Department of Anthropology
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
55455
Number 12, Fall 1967
Elden Johnson, Editor
[5 pages, figures missing from reference copy]
Carla L. Norquist
University of Minnesota
The Albert Lea Lake site was a complex of 13 mounds arranged in an arc at the edge of a low bluff above the southeast corner of Albert Lea Lake in the SW 1/4, SW 1/4, Sec. 19, T. 102N, R 20W (Fig. 1). Since the first survey of the mounds by T. H. Lewis in the late 1890's (Winchell, 1911:96), the site and the surrounding area has been under cultivation, resulting in the degradation of mound relief and contours.
In May of 1964, leveling and grading on the knoll for construction of a housing development exposed human bone. Work was temporarily halted, and the Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota was contacted. Tom Shay, graduate student in archaeology, with a crew of three students, traveled to the site to salvage any undisturbed mounds. Unfortunately, with the publicity of initial finds the previous weekend, many people had turned out to investigate with the result that the entire site area was thoroughly disturbed and potentially important archaeological information lost. Unauthorized excavations destroyed at least ten burials, and possibly more. One of the burials was reported to have been fully extended with an associated quartzite hoe. Several projectile points were reportedly found, but little or no pottery was reported. In the area outside of the mounds, potsherds and projectile points were reported, indicating the possibility of a habitation site.
The site was visited twice by archaeologists from the University of Minnesota, first in May and then again in September. There were no undisturbed mounds in evidence when the site was visited. However, five undisturbed burials were located and excavated. Of the five burials, four were secondary, and the fifth, a semi-flexed primary burial. There were no artifacts recovered with the burials, although several were found in mound fill. These artifacts include a chopper (Fig. 2a), one large quartzite projectile point (Fig. 2b), a scraper (Fig. 2c), a perforated bear [sic] (Fig. 2d), and three potsherds (Fig. 2e).
Mound #1 was too destroyed to determine its original dimensions and stratigraphy. A loader was used to removed the backfill with the hope that burial pits would be revealed. No pits were uncovered. A few human bone fragments were found, but their original context could not be determined. Partially protruding long bones along the periphery of the mound in the fill attracted the attention of the archaeologists. The area was excavated uncovering a semi-flexed primary burial. THe burial was interred on the right side with the head to the northwest. The arms were placed along the body, and the knees drawn up so that the femura [sic] were approximately perpendicular to the vertebral axis. The tibia-fibulae were doubled back at an angle of 15 to 20 degrees so that the feet, like the femura [sic], were in line with the vertebral axis. Although the skeletal material was nearly complete, the bones were badly deteriorated, and some were merely stains in the soil. The skull was crushed, probably due to the compaction of the fill after burial. At the southeast end of the burial, the only section of pit outline remained. No artifacts were found in association with the burials. In the surrounding fill, a bison tooth, small mammal bones, and fish vertebrae were found. The burial was that of an adult.
Mound #2, completely destroyed, was checked through with the loader; but only a few human bone fragments were recovered.
Mound #4, contained four secondary burials, concentrated in a 6 x 9 foot area in the subsoil. It was not possible to determine whether these burials were placed in one large pit or in several smaller pits; by the burials were found on the same level in the subsoil. Burial #1 was a single skull lying on it left side and in a good state of preservation. The skull was nearly complete, lacking the mandible. Burial #2 included a partial skull and a partial mandible, both in a good state of preservation. Like burial #1, no artifacts were in association. Burial #3 consisted of a skull without the frontal process, and three femura [sic]. Inside of the skull was a fire-cracked granite rock. Burials #1, #2, #3, were all burials of adults. Burial #4 was that of a child about 7 years of age. The skeletal material, tightly bundled, was nearly complete, and in an excellent state of preservation. This burial was removed from the site intact in a block of dirt. In the laboratory the burial was partially cleaned off, and incased in a block of plaster-of-paris to be used as a museum exhibit for the Freeborn County Museum. Within the burial area, isolated foot bones, and long bones and shell fragments were also recovered. A projectile point was found in the mound fill, but it could not be associated with the burials.
Of the thirteen mounds surveyed by Lewis, all were destroyed by the housing development. Five undisturbed burials were excavated, although the soil matrix surrounding them was churned up. Of the five burials, three were secondary burials of adults; one was a primary burial of an adult; one was a secondary burial of a child.
Although several artifacts came to light, none could be directly associated with the burials. Only tow of the artifacts, furthermore, offered clues to the cultural occupations. The great time span between the relative dates of these artifacts, and the lack of context data somewhat dismiss the conclusions as to the occupation of the site itself. The parallel flaked sugar quartzite projectile point appears to be related to the Angostura points found in the Great Plains and associated with the Big Game Hunting tradition. Pottery, generally a good index of later cultures, was not found to any extent at the site. Three sherds were found in the mound fill, but not directly with any burial. Of these three sherds, only one was a rim sherd. It appears to be related to the Hopewellian pottery of central and southern Illinois, specifically to the Jackson Ware.
