Bottomland Surveys of East Moran Bay and Mackinac Island Harbor

摘要

East Moran Bay and Mackinac Island Harbor have been the focus of Native American and European activities for centuries. These sites, because of their location at the Straits of Mackinac, were important in the early exploration and setting of the region by Europeans. Native Americans were known to have used these sites for farming, hunting, fishing and gathering. The length and nature of human activity associated with the bay and harbor made it likely that many small but significant artifacts would be found on the bottomlands. Also, planned development activities could potentially threatened such artifacts. To understand the scope and nature of the artifacts involved, a project was designed and implemented by the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council. The project involved a side scan sonar survey of the bay and harbor. Important targets were identified and volunteer sport divers trained in basic underwater archaeological techniques investigated.