Minnesota Archaeological Newsletter
[Illustration: Cottonwood County Petroglyph]
Department of Anthropology
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
Number 16, Fall 1971
Jan E. Streiff, Editor
[12 pages, one illustration, two photos, mailing cover]
by Janice Roney
One solution is to coat the surface of the stone artifacts to obtain a uniform color and eliminate transparency. The smoke produced when ammonium chloride is heated leaves a thin film on the stone that does not obscure surface details, yet provides a matte finish that is easy to photograph.
A piece of sal ammoniac is a convenient form of ammonium chloride that is available in many hardware stores because of its use for cleaning soldering irons. Smoke is produced by placing a hot soldering iron against the sal ammoniac. A soldering iron with a copper tip should be used because a tin point produces a yellow smoke. The coating is easily removed with water. Always work in a well ventilated room.
First, clean the stone with alcohol to remove any grease. Then pick up the stone by grasping the edges with a large tweezers or forceps. Hold the stone in the smoke until a thin, uniform coating appears. Lay the treated stone on a black or dark grey background and include a small ruler or scale in the picture. Good surface detail can be obtained by placing a light on one side and about three
feet away from the materials. Fill-in lighting is provided by a vertically held white card placed on the side opposite the light and just out of camera view.
Additional photographic information and [sic] the use of ammonium chloride can be obtained in two articles (one on plants and seeds, the other on insects): "Coating Seeds with Ammonium Chloride: A Technique for Better Photographs," by Robert C. Bright and Roger Woo, Turox News, Vol. 47, No. 7, October 1969; and "Entomological Photography in the Laboratory" by H. Ross Jackson, Photographic Applications in Science, Technology, and Medicine, November 1971.
Photographs of archaeological specimens coated with ammonium chloride can be seen in Shay (see new publications, page 12).
[Figure: photograph "Artifacts Without Ammonium Chloride Coating"] [Figure: photograph "With Ammonium Chloride Coating"]
THE COUNCIL FOR MINNESOTA ARCHAEOLOGY INCORPORATES
The Council for Minnesota Archaeology formally incorporated as a nonprofit organization on 13 May 1971. The Council had previously been an unofficial body of professional archaeologists in Minnesota meeting occasionally since 1963. The Council's purpose, as stated in its new Constitution is as follows (Article I):
"The purpose of the Council for Minnesota Archaeology, Inc. shall be to promote archaeological research and interpretation within the State of Minnesota through 1) stimulation, encouragement and support of scientific archaeological field research, 2) the initiation of responsible action to conserve and preserve archaeological resources, 3) engaging in and supporting others in the interpretation of the results of scientific archaeological research, and 4) providing a
corporate entity representing the community of scholars who conduct archaeological research within the State of Minnesota."
The charter members of the Council and their institutions are:
Alan Brew, Bemidji State College Leland Cooper, Science Museum of Minnesota Timothy Fiske, Science Museum of Minnesota Warren Gladitsch, Minnesota Archaeological Society Christina Harrison, Carleton College (now of the University of Minnesota) Vernon Helmen, Hamline University Elden Johnson, University of Minnesota Richard Lane, St. Cloud State College David Nystuen, Minnesota Historical Society Jan Streiff, University of Minnesota Charles Watrall, Macalester College (now of the University of Saskatchewan) Robert Wheeler, Minnesota Historical Society Lloyd Wilford, University of Minnesota Alan Woolworth, Minnesota Historical Society Officers of the Council were elected at its first official meeting held at Itasca State Park at the annual spring meeting. They are:
Elden Johnson, President (two-year term) Alan Woolworth, Vice President (two-year term) Vern Helmen, Secretary-Treasurer (two-year term) Timothy Fiske, Editor (four-year term) NEWSLETTER CHANGES HANDS
This will be the last NEWSLETTER from this office. With the establishment of an editor for the CMA (Article IV, Section 5), this NEWSLETTER becomes the official publication for the Council. Hereafter, please send your questions and address changes to the new Editor:
Timothy Fiske, Editor
Council for Minnesota Archaeology Newsletter
Science Museum of Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota 55101
SUCCESSFUL SPRING MEETING HELD AT ITASCA
The CMA's annual spring field meeting was held the weekend of 14 May 1971 at the University of Minnesota's Itasca Biology Station in Itasca State Park. The meeting was hosted by the University and was attended by over 100 people. The featured speaker was Professor C. T. Shay of the Department of Anthropology, University of Manitoba, whose newly published book on the Itasca bison site was the result of Professor Shay's archaeological work in the Itasca area.
