Jacksonville: Western Illinois Survey Division (WISD)

Prehistoric Sites | Historic Sites

During the past two years the Western Illinois Survey Division conducted excavations at a number of archaeological sites in west central Illinois as part of several different IDOT compliance projects. These excavations were undertaken under the direction of David Nolan, Rich Fishel, Robert Hickson; Robert Mazrim, ITARP’s historic resources specialist, co-directed the investigations at the historic period sites. All of the prehistoric sites are dominated by Woodland-age components, whereas the intact historic American remains primarily date to the 1830s and 1840s.

Prehistoric Sites

Marlin Miller (11HA318)
The Marlin Miller site is situated on a high terrace remnant in the West Fork of the LaMoine River valley near Carthage, Illinois. Originally tested by Western Illinois University in 1989 for the FAP 53/US 136 highway-widening project, the site represents a substantial early Late Woodland Weaver occupation with associated C-14 dates ranging from A.D. 350–450. A large portion of the site is currently being excavated by ITARP in advance of the FAP 315/IL 336 four-lane highway project (Figure 16). The Weaver component consists of more than 150 small to medium-sized pit features (Figure 17), at least one oval, single post alignment assumed to be the remains of a structure, and a differentially preserved, 20cm thick midden remnant exhibiting quite good floral and faunal preservation.

Figure 16. Excavation at the Marlin Miller site (11HA318).

Figure 17. Feature 115 profile – Marlin Miller site (11HA318).

The recovery of a few South Branch Net Impressed and LaCrosse Fabric Impressed sherds from the early Late Woodland pits at Marlin Miller is the first instance of their occurrence outside the Mississippi drainage in western Illinois and is viewed as evidence for contact or trade with the Lima Lake locality (Figure 18). Given the absence of deep storage pits and the apparent emphasis on aquatic resources (abundant mussels/clams, fish, and frog remains) most advantageously procured during warm weather months, the Weaver component appears to represent the remains of a seasonally occupied habitation, perhaps used over several generations by portions of a resident population based elsewhere in the LaMoine drainage.

Figure 18. Late Woodland ceramic rims and lithic tools – Marlin Miller site (11HA318).

Additional components present at the site include evidence for sporadic occupation during the Archaic period as well as a late 19th century/early 20th century farmstead. A tool cache from the Archaic component found in undisturbed subsoil deposits appears to date to a portion of the Middle Holocene (between ca. 8,000–6,000 years BP) (Figure 19), Few sites or intact deposits dating to this time period have been found in western Illinois.

Figure 19. Archaic tool cache – Marlin Miller site (11HA318).

Return to top

Thomas East (11HA706)
Thomas East is located on a low terrace remnant situated in the floodplain of the West Fork of the LaMoine River, less than a kilometer west of Marlin Miller. The site was tested and excavated by ITARP personnel in 2004–2005 as part of the aforementioned Carthage to Macomb segment of the IL 336 four-lane highway project. The plow-disturbed portions of the site produced only Archaic period diagnostics and a low overall material density. Subsurface testing and extensive machine stripping produced the remains of a single Archaic feature cluster comprised of ten small pit features and isolated posts (Figure 20).

Figure 20. Excavation at the Thomas East site (11HA706).

Unfortunately, none of these pits produced diagnostic remains, although enough charcoal may have been recovered to obtain a radiocarbon assay to date the occupation. The overall signature of the surface and subsurface debitage and projectile point assemblages is suggestive of Middle Holocene Archaic period site use (Figure 21). Given the meager number of features and associated remains, as well as the low lying physiographic location, it seems likely that Thomas East was seasonally occupied for extractive activities undertaken when flooding from the LaMoine was less likely to occur.

Figure 21. Bifaces from Thomas East site (11HA706).

Return to top

Coon Run VII (11MG307)
This large, bluff base Woodland site was tested by ITARP personnel in the summer of 2004 as part of the FAP 310/US 67 four-lane highway project. The site is located southeast of Meredosia on a colluvial/alluvial fan complex occupying the north margin of a side valley tributary, near the point where this stream enters the eastern margin of the Illinois River valley. Seven widely spaced 1x2m test units were hand-excavated through dense, well-preserved midden deposits that were nearly a meter thick. Portions of thirteen separate cultural features were encountered at the base of these deposits (Figure 22). The material remains emanating from surface, midden, and feature contexts are suggestive of occupations straddling the Middle to early Late Woodland transition. Some of the more notable assemblage characteristics are the well-made Hopewell/Baehr series pottery, the higher than normal occurrence of obsidian, and the recovery of native copper and possible marine shell (Figure 23). While the faunal remains appear diverse, there is an abundance of aquatic species, including unusually well preserved evidence for crayfish consumption in the form of carbonized crayfish shells, arms, and claws.

