| Gentleman Farm site | |
|---|---|
  Location in Illinois  Location in United States | |
| Location | in LaSalle County, Illinois, on the Illinois River |
| Coordinates | 41°19′17″N88°40′25″W / 41.32139°N 88.67361°W Coordinates: 41°19′17″N88°40′25″W / 41.32139°N 88.67361°W |
| Area | 1 acre |
The Gentleman Farm site is located in LaSalle County, Illinois, on the Illinois River. It is a multi-component site with the main occupation being a Langford tradition component of Upper Mississippian affiliation. [1]
The site was brought to the attention of the Illinois State Museum as it was scheduled to be destroyed during construction of the Bulls Island Cut-Off on the Illinois River. Salvage excavations took place in 1940, but a comprehensive site report was not generated until James A. Brown created one in 1967. [1]
Excavations at the site yielded prehistoric and historic artifacts, pit features, animal bone (which was not analyzed) and burials. Two areas of the site were identified; a village area and a burial mound. [1]
The main occupation was affiliated with the Upper Mississippian Langford tradition. Earlier occupations were indicated by the presence of a few projectile points of earlier type; and a Protohistoric or early Historic occupation was indicated by the recovery of 2 gunflints. [1]
There were no house structures noted at the site. Seven pit features were described, categorized into three types: storage pits (4), 1 “ash-filled” pit, and two pits filled with broken stone (aka fire-cracked rock) which were interpreted as roasting pits. [1]
The refuse pits were thought to have first been storage pits that were converted into refuse pits once their contents began to sour. They contained animal bone, charcoal and artifacts.
The roasting pits appear to correspond to what has ethnographically been described as “macoupin roasting pits” by the early French explorers Deliette and LaSalle and described from the Zimmerman site. [2] [3] The macoupins are apparently tubers from a species of water lily, perhaps the American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea). [3] Tubers of Nelumbo lutea have been recovered from similar roasting pits at the Elam [4] and Schwerdt [5] [6] sites on the Kalamazoo River in western Michigan; and tubers of the white water lily (Nymphaea tuberosa) have been recovered from roasting pits at the Griesmer site in northwestern Indiana. [7] This particular cooking technique may have been used prehistorically for several species of similar water lilies, or other similar root plants. No tubers were specifically recovered from the Gentleman Farm site, however. This may be due to the fact that there was no systematic effort by the excavators to collect plant remains.
48 burials were excavated during the salvage project. It was estimated based on the density of burials that there were between 200-300 within the entire mound. 19 burials were observed to contain grave goods. The most common type of grave goods were pottery vessels, shell spoons and items of personal adornment. [1]
Archaeologists often find pottery to be a very useful tool in analyzing a prehistoric culture. It is usually very plentiful at a site and the details of manufacture and decoration are very sensitive indicators of time, space and culture. [8]
Several whole or reconstructable pottery vessels were recovered from the burials, which greatly facilitated the analysis.
A total of 1,498 sherds and complete vessels were collected from the site, of which 96% were identified as Langford ware of Upper Mississippian affiliation. Also present were vessels identified as Aztalan series and Adams tradition; as well as an unidentified shell-tempered ware. [1]
Langford ware was first reported at the Fisher site, and has also been found at the nearby Zimmerman [3] [9] and Plum Island [2] sites. It is characterized by grit-tempered, globular vessels with restricted orifice and well-defined shoulders and excurved rim profiles. Surface finish is usually smoothed and decoration, when present, is applied to the neck and shoulder areas and consists of incised and trailed lines, punctates and finger impressions, combined to form arches and festoons. Lugs and loop handles are present on some vessels and nodes are also sometimes present. [1] [2] [3] [9]
The following types of Langford Ware were reported from the burial mound vessels: [1]
Non-pottery artifacts recovered from the site included: [1]
The non-pottery artifacts found at an archaeological site can provide useful cultural context as well as a glimpse into the domestic tasks performed at a site; ceremonial or religious activities; recreational activities; and clothing or personal adornment.
Some of the most prominent and diagnostic non-pottery artifacts are presented here in more detail:
| Material | Description | Image | Qty | Function / use | Comments / associations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chipped stone | Small triangular projectile points (aka Madison points) |  | 11 | Hunting/fishing/warfare | Also known as “arrowheads”; are thought to be tips for arrows. The usage of the bow and arrow seems to have greatly increased after A.D. 1000, probably as a result of increased conflict. [10] [11] |
| Chipped stone | Humpback scraper |  | 1 | Domestic function / processing wood or hides | Typical of Upper Mississippian sites, particularly Huber and Oneota (Orr Focus) [7] |
| Chipped stone | Drill (expanding base) |  | 1 | Domestic function / processing wood or hides | The expanding base drill is a common type in Upper Mississippian contexts [7] |
| Antler | Antler projectile point; socketed and tanged |  | 3 | Hunting/fishing/warfare | The tanged or barbed type is characteristic of Fisher and Langford traditions; the unbarbed type is more typical of Oneota [7] |
| Shell | Shell spoons |  | 9 | Domestic function / food preparation and-or serving | The shell spoons were found as grave goods in the Gentleman Farm burials; they were also present in the Upper Mississippian Heally Complex at the Zimmerman site [3] [9] |
The Gentleman Farm site is a Langford tradition site like the nearby Zimmerman (Heally component), Fisher (B complex) and Plum Island sites. Although there are no radiocarbon dates available from Gentleman Farm, based on dates obtained from sites with similar artifacts, the site is thought to date to approximately A.D. 1200–1500. [1]
No house structures were present at the site, and based on the lack of household artifacts such as manos and milling stones, it is not thought to be a permanent village. It may have been a specialized site related to building the mound and/or interring the burials. [1]
The Grand Village of the Illinois, also called Old Kaskaskia Village, is a site significant for being the best documented historic Native American village in the Illinois River valley. It was a large agricultural and trading village of Native Americans of the Illinois confederacy, located on the north bank of the Illinois River near the present town of Utica, Illinois. French explorers Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette came across it in 1673. The Kaskaskia, a tribe of the Illiniwek people lived in the village. It grew rapidly after a French mission and fur trading post were established there in 1675, to a population of about 6,000 people in about 460 houses. Around 1691 the Kaskaskia and other Illiniwek moved further south, abandoning the site due to pressure from an Iroquois invasion from the northeast.