The program included archaeological and ethnological films ("Prehistoric Man in Europe," "Excavations at La Venta," "The Tree is Dead"), a report on highway
archaeology, tours of four archaeological sites in the Itasca area, a panel discussion on "Problems in the Anthropology of Northern Minnesota," and an exhibit of local and University archaeological materials from the region.
1972 SPRING MEETING
The Sioux Archaeological Society of Southwestern Minnesota announced its desire to host the 1972 spring meeting of the CMA. Details of the time and place will be mailed to you next spring.
1971 FIELD RESEARCH
University of Minnesota
The 1971 field research under the Minnesota Resources Commission program centered on settlement pattern problems at sites on the Snake River in Pine County and on the question of Great Oasis focus temporal position in Murray County excavations. Initial work was conducted at the very large habitation site on Lake Ogechie in Mille Lacs County. A site survey program in southwestern Minnesota focused on the distribution of other Great Oasis components in that region. An intensive four-week site survey was conducted in southeastern Minnesota. Here the purpose was to locate Middle Woodland habitation sites that promised data ont he long-standing problem of Illinois Valley Hopewell influence on upper Mississippi River cultures. Brief accounts of each of these activities follow.
Pine County
The University of Minnesota began its field season under the direction of Professor Elden Johnson, State Archaeologist, in the Pine City area. Work was begun with 15 University of Minnesota field school students on the Winter Site (21 PN 17). The site, located along the Snake River, is a late prehistoric village site characterized by scattered rectangular pit house depressions. The information recovered shows an affinity with Kathio-Clam River for the houses. Test excavations between the pit houses at the site revealed an earlier habitation by a Lat Archaic people. This habitation was represented by stone and copper tools only and seemed to be related tot he Archaic component at the nearby Vach Site.
Brief testing at the Vach Site (21 PN 8) (originally worked in 1966 and 1967) failed to turn up extensive deposits. The conclusion is that the testing was on the western edge of the site.
Mille Lacs County
The last two weeks of the field school were spent on preliminary testing of a habitation site in Mille Lacs-Kathio State Park, under the direction of David Webster. In part, the site (21 ML 18) appears to be contemporary with the Cooper Site (21 ML 9) which is also on Lake Ogechie. The ML 18 site will certainly be included in future research plans at the University.
The University of Minnesota and the University of Nebraska offered a joint summer session in archaeology under the direction of Dr. Dale R. Henning, Nebraska. He was assisted in the training-research session by Mr. Roye Lindsay (excavation assistant), Mr. Gary Hudak (survey assistant), Mrs. Elizabeth Henning (laboratory supervisor), and Mrs. Karen Hunt (cook). Eighteen students were enrolled in the course. All were billeted in 4H buildings at the Slayton Fair Grounds, courtesy of the Murray County Fair Board and 4H Club.
The sites selected for investigation were those discussed in the literature by Dr. Lloyd Wilford as Great Oasis components, notably the Big Slough Site (21 MU 1) and the Great Oasis-type Site (21 MU 2). Both sites were extensively tested. In the area tested the Big Slough Site yielded evidence for the usage by many different groups; the heaviest occupations appear to have been Late Woodland. The Big Slough Site appears to have been an excellent location for hunting over a long period of time since it yielded artifacts indicating such pursuits which were perhaps as old as 3000 B.C. The Great Oasis-type Site yielded evidence for occupation only by peoples of that cultural tradition. Several trash or storage pits were encountered in the farm yard where the site seems centered.
Two other locations were tested; both of these are on the Alvin Thompson farm in Murray County. While searching for Great Oasis remains, a location on an Oneota butchering site was encountered. Here, an Oneota pot had been smashed in direct association with cut and broken bison bones. The other location on the Thompson farm yielded several Great Oasis trash pits and a good sample of artifacts and detritus.
