Belleville: American Bottom Survey Division (ABSD)

North American Bottom

Testing was conducted at fourteen sites in 2003 in advance of FAP-310, the northern extension of the FAI-270 corridor through Madison County. The identification of subsurface features at two of these, Ray’s Bluff (11MS526) and H. Brush (11MS957), led to mitigation this past summer.

Ray’s Bluff (11MS526)
Ray’s Bluff is located near Wood River on the bluffs overlooking Smith Lake (now drained). This large site encompasses three ridges along the bluff edge and extends eastward away from the edge. Subsurface features were found in small, distinct clusters across two of the ridges, while the third was disturbed by recent borrowing activities and was thus devoid of features. Eight features were associated with a mid-19th century farmstead. The remainder included six postmolds and 39 dispersed clusters of prehistoric pits that likely reflect an intermittent Late Woodland (Patrick phase) occupation. The absence of ceramics in seven pits may reflect an Early Archaic component which was originally identified from surface material.

H. Brush (11MS957)
H. Brush is on the bluffs overlooking the West Fork of Wood River Creek. Mitigation within the 15 meter ROW revealed three single-post structures (two circular and one oval), three wall-trench structures (two were rebuilt), and 35 prehistoric pit features. A Ramey Incised sherd recovered from one wall-trench structure, and shell-tempered sherds from the single-post structures indicate the presence of Late Woodland through Mississippian occupation.

Loyd site (11MS20)
Ongoing excavations for a commercial development have uncovered a buried Terminal Late Woodland (probably Loyd phase) settlement at the remaining portion of the Loyd site (11MS20), located along the margin of the American Bottom floodplain. The Loyd site was largely destroyed by soil borrowing in 1963, following salvage excavations conducted by the Robert Hall and Patrick Munson, then associated with the Illinois State Museum. ITARP excavated several possible house basins, roughly 35 pit features, and one post pit, all of which were capped by nearly 1 m of prehistoric and historic slope wash.

Pinga’s Pup (11MS1970)
In the interior uplands, statewide testing was performed at eight sites along the proposed County Highway 75/Governor’s Parkway corridor that would serve as a southern bypass for Edwardsville. One site, Pinga’s Pup (11MS1970), produced Lohmann phase Mississippian features, including one structure and four pits. These appear to represent the margins of a larger community destroyed by an adjacent housing subdivision. The artifact assemblage suggests non-residential, specialized workshop activities involving the working of basalt, quartz crystal, and galena.

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