The burial modes were of no help. Both primary and secondary burials can be found from Archaic times through Late Woodland in to HIstoric times. A time span of several thousand years could be represented here; though it is likely that these burials are from the Middle Woodland and Late Woodland times. By no means does the presence of the quartzite projectile point indicate the contemporaniety [sic] of the point and the burials.
| Chopper: | Made from a large, roughly circular flake struck from a basaltic boulder. There has been some flaking around 3/4 of the flake to produce an edge. Size: 6.5 cm x 7.7 cm x 3.3 cm; rectangular cross-section. Fig. 2a |
|---|---|
| Projectile Point: | A long, lancellate [sic] shaped point of brown quartzite (sugar quartzite) broken off near the tip. It is horizontally paralleled flaked [sic] with some vertical flaking near the base. The base is concave; lenticular cross-section. Size: 8.8 cm long, 3.9 cm wide. Of Angostura type (Wormington, 1957). Fig. 2b. |
| Hoe: | Large quartzite hoe; possibly ceremonial. Lanceolate [sic] shaped; side-notched on both edges, 5 inches above the base; fully grooved; straight base with squared off shoulders. Size: 10 3/4 inches long, 4 inches wide. Reported to have been found on the clay subsoil associated with an extended burial. Plate 1. |
| Scraper: | Made of light gray chert; not completely finished manufacture. Size: 3.7 cm long, 2.1 cm x 2.6 cm wide, 1.6 cm thick. Plano-convex in cross-section. Fig. 2c. |
| Perforated tooth: | Black bear lower left canine; perforated .2 cm from the root end. The perforation (.5 cm in diameter) has been drilled in from both sides at an angle. The tooth is highly polished. Similar to ones found in the Rainy River mounds. Fig. 2d. |
| Pottery: | 3 sherds; two body sherds; one rim sherd.
|
Deuel, Thorne, de. [sic]
Special thanks must be given to George and Peter Dress, and Mike Heilman, the owners of the property which was being developed for housing, for their cooperation and assistance in the salvage excavation of the remaining archaeological material. Mr. Russell Harding was instrumental in the notification of the Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, and assisted in the recovering of materials which otherwise would have been lost. Thanks is also due to L. A. Berg, Curator of the Freeborn County Museum for the excellent photographs of the hoe, and for the information concerning its archaeological context.
1967 Summer Field Season
Field research efforts during the past season were again concentrated at Mille Lacs-Kathio State Park. Initial work involved excavation of a Late Woodland house floor at the Petaga Point Site (21ML11). One corner of this floor was discovered in the waning moments of the 1966 field season by Peter Bleed who excavated that site. The rectangular house had burned, leaving ash and charred logs in position outlining the house dimensions. The associated pottery places the structure in the earlier phase of the Late Woodland period.
Work continued on the Cooper Site (21ML9) with the stripping of large surface areas continuing. The wealth of very late prehistoric materials continues, with the sherd count now approaching 100,000. The final work on the site will begin early next summer when we hope to finish stripping a large enough area to expose several large rectangular house floors.
An important excavation was conducted by Gordon Lothson who excavated one of the smaller burial mounds adjacent to the Cooper site. Excavations showed flexed primary burials with associated Oneota mortuary vessels. One burial was accompanied by numerous grave artifacts which included both native objects and early trade materials. Positive relationships to the village site are present.
Dennis Dickinson, who assisted in directing the work at the Cooper Site, finished the Mille Lacs-Kathio work with additional excavation at site 21ML7. The main purpose was to increase the size of the assemblage from this late Middle Woodland site.
Leland R. Cooper, Professor Emeritus at Hamline University, again assisted the program by directing the summer field training school with the help of Robert Keyser, Moorhead State College, and Carla Norquist, University of Minnesota. Twenty-five students enrolled in the course excavated and tested a series of sites along the Snake River above Pine City.
Peter Bleed conducted a site survey in Maplewood State Park, a new park area in the hilly morraine [sic] north of Fergus Falls. One sizeable late prehistoric site with large quantities of bison remains was located. David Webster surveyed the Rainy River and Lake Vermillion areas of northern Minnesota in an attempt to locate a Laurel habitation site. One of the major mound groups on the Rainy appears to be built on a stratified site which has a basal Laurel occupation.
Preliminary work on Prairie Island, located in the Mississippi River bottoms above Red Wing, was conducted for the Minnesota Historical Society under a grant from the Northern States Power Company. This is a salvage archaeological project on land being developed for a nuclear powered generating plant. Locations of several burial mounds which had previously been plowed level were found and some testing of the large Oneota village (the Bartron Site) conducted. The major effort at these sites will take place in 1968.
Department of Anthropology
200 Ford Hall
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
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