The data recovered from the Murray County excavations has been removed to the University of Nebraska where it is being analyzed and compared to Great Oasis materials from Iowa and Nebraska. A full, formal report will be forthcoming.
Southeastern Minnesota
The University began a program of site survey in the state parks in southern Minnesota in the summer of 1971. A crew consisting of Gary Hudak, Jan Roney, and Peter Carr began by contacting park managers and local residents concerning possible archaeological sites in the area. They completed surveying Sakatah, Rice Lake, Helmer Myre, and Forestville State Parks. Plans are for work to continue in the state parks next summer. The University wishes to thank Park Managers Vern Carlson, Milton Johnson, Lester Larson, and Harold Schwartz, and especially U. W. Hella, Director of State Parks, for the assistance given the survey crew.
St. Cloud State College
Professor Richard Lane completed his third season on sites in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge in Sherburne County. At the Refuge Site (21 SH 18), Professor Lane excavated eight burial mounds, all containing bundle burials and none having associated grave goods. The mound fill contained debris covering a long time span.
Professor Lane's primary concern, however, was in testing three village areas on the site. While complete analysis is not finished, preliminary examination
of materials from the villages indicate [sic] Late Woodland affiliation, including what appear to be house mounds. Excavations at the Honker Site (21 SH 15) included three mounds, none of which held skeletal material, and a village area. A high frequency of Mississippian projectile points in the village excavations indicate a later occupation than at the Refuge Site.
Professor Lane's crew was composed of 13 St. Cloud field students (representing St. Cloud, St. Benedict, and the University of Minnesota). Dr. Lane wishes to thank the Sherburn National Wildlife Refuge personnel for their assistance.
Minnesota Historical Society
The Upper Sioux Agency (by Alan Woolworth)
Final excavations were completed at this important site which is located eight miles south of Granite Falls. This agency had been built between 1854 and 1861 as a key site where the Sioux Indians were to be settled, taught farming, and educated. By 1862, a total of at least 13 buildings had been erected. Of this number seven were brick, the rest were of wooden construction. All of them were burned in August of 1862 during the Sioux Uprising.
Preliminary excavations were made here in 1968 by David. W. Nystuen. During the 1969 field season, the sites of six buildings were excavated. Nystuen again headed the crew, but was assisted by Carla G. Tiling.
In mid-June of 1971, final excavations were commenced at the stie and were directed by Carla Tiling. Primary attention was focused onthe annuity Warehous, whichhad been partially excavated in 1969, and the Agent's Quarters. A hitherto unknown cellar was found in the warehouse and a number of structural proglems were resolved. Excavation of the Agent's Quarters was completed during 1971. Quantities of artifacts dating from about 1862 were recovered in its cellar. Much structural data was also found.
To the best of our knowledge, there are no maps of the site, and only a few photographs of any of the buildings. Therefore, archaeology must be used to provide basic data on building locations, their sizes, construction, usage and contents. This informatin, along with an analysis of the recovered artifacts, will provide a strong basis for future interpretation of the site. Mrs. Tiling is now preparing a report on the archaeology of the site.
Cottonwood County Petroglyphs Site
This unusual site centers on a Sioux quartzite outcropping overlooking the Little Cottonwood River in southwestern Minnesota. It is approximately three miles east and three miles north of Jeffers, Minnesota. Indians of widely varying cultures have visited the area for perhaps 2,000 years and have carved symbols into the hard stone. Approximatly 2,000 designs have been located to date. Hence, the site appears to be the larges tin the Midwest, and one of the more significant petroglyph sites in the country.
Although the exact temporal range of the glyphs cannot now be established, their form, content, and subject matter indicates [sic] a Siouan cultural affiliation. Horned humanoids, bison figures, turtles, and other stylized motfs used historically by a variety of Siouan speakers appear at the site along iwht numeous figures depicting hunting scenes. It is suggested that many of the glyphs were made by Siouan peoples during the Middle and Late Woodland periods.
The presence of these features suggests that more than one cultural group carved the glyphs and that they were made over a considerable period of time. Although the function of the glyphs is not yet clearly understood, many appear to represent forms of hunting magic or name glyphs similar to those described by Garrick Mallery for the Teton Dakota in the fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 1886.
Continued research at this site and other petroglyph sites may clarify some of the present puzzles. This research is being conducted by Gordon Lothson who is now preparing to write a report on his findings.
Grand Portage National Monument, 1970-71
During the summer of 1970, the Society fielded an excavation party to Grand Portage National Monument on the north shore of Lake Superior. Initial efforts were directed towards the excavation of the Great Hall and an area around it. Little structural evidence was found within the structure itself, but a series of posts which had supported a porch were found in front of it.
A kitchen structure measuring approximately 30 by 40 feet was found north of the Great Hall. It has apparently been used for the preparaion of food for the fur trade personages who met in the Great Hall. It probably also provided living quarters for the cooks and their helpers. A stone-lined fireplace and a stone-lined "cooler" or dry well for the storage of food and perhaps wine was found within this building. Thousands of artifacts consistin gof decorated dishes, bottles, spoons, knives, and forks were found here. Many fragmentary animal bones from the same site testify tothe diets of these late 18th century fur traders.
Further excavation of this unusual building was continued during the summer of 1971. A report is now in preparation by Alan R. and Nancy L. Woolworth who directed the archaeology.
Collectively, the structural evidence and artifacts cast much new light on life at this remote outpost of civilization during the late 18th century. Currently, the building and its contents are dated at approximately 1780-1803. Within a few years the kitchen will be rebuilt and used to interpret an interesting facet of human existence at the North West Company's depot of Grand Portage. Further, this information has been of substantial value to the National Park Service in aiding in the construction of a more accurate replica of the Great Hall. This work has been funded by the Naional Park Service.
Grey Cloud Island Survey
The J. L. Shiely Company of St. Paul, Minnesota has provided a small sum for the archaeological survey of Grey Could Island which is located in southern Washington County, Minnesota. Survey work began early in Octoer, 1971 and will be completed by mid-November.
The survey will endeavor to locate prehistoric and historic Indian sites as well as historic white occupied sites on the island. A considerable amount of excavation has been done on the island by the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Science Museum in the past. Results of these past excavations will be summarized along with new data in a report to be prepared by Douglas Birk who is in charge of the survey.
Lindbergh Farm
During September, Douglas Birk and Douglas George conducted extensive testing on the Lindbergh property at Little Falls, Minnesota. This project had the goals of finding physical evidence of fomer structures, fences, and other features associated with the house. This information will be used in future interpretation of the site.
Trunk Highway Archaeological Survey (by David W. Nystuen)
The Highway Archaeology Program began its fourth year by conducting the salvage excavation of an archaeological site endangered by road construction. The site dates to a presumed transitional period between the Paleo-Indian and teh Archaic cultural traditions in Minnesota (approximately 6500-5000 B.C.) and is located on the Campbell beach line of extinct Glacial Lake Agassiz. Flakes and chips were the major finds at this workshop site, with a few fragmentary projectil epoints (Plano), knives and scrapers also being recovered. The artifacts and waste debris were found scattered around three fireplaces. No C-14 datable material was found. A report on this excavation will be pubilshed in January of 1972.
The continued survey of projected highway construction was also carried out in 1971. Over 873 miles of highway right-of-way were surveyed, and 53 new archaeological sites were found. A number of these sites will require possible salvage. The type of sites found ranged from archaic [sic] workshops to Mississippian villages. A possible Paleo-Indian camp site was found in southeastern Minnesota, and a village site, contining points, ranging from archaic [sic] to Mississippian types was located in southwestern Minnesota.
Two special projects were also undertaken durind the 1971 field season. One involved the review of the general condition of all historical and geological markers found along Minnesota's highways. The second project dealt with the locating and recording of the condition of burial mounds found by T. H. Lewis in those areas adjacent to highway projects being surveyed.