Figure 22. Profile from Hand-Excavated Unit – Coon Run VII site (11MG307).

Figure 23. Selected diagnostic ceramics and lithics – Coon Run VII site (11MG307).

Return to top

Horseshoe Pond (11BR442)
The Horseshoe Pond site is located in the central Illinois River valley on a low, narrow floodplain ridge near the mouth of the LaMoine River. ITARP personnel tested the site during the spring of 2005 as part of a wetland restoration project for IDOT (Figure 24).

Figure 24. Excavation at the Horseshoe Pond site (11BR442).

Initial controlled surface collection and a metal detector survey yielded evidence for a substantive mid 19th century historic component with two separate but apparently contemporary material concentrations suggestive of multiple households. Examination of the early land records and other historic documents indicate that the general site area (a 40 acre tract) was initially purchased from the government in 1849 by Charles Hulett for a sum of $60.00, and was subsequently owned by this family for the next 15 years. Hand and machine excavations in each of the areas of material concentration failed to produce evidence for subsurface structural remains, which is not surprising given the seasonally high water table. However, a large amount of foundation stone encountered in the densest area of surface material suggests that structures or dwellings may have been built on piers in anticipation of flooding. A hand-dug well with a partially preserved wooden frame and several small pit features with associated mid-century debris were encountered below the plowzone in the densest area of concentration. Approximately a half dozen, broadly similar historic pit features were found and excavated in the other area of material concentration (Figure 25). A diverse array of refined ceramics and stoneware was associated with each household area.

Figure 25. Ceramic cluster - Horseshoe Pond site (11BR442).

While there was no substantive surficial evidence for prehistoric occupation of this ridge, limited deeper machine trenching and hand excavations encountered buried Black Sand and Late Archaic occupations at approximately .50 and .90m below the modern surface, respectively. These somewhat ephemeral, stratified occupations appear to have focused on the slough edge margin located along the north side of the landform. A similar sequence of stratified prehistoric remains was encountered during more limited testing at the Fire Swamp site (11BR441), located approximately 0.2 km west on this same landform. The Black Sand occupations at both of these sites were primarily comprised of scatters of flaking detritus although some ceramics, fire-cracked rock, and charcoal were also recovered. Several contracting stemmed point fragments characteristic of the Black Sand time period were also recovered from 11BR442, The Late Archaic occupations produced several fragmentary, small-sized dart points (probable Riverton cognates), larger biface fragments, chert debitage, rough rock, and several possible feature remnants (Figure 26). Based upon the stratified nature of the two sites and their potential significance, IDOT has chosen to avoid the constituent floodplain ridge during proposed slough dredging and borrowing activities.

Figure 26. Fire-cracked rock concentration – Horseshoe Pond site (11BR442).

Return to top

Billboard Flats (11HY289)
In May 2004, excavations were undertaken at the Billboard Flats site (11HY289) in Henry County, Illinois. The site occupies a late Pleistocene-age terrace remnant situated along the southern margin of the Green River in the Rock River valley, approximately one km southeast of the Rock River-Green River confluence. According to the 1822 Government Land Office survey map, Billboard Flats lies within the prairie at a prairie-timber border, on the southern bank of Mosquito Creek (which would become the main channel of the Green River in the late 1800s). Soil maps from the Soil Conservation Survey combined with the results of a number of geomorphological cores indicate that a marsh, slackwater lake, or some other type of wetland area was formerly located immediately adjacent to the site.

The ITARP investigations, which involved pedestrian survey, auger testing, test unit excavation, and the mechanical removal of the plow zone, revealed 10 prehistoric features at the site. These features occur within an area measuring 16-x-19 m and are located along the edge of the former wetland area. Three of the pits are located in close proximity to one another, away from the other seven features. Three of the deepest and more centrally located features may have functioned as storage facilities, with the remainder likely acting as food processing pits. Slightly less than .5 g of thick-shelled hickory nut charcoal from Feature 11 submitted for AMS radiocarbon dating to the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) yielded a Late Archaic date of 3730 +/- 35 RCYBP (cal. 2140 BC).

