The Minnesota Archaeologist
Volume 59 2000
In Memoriam: Jim Regan
1 Susan C. Mullholand: The Arrowhead Since the Glaciers: The Prehistory of Northeastern Minnesota
Northeastern Minnesota has a long history of occupation starting in the Paleoindian and continuing to contact. Although Early Paleoindian is sparse, Late Paleoindian is well represented. The Archaic is much less known; however, recent work indicates that more is present in collections than has been reported. The Woodland prehistoric contexts are best studied to date and include Laurel, Blackduck, and Sandy Lake. More research on the parameters and interactions of the prehistoric contexts is needed.
11 Andrea K. LeVasseur: 10,000 Years in the Headwaters: Archeology on the Chippewa National Forest
Cultural resource management has been conducted on the Chippewa National Forest since the mid-1970s. Located near the Mississippi River Headwaters, the area is rich in archaeological sites from all periods. Many site evaluation and data recovery projects have provided insight into the human history of the area. Although they are public information, most of these studies remain little known. Fifteen selected sites are discussed, along with current research topics having regional applications.
22 Walt Okstad, David Woodward, and Sarah Crump: Overview of the Superior National Forest Heritage Program 1979-99
Federal government land managing agencies, such as the United States Forest Service, are involved in cultural or heritage resource programs primarily in response to specific federal laws and executive orders. The fundamental responsibility of all such programs is to provide a public service and to facilitate the management objectives of the agency, within the broader context of the agency's overall public service responsibilities. Programs can be and usually are different from agency to agency, and to some extent different from Forest to Forest. In this article we present a brief historical overview of one such program, that at the Superior National Forest.
29 Susan C. Mulholland and Jennifer R. Shafer: The St. Louis River Project: Precontact Contexts in the Cloquet and Whiteface River Drainages
Since 1990, Minnesota Power has supported archaeological survey and evaluation to comply with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licensing regulations for the St. Louis River Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 2360) in northeastern Minnesota. The Reservoir Lakes, five large water-storage reservoirs on the Beaver, Cloquet, and Whiteface Rivers in St. Louis County, have been the primary focus of investigation. Extensive avocational collections and limited professional excavations prior to the project indicated a high potential for significant sites within the large reservoirs. A substantial number of sites have been discovered, supplementing the information known from the previous efforts in the area. Historic context from the Late Paleoindian through Terminal Woodland are represented but to different degrees at different reservoirs. The data presently suggest repeated occupation of the Cloquet River drainage since shortly after glacial retreat with shifting patters of land use. Cultural resource management survey and evaluation efforts have demonstrated the potential for important information regarding precontact historic contexts for Northeastern Minnesota.
44 Stephen L. Mulholland and Jennifer R. Shafer: The River Point Site (FS09-09-05-108), Superior National Forest, St. Louis County, Minnesota: A Multicomponent Site
In 1982 the Cultural Resource management staff of the Superior national Forest excavated the River Point site, a precontact site on the south Kawishiwi River near Ely, Minnesota in St. Louis county. Initial Woodland period projectile points and laurel ceramics were recovered in association with the remnants of a habitation structure. During the excavation one Terminal Woodland point and six Fur Trade related items were also recovered from a small area of the site. In 1992 Terminal Woodland Sandy Lake ceramics were recovered from an eroding trail at the site. In 1999 a lithic distribution analysis suggested that an aceramic component from a possible Late Archaic cultural context existed below the Laurel components of the site. River Point is a multicomponent site with possible Late Archaic, Laurel and Sandy Lake/Fur Trade occupations.
64 Mary H. Pulford: Initial Review of Northeastern Minnesota Reservoir Copper
Beginning in the 1950s, copper artifacts have been recovered from the reservoir system north of Duluth, Minnesota. These artifacts were collected by local residents, avocational archaeologists and from several professional excavations. Recently the amount of copper known from the reservoirs has been expanded by excavations and surveys conducted by the Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Minnesota-Duluth with the support of Minnesota Power. This paper reviews the copper artifacts to begin building a typology for the reservoir lakes copper for later comparison studies.
