Bell site, Wisconsin
 | This article, Bell site, Wisconsin, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
Location
The Bell Site is located on the south side of Big Lake Butte des Morts in Winnebago County, Wisconsin. The site is described as an early (c. 1600-1750 AD) Historic village of the Fox tribe.[1]
1959 Excavations
In 1959 evacuations took place with the joint efforts of the State Historical Society, the Wisconsin Archaeological Survey and the Oshkosh Public Museum, under the direction of Warren L. Wittry of the Cranbrook Institute of Science.[1]
Features
Features identified at the site include the remains of a palisade or defensive wall; 45 storage/refuse pits; a bear skull placed in a manner suggestive of the early historic practice of bear ceremonialism; a burial of 3 dogs suggestive of the early historic practice of dog sacrifice; a human burial; and several post molds suggestive of a house structure.[1]
Artifacts
A wide variety of artifacts were recovered, including bone and antler artifacts, brass artifacts, ceramics, stone tools, glass artifacts, ground and polished stone artifacts, iron artifacts, lead artifacts, shell artifacts and smoking pipes.[1]
Ceramics
Four ceramic types were noted at the site:
- Bell Site Type 1 - represented by 1,079 sherds and one complete restored vessel. This type consists of grit-tempered, smooth-surfaced spherical vessels with everted rims. Decoration consists of punctates and incised lines. Strap handles are present on some vessels. This pottery type has also been noted at the Arrowsmith site in central Illinois and sites in the area of Saginaw, Michigan. The cultural affiliation is believed to be the Fox tribe.[1]
- Bell Site Type 2 - represented by 171 sherds. This type consists of grit-tempered, spherical vessels with everted rims. Exterior surfaces are cord marked from the neck down with the neck area well-smoothed. No decorations were noted other than finger-crimping of the rim. This type has also been found at the Rock Island site in Door County, Wisconsin. The cultural affiliation is believed to be the Potawatomi tribe.[1][2][3]
- Lake Winnebago Focus - 23 sherds were thought by the authors to be affiliated with this Oneota pottery type. These sherds were shell-tempered with smooth surfaces. Cultural affiliation is thought to be a Siouan-speaking group, possibly the Winnebago tribe.
- LaSalle Filleted - represented by 3 rim sherds. This type is grit-tempered with cordmarked surface. Fillets and strap handles were noted on individual sherds. This pottery type has been noted in the Starved Rock area of Illinois.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Wittry, Warren L. (1963). "The Bell Site, Wn9, an Early Historic Fox Village". Wisconsin Archaeologist. 44: 1–57.
- ^ Mason, Ronald J. (1981). Great Lakes Archaeology. New York NY: Academic Press. pp. 396–404.
- ^ Mason, Ronald J. (1986). Rock Island: Historical Indian Archaeology in the Northern Lake Michigan Basin. Kent State University Press.
| This article, Bell site, Wisconsin, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |