St. Louis Harbor Project Pedestrian Survey, Madison County, Illinois. St. Louis District Cultural Resource Management Reports Number 24.

摘要

This report describes the results of a cultural resources pedestrian survey for the proposed St. Louis Harbor project. Located in Madison County, Illinois, the project area is immediately east of the Chain of Rocks Canal in the American Bottom. An area of 268.7 ha (644 acres) was walked in 5 m intervals. Forty two sites and 47 isolated finds were recorded. Forty sites had prehistoric components; five had historic components. Prehistoric sites contained materials dating from the Late Archaic through the Mississippian periods, with the majority of remains indicating Emergent-Mississippian occupations. Historic sites dated from the early to mid-nineteenth century. Two large Late Woodland to Mississippian site groups correspond to what have been called 'fourth-line communities' in the American Bottom. Twenty nine sites identified as Late Woodland to Mississippian household or farmstead locations have the potential to yield subsurface remains of one or two structures and associated pits. Two sites were identified as small 'activity local,' and one site was recorded as a potential cemetery based on information from a long-time area resident. This historic sites appear to be primarily house sites, with one possible twentieth century commercial location. Recommendations include controlled surface collection, subsurface testing, large-scale plow zone removal, and geomorphological studies on the prehistoric sites with potential National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility. Archival work is suggested for one of the five historic sites, after which further recommendations should be made.