This date corresponds well with the associated diagnostics, which consist of an as yet unnamed stemmed point variant, frequently referred to in the archaeological literature as “Late Archaic Stemmed,” as well as a related bifacial drill/awl form (Figure 27). All six points from 11HY289 are unbarbed and slightly asymmetrical, with the maximum width at, or immediately above, the shoulders. The basal margins are straight or convex. These points are further characterized by the removal of broad percussion flakes and typically exhibit little or no marginal retouch. In fact, one point is manufactured from a flake blank with minimal modification on the ventral surface. The remainder of the lithic assemblage consists of bifaces, informal flake tools, chert debitage, and cores (25% of which is the dark variant of Moline chert and 17% of which is heat altered), nine large, egg-shaped limonite nodules, abundant fire-cracked rock, and a variety of cobble tools.

Figure 27. Projectile points – Billboard Flats site (11HY289).

While totaling less than three grams from the entire site, the archaeobotanical assemblage at Billboard flats is nonetheless quite diverse. Four species of nut are represented: thick-shelled hickory (Carya sp.), acorn (Quercus sp.), pecan (C. illinoensis), and hazelnut (Corylus sp.). Seeds from the paw paw (Asimina triloba) were also found in two of the features. Four species of wood charcoal occur at the site, comprised mostly of elm (Ulmaceae), followed by oak (Quercus sp.), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), and ash (Fraxinus sp.). The archaeobotanical assemblage represents a diversity of environments: acorns and hickory nuts are often found in xeric upland forests, hazelnut is most common along upland forest edges, sycamore is commonly found in mesic flood plain forests within secondary valleys, while ash, elm, pecan, and paw paw are usually found in wet-mesic flood plain forests. This distribution suggests that the Billboard Flats inhabitants were gathering locally available floodplain woods for fuel while venturing into the uplands to collect nuts and locally available Moline chert. The location of Billboard Flats along a marsh edge suggests the site’s inhabitants may have also been collecting aquatic plants, such as tubers or rhizomes, as well as other resources.

Return to top

Shorten Site (11HE551)
The Shorten site is situated on a sandy terrace remnant located in the Mississippi River floodplain near Lomax in Henderson County, Illinois. The site was discovered and tested by ITARP personnel as part of a borrow study relating to a small bridge replacement project. Prior to our initial survey, the site area had been used by the landowner on several different occasions as a source of fill to repair breaches in the adjacent man-made creek levee. These impacts removed several feet of sediment from the parts of the site and exposed Early Archaic Kirk cluster diagnostics and abundant flaking debris at the surface near the western margin of the scatter. The area where the County plans to remove borrow soil to raise the adjacent bridge approaches was subjected to machine-aided topsoil removal in August of 2005. Thirty subsurface anomalies were subsequently identified and excavated (Figure 28). Although many of these features failed to produce diagnostic remains, a number of the pits can be attributed with confidence to Developmental Oneota and later Late Woodland components. The Oneota features were generally large, well-defined, cylindrical shaped storage pits. Feature 25 produced the remains of a nearly complete, small-sized vessel with trailed strap handles, interior lip tooling, and shoulder decoration consisting of opposing line filled triangles (Figure 29). Additional Oneota vessels are represented by sherds recovered from both feature and surface contexts including examples with interior rim trailing, broad trailed shoulder decoration, and punctate border ornamentation. The site’s later Late Woodland ceramics consist of cordmarked, grit-tempered jars that exhibit cord-impressed designs on their upper rim area. These ceramics appear to have affinities with Louisa phase remains from southeastern Iowa and other unnamed cultural complexes located to the south in the Lima Lake and Sny Bottoms localities of western Illinois.

Figure 28. Profile of Feature 25 – Shorten site (11HE551).

Figure 29. Oneota vessel in situ, Feature 25 – Shorten site (11HE551).

Return to top

Sinucide (11MC158)
Limited testing of the Sinuscide site (11MC158), which is located north of New Boston on a high terrace remnant positioned near the Mississippi Valley wall, produced a small number of pit features, including one with Early Woodland ceramics that fall within the range of variation ascribed to Marion Thick. The other features from the site failed to produce temporally sensitive materials, although a variety of Archaic and Late Woodland diagnostics were recovered from the plowzone and site surface.