MINNESOTA INDIAN PROTESTS
The past summer witnessed three separate incidents of protest over archaeological work in Minnesota. In each case, the protest centered on excavation of American Indian burial sites or sites thought by the protesters to contain burials. A burial mound salvage project on Lake Winnibigoshish was cancelled before the work began, primarily because of misinformation published in the local press on the location and nature of the work. A second project involving high school students working near Welch was halted when protesters confronted the group and insisted the excavations stop. A third project in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge was halted briefly at the request of the Executie Director of the Minnesota
Indian Affairs Commission and then resumed when the information he sought was provided.
To resolve some of the issues involved and to provide a direct interchange of information, the State Archaeologist wrote to Artley Skenandore, Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Commission. The letter is reproduced here without revision so that readers of this newsletter will be informed of the position of the State Archaeologist and will know of the steps that are being taken. Mr. Skenandore's reply to this letterindicated a willingness to open the lines of communication and to attempt to work out the suggested advisory committee. He also stated that he had no intention of halting all archaeological work in Minnesota but was most concerned about an Indian "input" in such research.
The letter to Mr. Skenandore reads as follows:
August 11, 1971
"Dear Mr. Skenandore:
"I regret that I have not had the opportunity to meet you personally and discuss some of the questions you and others of the Minnesota Indian community have raised about the archaeological research in Minnesota. I hope that this lack of personal contact can be remedied in the near future, but in the interval, I would like to offer some comments that may be of use to you and to indicate that I certainly feel that the questions that have been raised through the press and television news are warranted and should be discussed.
"As background, I am enclosing a copy of the Minnesota Field Archaeology Act of 1963, amended slightly in later session. You will note that the Minnesota Historical Society acts as the administrative agent for this act and that the State Archaeologist is given a specific series of duties and responsibilities. Among the latter are responsibilities to conduct archaeological research, to interpret the results of this research, to aid in the protection and preservation of archaeological sites, and to evaluate proposals for research on state lands. You will also note that archaeological materials obtained through research are the property of the state.
"It is also important to know that there are three broad classes of land ownership in Minnesota and that each class contains archaeological sites although only one class is subject to any control by the state. These classes include federal lands, state or smaller governmental unit lands, and private lands. Sites on federal lands are subject to the rigid federal antiquities act which demands a valid permit authorized by the Secretary of the Interior and the Smithsonian Institution. Neither the Minnesota Historical Society nor the State Archaeologist have any control or authority regarding archaeological research on federal lands. State (or county, township, village, etc.) lands are subject to the provisions of the Minnesota Field Archaeology Act which requires application to the Director of the Minnesota Historical Society for an excavation permit. My role as State Archaeologist is to evaluate the proposed research and the qualifications of the archaeologist and thus accept or reject the application. Private lands are subject to no control other than the interest and conscience of the land owner. Anyone, be he archaeologist, pot-hunter, rock hound, or Sunday picnicker, may excavate on
private land subject only to the permission of the land owner. You will note that the Minnesota Field Archaeology Act recognizes the unfortunate fact and states that it is the intent of the legislature that private holders of such lands will voluntarily comply with the standards required for excavation on state lands. I should add that most private land holders do comply and are cooperative when informed of the provisions of the state act.
"Finally, I should note that the Minnesota Historical Society, professional archaeologists at the University and in other institutions have long worked to protect and preserve important archaeological sites in Minnesota. The Society now holds three important prehistoric sites in public ownership - sites that would have been destroyed in the near future through private construction activities. The Society, the University, and all other institutions engaged in archaeological research in this state hold all excavated materials, field notes, and associated data in perpetuity. The University collections, for example, contain today every excavated item from Minnesota archaeological sites. These are never sold, bartered, or traded. All are held in public trust for future interpretation and as valuable historical collections.
"I am in sympathy with most of the statements attributed to you by the news media. I personally agree that archaeological sites should not be excavated just because they are there, that digging prehistoric burial mounds just to be digging a mound is not justified, and that there is far too much looting of archaeological sites in Minnesota. I am sure, for example, that neither Mr. Fridley nor I would have approved issuing a permit for the Welch excavation had this been on state land and an application been necessary. We both, in fact, protested the project when we first learned of it and insisted on greater care and supervision when it became clear that the project could not be abandoned at that late date.