81 Seppo H. Valppu and George (Rip) Rapp: Paleoethnobotanical Context and Dating of the Laurel use of Wild Rice: The Big Rice Site (21SL163)
Advances in dating small amounts of charcoal by the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) method has allowed accurate dating of individual wild rice kernels found in archaeological contexts. This paper deals with the analysis of samples collected from a wild rice processing site on Big Rice Lake, St. Louis County, Minnesota. The results indicate that the beginnings of wild rice processing, utilization, and the first appearance of potter in the area occur together in the Initial Woodland period (Laurel Culture) about 2,000 years before present.
89 Stephen L. Mulholland and Donald G. Menuey: Northeastern Minnesota Knife Lake Siltstone: A Preliminary Analysis Base on Primary Reduction
A primary lithic reduction experiment was conducted on Knife Lake Siltstone (KLS), a common material type found on many northeastern Minnesota archaeological sites. The data from primary reduction indicate that assumptions based on lithic manufacturing technology stages need to be more selective than a focus on a single size fraction.
94 Sheila M. Lindenberg and George (Rip) Rapp: Source Characterization of Lithics from the Western Lake Superior Region
Petrographic and instrumental neutron activation analyses (INAA) of seven common lithic materials found in the western Lake Superior region were undertaken for provenance studies. Thin sections of Hixton Silicified Sandstone, Knife Lake Siltstone, Knife River Flint, Biwabik Silica, Gunflint Silica, Jasper Taconite and Kakabeka Chert were examined, and major macroscopic and microscopic properties were noted. Although an impractical provenance indicator, petrography was useful for determining the mineralogic and textural differences.
Trace-element data from the seven sources were evaluated using both predictive and descriptive discriminant analysis procedures. Discriminant function analysis was successful in sourcing the seven lithic types back to their original raw material deposits with 85% accuracy. These initial findings suggest good discrimination potential, with most overlap occurring among the iron formation cherts, which include Biwabik silica, Gunflint silica, Jasper Taconite, and Kakabeka Chert. The resulting classification scheme was tested by using twelve artifact samples as unknowns for assignment back to their geologic sources. Classification confirmed seven of these were correctly identified by archaeologists, three siltstones were originally misidentified, and two were of unknown origin (i.e., non of the seven materials in this study). Results support the use of INAA as a regional provenance tool for archaeologists in northern Minnesota.
109 Susan C. and Stephen L. Mullholland: Sparse Lithic Scatters in Northeastern Minnesota
Sparse Lithic Scatter is a defined Descriptive Property Type of the Lithic Scatter thematic context. Most sites identified as Sparse lithic Scatters will not be formally evaluated since, except under special circumstances, this property type is considered not eligible for the National Register. Several evaluated sites in northeastern Minnesota would have fit the criteria for Sparse Lithic Scatters based on survey data; however, evaluation clearly showed significantly greater cultural deposits and/or integrity than indicated by initial survey. General lack of widespread disturbances such as lowing and the nature of shovel testing combine to render the determination of a Sparse Lithic Scatter in northeastern Minnesota insufficient for judging site eligibility.
115 David Mather: Radiocarbon Dates of Late Woodland Bear Ceremonialism in Minnesota
Four radiocarbon dates are reported relative to bear ceremonialism at the Christensen Mound Site (21SH1/16) and the Elders' site (21ML68). The radiometric results and zooarchaeology of the sites attest to the diversity and endurance of bear ceremonialism during the Late Woodland Tradition in the vicinity of the Mille Lacs locality.
120 Anthony D. Romano and Stephen L. Mullholand: The Robert and Debra Neubauer Site (21PN186), Pine County, Minnesota: An Archaic Habitation and Copper Working Site on Mission Creek
The Robert and Debra Neubauer site on Mission Creek in Pine County has yielded extensive materials including Late Paleoindian, Archaic, and Woodland diagnostics. The majority of the diagnostics are from the Middle and Late Archaic periods. One of the most significant activities appears to have been copper tool manufacturing. Experimental archaeology has replicated a copper clad thought to have been used as a digging stick tip. In addition, different patterns of use-wear on hammerstones have been related to knapping, copper hammering and cutting, pecking, and bone work. The site represents a copper tool manufacturing site probably associated with the "Old Copper" industry of the Middle and Late Archaic.
143 Book Review: Matthew M. Thomas review of Wonderful Power: the Story of Ancient Copper Working in the Lake Superior Basin, by Susan R. Martin (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1999).
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