Return to top

Missed Point (11MG175)
The Missed Point site (11MG175) is located southwest of Jacksonville on the southern bluff line of Brushy Fork Creek. A single Middle Woodland feature cluster comprised of nine individual pits was excavated in advance of construction for a major four-lane highway (FAP 310/US 67) (Figure 14). Although most of the features proved to be generally shallow and had few cultural inclusions, the ceramics recovered from the site appear to have more in common with regional Havana/Hopewell wares than those that typify the local Massey phase. The data recovered from this and other contemporary sites excavated as part of this project (Spoon Toe [11MG179], Spoon Creek [11MG181], and Buffalo Chip [11MG162]), suggest that the upper reaches of the Sandy Creek drainage was the scene of more varied, and perhaps complex, Middle Woodland settlement and social interaction than previously believed.

Figure 14. Middle Woodland Lithics from 11MG175.

Return to top

Buffalo Chip (11MG162)
The aforementioned Buffalo Chip site (11MG162) was subjected to large-scale excavation during the summer of 2002 as part of the project mentioned above (Figure 15). Buffalo Chip is located on the southern bluff line of Sandy Creek, between 11MG175 and Massey (11MG15), the type-site for the Middle Woodland Massey phase. A 2.5-acre area, which represents the majority of the project-specific portion of the site, was subjected to machine aided plowzone removal resulting in the mapping and excavation of 123 subsurface features (Figure 16). These features proved to be exceptionally large on average and were distributed among at least nine spatially segregated pit concentrations or household areas. The majority of the pit concentrations appear to be attributable to the early Late Woodland period based upon the recovery of Ansell/Mund style points and cordmarked ceramics exhibiting close affinities with Weaver and White Hall wares. However, at least one subsurface feature concentration is attributable to the Middle Woodland period based upon the presence of Havana/Hopewell ceramics, lamellar bladelets, and distinctive corner notched points.

Figure 15. Crew shot from 11MG162.

Figure 16. Profile from Feature 40, 11MG162.

Return to top

Janice Cook (11A1577)
Small scale machine stripping for a recent borrow pit investigation in northern Adams County resulted in the excavation of 16 later Late Woodland Adams variant pit features at the Janice Cook site (11A1577). These features extended from the apex of an upland ridge spur down onto its steeper slopes (>25%), which appears to be a recurrent distributional pattern in western Illinois during this particular temporal span (AD 600–1000) (Figure 17). Unlike other sites where this phenomenon has been observed (e.g.: 11F163, 11MG180, Lafe Lamb), the 11A1577 pits are located on a west-southwest facing slope instead of the more typical south-southeast facing exposure. A number of the features discovered on the more steeply sloping topography exhibited elongated oval to rectangular shaped plans, near vertical side walls, and flattened bases (Figure 18a). This type of habitation feature, which is informally referred to as a “bathtub-shaped” pit, is only found with regularity in western Illinois on sites dating to the later Late Woodland period. Although clearly distinctive, the function of these pits remains enigmatic.

Figure 17. View of Ridge Slope, 11A1577.

Figure 18a. Plan View Feature 12, 11A1577.

Return to top

Ed Walch (11A1542)
Excavations at the Ed Walch site (11A1542), located on the northern bluff line of Pigeon Creek near Payson, encountered the remains of a single later Late Woodland household comprised of nine features, including a small sub-rectangular structure basin measuring 2.3m in length, 1.7m in width, and 0.2m in overall depth. Little evidence for either internal or external posts was found, although a shallow sunken hearth, some burned limestone, and several concentrations of carbonized materials were identified on or near the structure floor. The ceramics recovered from the extramural pits represent the remains of thin-bodied cordmarked jars exhibiting rounded shoulders and lips adorned with cordwrapped stick decoration. The upper rim area of the most complete jar in the assemblage (Figure 18b) is also decorated with an unusual punctated design that is most similar to ceramics found in Fall Creek and Poisson phase contexts in the adjacent Sny Bottoms locality of the Mississippi River.

Figure 18b. Cordmarked Vessel.

