present Condition of the Archaeological Record 27 CHAPTER 2: INITIAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS 30 Documentary Evidence 30 Summary of the Documentary Evidence 43 Archaeological Investigations and Research 45 Results of the Initial Investigations 50 Summary and Conclusions 68 CHAPTER 3: ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEST EXCAVATIONS . 70 Test Excavation Methodology 70 Feature Excavation Methodology 73 Stratigraphy 75 Feature Descriptions 77 Summary and Conclusions 113 CHAPTER 4: ARTIFACT DESCRIPTIONS 115 Aboriginal Ceramics 116 by George R. Holley Stone Artifacts 117 Smoking Pipes 125 Historic Ceramics 134 by John A, Walthall and Bonnie L. Gums Glass Artifacts 158 Metal Artifacts 176 Weapons 205 by F. Terry Norris Miscellaneous Artifacts 213 CHAPTER 5: ANIMAL REMAINS FROM THE CAHOKIA WEDGE SITE 221 by Terrance J. Martin Resource Setting 222 Methods 223 Discussion 224 Conclusions 230 CHAPTER 6: BOTANICAL REMAINS FROM THE CAHOKIA WEDGE SITE 235 by Neal H. Lopinot Heavy Fractions 235 Light Fractions 237 Summary 243 CHAPTER 7: LIFE IN FRENCH COLONIAL CAHOKIA ... 244 Summary of Archaeological Investigations 244 Historical and Archaeological View of French Colonial Life 247 Concluding Remarks 254 APPENDIX A: FEATURE ARTIFACTS 255 REFERENCES CITED 265 VI FIGURES 1. Eighteenth-century map of French colonial settlements in American Botton region 2 2. USGS map showing location of the Cahokia Wedge site . 4 3. Map of the American Bottom region ca. 1800 8 4. Map of village lots from 1766 map 28 5. 1735 map of Cahokia 32 6. Portion of 1766 map of Cahokia by Thomas Hutchins. 34 7. 1808 map of common fields of Cahokia (Lowrie and Franklin, eds., 1834) 35 8. Portion of WPA reconstructed map of Cahokia for the years 1790-1826 37 9. Detail of WPA map showing village lots within the Cahokia Wedge site 38 10. Lithograph of Cahokia by J. C. Wild published in 1841 (Wild and Thomas 1841) 40 11. 1956 plat map of the Village of Cahokia 44 12. SIUE topographic map of the Cahokia Wedge site 46 13. Map showing surface structural remains in Areas D and E on the southeast comer of the site 49 14. Detail of surface structural remains in Area E 49 15. Bar graph illustrating percentages of selected surface artifacts 52 16. Distribution map of all collected surface materials 53 17. Map showing location of the six surface artifact concentrations, Areas A-F 53 18. Distribution map of eighteenth-century ceramics 54 19. Distribution map of coarse earthenware ceramics 54 20. Distribution map of creamware and pearlware 55 vu 21. Distribution map of nineteenth- and twentieth-century ceramics 55 22. Distribution map of dark green bottle glass 56 23. Distribution map of clay smoking pipes 56 24. Distribution map of selected building materials 57 25. Distribution map of flat glass 57 26. Distribution map of ordnance group 58 27. Distribution map of faunal remains 58 28. Distribution map of lithic debitage 59 29. Distribution map of historic Indian artifacts and trade goods 59 30. Piece-plotted surface artifact concentration in Area C . 63 31. Location of test excavation trench on the southwest comer of the site 71 32. Plan view map of excavation trench 74 33. Profile map of north balk wall of excavation trench .... 76 34. Plan view map of Features 7, 8, and 10 wall trenches ... 78 35. Profile maps of Feature 7 wall trench 79 36. Profile maps of Feature 8 wall trench 83 37. Profile map of Feature 10 wall trench 86 38. Plan view map of Feature 2 limestone concentration ... 90 39. Plan view and profile maps of Feature 1 pit 93 40. Plan view map of Feature 4 midden area 98 41. Profile maps of Feature 4 midden area 99 42. Plan view map of Feature 3 (unexcavated) 101 43. Profilemapof Feature 11 limestone concentration .... 103 44. Plan view map of Features 5 and 6 structural remains ... 104 45. Profile map of Features 5 and 6 structural remains .... 105 46. Profile map of portion of north balk wall showing Features 7, 8, 9, 12, and 13 Ill 47. Stone Artifacts 119 48. Micmac pipes 126 49. Kaolin clay pipes 129 viu 50. Other clay pipes 133 51. Faience rim border styles represented at the Cahokia Wedge site 136 52. Faience 140 53. Faience 142 54. Faience 143 55. EngUsh delftware 145 56. Coarse earthenwares 148 57. Coarse earthenwares 150 58. Coarse earthenwares 152 59. Creamware 154 60. Dark green bottle glass; rim/neck fragments 165 61. Dark green bottle glass; kick-ups 167 62. Dark green bottle glass 168 63. Blue-green bottle glass I'^l 1*^4 64. Brown glass 65. Miscellaneous metal items 177 66. Manufacturers' marks 187 67. Buttons and bridle bosses 214 IX PLATES 1. 