Department of Anthropology
The University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley 2006 Archaeology Field School Recap
This last summer (2006), UWFox Lecturer of Anthropology Janet Speth and
UWFox Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Thomas Pleger took a group
of eight students on an archaeological field school in Trempealeau County,
Wisconsin (see figure 1) to work on a prehistoric habitation site (47TR163)
located on a farm near the City of Whitehall, Wisconsin. The farm is owned
by Dr. Pleger's in-laws. It has been farmed by the family for over 100
years. Over that time, they accumulated a small collection of stone tools,
projectile points, and other artifacts that were found on the surfaces
of their plowed fields. Their collection includes artifacts from a variety
of prehistoric cultures including Late Paleoindian and Archaic Indian
occupations (see figure 2).
We started out the field school by surface-surveying the plowed fields
on the farm by walking
the furrows and looking for artifacts. We identified concentrations of stone tools and lithic debris in several fields. The students then worked on setting up a grid across the site using a surveyor's transit. The grid allowed us to excavate a series of test units that were 2x2 meters in area in order to see what was below the disturbed plow zone (figure 3, excavation). The test units revealed intact archaeological deposits and associated artifacts in stratigraphic order. We recovered debitage, projectile points, other flaked-stone tools, ceramics, fire-cracked rock, and some (very minimal) animal bone. Archaeological cultures identified at the site include two Woodland occupations dating to the last 2500 years. We were able to identify the presence of these prehistoric cultures by prehistoric Indian pottery styles and projectile point styles (figure 4, Early Woodland pottery sherd). Beneath that, we recovered Archaic flaked stone tools including several projectile points that suggested an age of 3000 to 500 BC (figure 5, Late Archaic Durst projectile point). Beneath that, we found flaked stone tool debris that is probably Late Paleoindian (7000-6000 BC) based upon two projectile points recovered at the site (see figure 6, Late Paleoindian projectile point fragments).
The students worked ten-hour days and camped in a nearby park. We were
able to wash and process artifacts at a lab in the field (see figure 7).
There will be plenty to analyze next summer and I hope that we will be
able to set up an independent study this fall and spring to have students
inventory the data recovered. We expect to return to the site for the
next field season.
Click here to download a PDF newspaper
article on the excavation written by the Whitehall Times, Whitehall,
Wisconsin
 Figure 4: Early Woodland pottery sherd |
 Figure 5: Late Archaic Durst projectile point |
 Figure 6: Late Paleoindian projectile point fragments |
 Figure 7: Washing and processing artifacts |
 Artifacts being processed in the field lab |
 Excavation |
 Excavation |
 Excavation |