Archaeological dig yields more artifacts offering glimpse into fur trading era
Friday, July 27, 2007 12:45 AM CDT
BY KRYSTIN E. KASAK
Krystin.Kasak@nwitimes.com
219.548.4353To some, it might just be an old bell.
But to the trained eye, it's a window into what life was like in Porter County thousands of years ago.
After less than a week of excavations, an archaeological dig along the tree-filled banks of the Kankakee River produced artifacts dating back nearly 8,000 years. Among the treasure was a small brass bell from the fur trading era. Possibly used for decoration, the bell might have belonged to American Indians occupying the land many years ago.
Leading the all-volunteer group of diggers was Mark Schurr, head of the anthropology department at the University of Notre Dame. This is Schurr's fifth year returning to the Collier Lodge site just south of Kouts.
"You never know what you're going to find," Schurr said. "Earlier today, we found a new style of pottery that I've never seen before."
Since Schurr began conducting the digs with the Kankakee Valley Historical Society, his group has found tens of thousands of artifacts from various time periods, including arrowheads, pottery, archaic points and animal bones.
More recently, they unearthed a pioneer-type log cabin dating to the 1830s. Schurr hopes that during the next few weeks they will be able to discover more about the day-to-day life of its inhabitants. With an overall goal of getting a glimpse into 10,000 years of Porter County history, every artifact adds another piece to the story.
During last year's dig, the group discovered a dense concentration of animal bones, which Schurr believed to be part of a fur trading camp. This year, the group found a second area with various animal remains from a different time period.
"This will give us insight into the kinds of animals traded during different times," Schurr said. "Were beavers used more during one time? Were pigs and cows used during another?"
Identifying the bones could take up to a year, however, as the remnants are sent off to specialists to be identified.
Also acting as historical clues are large black pits found several feet below the ground's surface. After settlers or travelers used the roasting pits to cook food, they would fill them with garbage. Identifying some of these remnants could reveal what kind of food was being cooked and what tools were used.
Because the site is at a part of the Kankakee River that was more easily crossed than others, the land was used for many millennia as camp sites and settlements. This helps explain the immense number of artifacts found from this 3/4-acre piece of land.
The participants of the dig traditionally come from various backgrounds and locations. Current volunteers include music professors, grandparents, students and children.
"I rescheduled my tonsillectomy for this," said 20-year-old Amy Dehmlow, who flew in from Tennessee.
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2007/07/27/news/porter_county/doc18082b67cc1207e886257325000a9efa.txt