"I would suggest that the only legitimate field archaeology is that which falls under one or more of these three categories: 1) problem-directed, carefully controlled and supervised excavation, 2) archaeological site survey and testing to locate sites not on record, and 3) archaeological salvage of important sites doomed to destruction through human or natural activities. This means that I would not consider as legitimate excavations for the sole purpose of findings 'artifacts," excavations for the sole purpose of training students, or for the old-fashioned purpose, 'it's fun to get out in the field in the summer." Significant problems in American Indian culture history exist in Minnesota nd full scale excavations should be directed toward these. When student training is necessary, it should be done in the context of this sort of problem-directed excavation and under careful, responsible supervision and direction. Archaeological site survey is a necessary corollary of this, for selection of a site for careful work and in the framework of a significant culture historical problem necessitates knowledge of the location and range of sites in the region concerned. We have records of over 2,500 such sites in Minnesota and each year add to that corpus of information and yet I would guess that we know of fewer than 15% of the archaeological sites that do exist in this state. Archaeological salvage is very important for through this method, valuable information is saved from the path of the bulldozer. The rate of destruction of archaeological sites in Minnesota is incredible and our combined efforts at salvage hardly dent the total.
"The press has also attributed to you the feeling that all archaeological research in Minnesota should be stopped for field excavation now merely duplicates
what is already known and contributes little or nothing. If this quotation is correct, I am afraid that here I would disagree strongly. I could list many examples of significant questions of American Indian culture history that remain unanswered but which can be answered through archaeological research, but let me mention just a few. The Cheyenne through their own traditions moved from the Minnesota region, where they were village farmers, to the Plains, where they became bison hunters. At this tim, we cannot relate any known Minnesota archaeological complex to the Cheyenne. We do not know where they lived, what their culture was at the time they lived here, nor what their prehistoric relationship to the Dakota and Cree may have been. To answer these questions through archaeological research would add an important dimension to Cheyenne culture history. I might add that both the Mandan and Hidatsa have similar traditions and present data are as obscure.
"We have been working on the problem of the significance of intensive wild rice utilization in the prehistoric period and the impact this has had on the growth of population and the establishment of permanent villages. This research is still in progress but our preliminary information suggests that this took place sometime around 600 to 800 A.D. and this was a local innovation. If this latter is true, this discovery is of great significance and parallels the earlier discovery of agriculture further south in Middle America.
"Many more problems of this nature could be mentioned, but I will only enclose our recent report on the Itasca Bison Site to give you an illustration of the kinds of research going on in Minnesota. This report documents a very early (5500-7500 B.C.) hunting pattern that formed a part of the culture base from what [sic] the historic Plains Indian bison hunting systems arose.
"Finally, I should add that I personally am in complete sympathy with the aims of many American Indians to destroy the inaccurate stereotypes that have existed, and to instill a strong sense of pride in being an Indian among your people. The archaeological record of the Americas is a record of incredible human achievement - something of which any human being, Indian or not, should be immensely proud. It is a culture historical record known only because or archaeological research. Just as a brief synopsis of the Minnesota record for laymen and school children, the Society has recently published the enclosed booklet on Minnesota prehistory.
"I am very interested in cooperating with you and the members of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Commission in any way possible. If the Commission would appoint a representative group from the various Minnesota Indian communities to serve as an advisory committee to the State Archaeologist, I would be very pleased. I really do not see the goals of responsible archaeologists and the members of the Minnesota Indian communities in conflict but rather as potentially reinforcing and mutually beneficial.
"Please call on me at any time for additional information or comments."
(Signed) Elden Johnson, State Archaeologist.
Jarvenpa, Robert, "The Wild Rice Gatherers of Rice Lake, Minnesota," Minnesota Archaeologist, Vol 31, No. 3, 1971.
Johnson, Elden, "Excavations at the Gull Lake Dam," Minnesota Archaeologist, Vol 31, No. 2, 1971.
----- "Prehistoric Archaeology and Public Interpretation: A New Approach," Minnesota History, Minnesota Historical Society, pp. 153-154, Winter, 1970.
----- Annual Report of the State Archaeologist, 1 July 1970-30 June 1971, Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Shay, C. Thomas, The Itasca Bison Kill Site: An Ecological Analysis, Prehistoric Archaeology Series, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, 1971.