Return to top

11MC71
In November 2003 the Western Illinois Survey Division of ITARP, under the direction of Richard Fishel, completed a 10-week data recovery program at 11MC71, a Weaver habitation located in the Mississippi River flood plain of Mercer County (Figure 19). A total of 1350 m2 of site area was investigated, revealing a 15-cm-thick artifact-laden midden buried beneath 0.4–1.2 m of prehistoric flood sediments which were likely deposited in a single episode. Midden artifacts, which will easily number in the hundreds of thousands, include copious amounts of Weaver ceramics, lithics, floral, and faunal material. The majority of the ceramics are Weaver Plain; decorations, which occur in small numbers, include cord-wrapped stick notches and diagonal slashes. Approximately 10 near-complete vessels were recovered from the midden (Figure 20). Projectile points consist primarily of Steuben points, but Snyders cluster points, contracting-stemmed points, and straight-stemmed points are also present. Excellent bone preservation has permitted tentative identification of some of the fauna in the assemblage, including deer, possibly elk, dog, fish, turtle, rodent, and bird. A large number of bone tools are also present, consisting primarily of bone awls and antler batons. Two drilled turtle carapaces were also found. Surprisingly, given the close proximity to the Mississippi River, no mussel shell was recovered from the site.

Figure 19. Crew shot, 11MC71.

Figure 20. Large section of vessel in situ – 11MC71.

Exotic items identified thus far include ten copper beads, four copper awls, and a single piece of obsidian. While these exotic items may be associated with the Weaver component, a few Middle Woodland ceramics were also recovered, suggesting an ephemeral Middle Woodland component may be present. Other short-lived components that may be present at 11MC71 include Early Woodland (represented by several Morton-like ceramics) and late Late Woodland (represented by single-cord impressed ceramics and arrow points). The Middle Woodland material was found scattered throughout the Weaver midden, while the Early Woodland and late Late Woodland material were found in isolated pockets at the site edges.
One hundred and eighty-five Weaver features were encountered below the midden. Feature types include large, deep, basin-shaped and bell-shaped storage pits, shallower processing facilities, and post molds (Figure 21). The fill within the pits suggests that most features were open and abandoned before the flooding occurred. Unfortunately, compared to the midden artifact density, the overall feature artifact density is sparse. Only one pit exhibited in situ material on the feature’s base.

Figure 21. Profile of Test Unit 8, 11MC71.

One of the more interesting discoveries is an arc of 10 post molds, representing a possible structure, extending south out of the project area. The diameter of the structure – as measured between the western-most and eastern-most post – is 15 meters. These posts are large, averaging 40 cm in diameter and 35 cm deep, and are spaced 1.8–2.0 m (average = 1.85 m) apart except for a 4-m-wide north-facing “opening” where no posts appear. While the function of this facility is unknown, its large size suggests it may have not been residential in nature. The excavations of 11MC71 will provide invaluable information about the Weaver phase occupation in this area of northwestern Illinois of which very little is currently known.

Return to top

Illinois 29 Survey
During 2002 and 2003 the WISD began a multi-year survey under the direction of Richard Fishel of a 58-km-long stretch of Illinois Route 29 along the Illinois River between Mossville and Interstate 180 in Peoria, Marshall, Putnam, and Bureau counties. To date, 3700 acres have been surveyed and 208 sites and 333 find spots encompassing the entire time frame of human occupation of the Illinois Valley have been recorded. Two sites within the proposed improvements to Illinois 29, Steuben (11MA2) and Taliaferro Cabin (11PM62), were tested in conjunction with this survey. Additional investigations of these sites will follow in the upcoming field seasons, assuming these sites remain within the project ROW. The Taliaferro Cabin site will be discussed in the Historic Sites section.

Return to top

11MA2
In the summer of 2002, the WISD investigated the Steuben site (11MA2), a 5-ha late Hopewell and Weaver occupation along the Illinois River in Marshall County. Steuben is known for producing copious amounts of cultural material, but this surface material, however, has never been collected in a systematic manner. To remedy this, a grid of 70 20-x-20-m collection units measuring 280 m north-south and 100 m east-west was established across the main portion of the Steuben village in order to facilitate a total surface pickup of the site. Recovered artifacts from this total surface pickup number in the thousands and include pieces of copper, Havana, Hopewell, and Weaver ceramics, approximately 40 projectile points, and large quantities of fire-cracked rock, flaking debris, and faunal material. After the total surface collection was completed, the excavation of four 1-x-2-m test units revealed a 70-cm-thick, artifact-laden, midden. Five cultural features ranging from small storage pits to a cluster of fire-cracked rock were also encountered within these test units.

Return to top