1986 aerial photograph of the Cahokia Wedge site frontpiece 2. Church of the Holy Family constructed in ca. 1799 and restored in 1949 5 3. Nicholas Jarrot Mansion, completed in ca. 1810, located across the street from the Cahokia Wedge site . 5 4. Cahokia Courthouse, originally built in ca. 1737 and reconstructed in 1939-1940 by the WPA 6 5. 1927 aerial photograph of Cahokia 42 6. View of excavation trench west toward Illinois Route 3 . 72 7. View of excavation trench to the east 72 8. Feature 7 wall trench excavation shown in north balk profile 80 9. Feature 8 wall trench lengthwise profile 84 10. Mapping of Feature 2 limestone concentration 91 11. Feature 1 pit profile 94 12. Plan view of Features 5 and 6 structural remains 106 13. View to south of test trench through Features 5 and 6 structural remains 107 14. Faience 140 15. Faience 142 16. Faience 143 17. English delftware 145 18. Coarse earthenwares 148 19. Coarse earthenwares 150 20. Coarse earthenwares 152 21. Glassbeads 160 22. Dark green bottle glass 163 23. Metal artifacts 179 24. Metal artifacts 183 25. Utensils 185 26. Trade kettle fragments 189 27. Furniture hardware 192 28. Architectural hardware 194 29. Architectural hardware 196 30. Metal tools 199 31. Barrel parts and equestrian items 202 32. Flintlock gun parts 206 33. Gunflints 207 34. Lead 210 35. Miscellaneous artifacts 218 XI TABLES 1. Chert Types 118 2. Triangular Point Measurements 120 3. Eighteenth- and Early Nineteenth-Century Ceramics . 137* 4. Eighteenth Century Ceramic Vessel Form and Function . 138 5. Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Ceramics 156 6. Glass Bead Measurements 159 7. Gunflint Types And Percentages 208 8. Lead Balls-Firearms Projectiles 211 9. Comparison of Sizes of Lead Balls from the Cahokia Wedge Site and the Guebert Site 212 10. Species Composition of Animal Remains from Eighteenth-Century Contexts 226 11. Animal Remains from Eighteenth-Century Feature Contexts 228 12. Species Composition of Animal Remains from Nineteenth-Century Contexts 231 13. Animal Remains from Nineteenth-Century Feature Contexts 232 14. Flotation Sample Contents 236 15. Wood Charcoal Identification 238 16. Wood Charcoal Samples 240 Xll Acknowledgments The preliminary investigations at the Cahokia Wedge site were in- itiated by the Cahokia French Colonial Committee (CFCC). Funding for the project was contributed by the Cahokia Chamber of Commerce, Cahokia Economic Development Commission, Village of Cahokia, Bank of Cahokia, Cahokia Knights of Columbus, Cahokia Pohce Benevolent Association, American Legion Memorial Post 784 Auxiliary, Centreville Men's Club, and the Flying Legionnaires. Test excavations were funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) with the support of J. Paul Biggers, Chief of Environment, and Dr. John A. Walthall, Chief Archaeologist. The controlled surface collection could not have been completed without the help of many willing and interested volunteers, who gave up three consecutive Saturdays in April and May of 1986 to painstak- ingly collect the thousands of surface artifacts. These persons included members of the CFCC: Larry Turner, President, and his daughter Cindy, Tom Jerome, Jerome Lopinot, Paul McNamara, Terry Osia, John Reed and his son, John Nicholas, and Bemie Thebeau; members of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity of Parks College in Cahokia: Mike Kazzie, President (Spring 1986), Ken Heckler, President (Fall 1986), Jean Albuquerque, Kurt Bray, Terry Dannenbrink, Bruce Dinopoulos, Rue Flores, Kevin Hendrickson, Tim Hoffman, Brian "Mouse" Jenkins, Dave Koellner, Mike Korell, Dan Mushbam, Jonas Perez, Rich Scotto, Michael Steiger, Bill Wendel, Neal Westlund, and John Williams. Ar- chaeologists included U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel F. Terry Norris and Suzanne Harris, and SIUE personnel Alan Brown, George R. Holley, Mikels Skele, and Christy Wells. Other volunteers in- cluded Kevin Gordon of the Cahokia Police force; Dale Goldsmith, Cahokia High School teacher; Jeff Keates; Brian Kleber and his sons Kevin, Chris, and Jack; Jerry Phelan; Annette Simons; Mary Anne Toenjes; and Matt Young. I would also like to thank Noal F.