The Upper Mississippian cultures were located in the Upper Mississippi basin and Great Lakes region of the American Midwest. They were in existence from approximately A.D. 1000 until the Protohistoric and early Historic periods.
The Plum Island Eagle Sanctuary is a 52-acre island in the Illinois River owned by the Illinois Audubon Society. It was purchased March 24, 2004 to act as a wildlife sanctuary, to protect foraging habitat for wintering bald eagles. It is close to Matthiessen State Park and adjacent to Starved Rock State Park.
The Juntunen site, also known as 20MK1, is a stratified prehistoric Late Woodland fishing village located on the western tip of Bois Blanc Island. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The Moccasin Bluff site is an archaeological site located along the Red Bud Trail and the St. Joseph River north of Buchanan, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and has been classified as a multi-component prehistoric site with the major component dating to the Late Woodland/Upper Mississippian period.
The Griesmer site (La-3) is located on the Kankakee River in Lake County, Indiana, about a mile southeast of Schneider, in Northwestern Indiana. It is classified as a Prehistoric, multi-component site with Middle Woodland, Late Woodland and Upper Mississippian occupations. The deposits were not stratified, but observation of the types of artifacts present, together with radiocarbon dates, helped to define the sequence of occupations at the site.
The Fifield site (Pr-55) is located on Damon Run Creek in Porter County, northwestern Indiana. It is classified as a late prehistoric, single-component Upper Mississippian Fisher village.
The Huber Site (11Ck-1) is located on Tinley Creek 2 miles west of Blue Island in Cook County, Illinois, near the city of Chicago. It is classified as a late prehistoric site with Upper Mississippian affiliation.
The Hoxie Farm Site (11Ck-4) is located on Thorn Creek in Thornton, Illinois Cook County Forest Preserve in Cook County, Illinois, near the city of Chicago. It is classified as a late prehistoric to Protohistoric/Early Historic site with Upper Mississippian Huber affiliation.
The Palos site (Ck-26) is located on the Cal-Sag Canal in Cook County, Illinois, United States, near the city of Chicago. It is classified as a Protohistoric to early Historic site with Upper Mississippian affiliation.
The Knoll Spring site (11Ck-19), aka Au Sagaunashke Village, is located in the Sag Valley, Palos Hills, in Cook County, Illinois, near the city of Chicago. It is classified as a late Prehistoric site with Upper Mississippian Huber affiliation.
The Oak Forest Site (11Ck-53) is located in Oak Forest, Cook County, Illinois, near the city of Chicago. It is classified as a late prehistoric to Protohistoric/Early Historic site with Upper Mississippian Huber affiliation.
The Anker Site (11Ck-21) is located on the Little Calumet River near Chicago, Illinois. It is classified as a late prehistoric site with Upper Mississippian Huber affiliation.
The Hotel Plaza site (Ls-36) is located near Starved Rock, on the Illinois River across from the Zimmerman site (aka Grand Village of the Illinois. It is a multi-component site representing prehistoric, protohistoric and early historic periods, with the main occupation being an early Historic component associated with the French Fort St. Louis.
The Fisher Mound Group is a group of burial mounds with an associated village site located on the DesPlaines River near its convergence with the Kankakee River where they combine to form the Illinois River, in Will County, Illinois, about 60 miles southwest of Chicago. It is a multi-component stratified site representing several Prehistoric Upper Mississippian occupations as well as minor Late Woodland and Early Historic components.
The Carcajou Point Site is located in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, on Lake Koshkonong. It is a multi-component site with Prehistoric Upper Mississippian Oneota and Historic components.
The Upper Iowa River Oneota site complex is a series of 7 Iowa archaeological sites located within a few miles of each other in Allamakee County, Iowa, on or near the Upper Iowa River. They are all affiliated with the Late Prehistoric Upper Mississippian Oneota Orr focus. In some cases there are early European trade goods present, indicating occupation continued into the Protohistoric or early Historic period.
The Mero site is a stratified, multicomponent prehistoric site located on the south side of Marshall's Point on the Door Peninsula in Door County, Wisconsin. It was excavated in 1960 by Ronald and Carol Mason under the auspices of the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with financial backing from the landowner, Peter Mero.
The Midway Site (47LC19) is a prehistoric Upper Mississippian Oneota site in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. It is located about 10 miles north of LaCrosse near the juncture of the Black and Mississippi Rivers.
![Walker-Hooper Site Archaeological site in [[Wisconsin]], United States](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f9/Walker-Hooper_Site.jpeg/320px-Walker-Hooper_Site.jpeg)
The Walker-Hooper Site (47-GL-65) is a multicomponent prehistoric site complex located on the Grand River in the Upper Fox River drainage area in Green Lake County, Wisconsin. It consisted of at least 2 village sites and several mound groups. It was excavated by S.A. Barrett under the auspices of the Milwaukee Public Museum in 1921 and again in 1967 by Guy Gibbon of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The major component of the site is an Upper Mississippian Oneota palisaded village. Other components were also present, mainly Late Woodland but also including Archaic, Early Woodland and Middle Woodland.
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| South Appalachian Mississippian |
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| Caddoan Mississippian | |||||||||||
| Upper Mississippian cultures |
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