Griesmer site
The Griesmer site (La-3) is located on the Kankakee River in Lake County, Indiana, about a mile southeast of Schneider, in Northwestern Indiana. It is classified as a Prehistoric, multi-component site with Middle Woodland (), Late Woodland () and Upper Mississippian () occupations. The deposits were not stratified, but observation of the types of artifacts present, together with radiocarbon dates, helped to define the sequence of occupations at the site. History of archaeological investigations The site was excavated under the auspices of the Indiana Historical Society in 1962. Five years later, the site was completely destroyed by sand removal activities. Results of 1962 excavations The excavations yielded features, prehistoric artifacts, animal bone, and plant remains. Features Except for a hearth feature, all of the features were associated with the Upper Mississippian occupation. The following types of features were reported: Type A – refuse pits (10) Type B – deep pits devoid of material (8) Type C – deep pits with plant remains including tubers of the white water lily (Nymphaea tuberosa); interpreted as roasting pits (49) Type D – deep roasting pits with mussel midden on top (8) Type E – cache pit with siltstone discs (1) A total of 94 post molds were noted, and their placement indicated the presence of at least two structures. Animal bone Over 4,700 animal bones and 8,193 mussel shells were recovered. The most common types of animal remains were turtle, deer, elk and fish. Artifacts Artifacts recovered from the site included: Pottery (1,769 pot sherds) – to be discussed in more detail below Chipped stone tools (2,113 chipped stone artifacts, of which 301 were tools, including 74 projectile points), 16 biface knives, 7 uniface knives, 4 gravers, 63 scrapers (of which 15 were uniface humpbacked end scrapers), 6 drills, and 2 blades. Ground stone tools (5), including a grinding stone, 2 arrow shaft straighteners, 5 hammer stones, and 1 mano/grinding stone Bone tools (51), including 3 antler projectile points, 5 scapula hoes (4 from elk scapula and 1 from bison scapula), 1 antler pick, 1 deer skull spoon or scoop, 1 deer cannon bone beamer, 2 scapula knife or scraper, 1 worked beaver incisor, 1 antler flaker, 1 bone flaker, 3 beads, and 5 antler cylinders which may have been used as gaming pieces. Pipes – 1 fragment of an effigy turtle head pipe Copper artifact (1) – tinkler/cone The non-pottery artifacts found at an archaeological site can provide useful cultural context as well as a glimpse into the domestic tasks performed at a site; ceremonial or religious activities; recreational activities; and clothing or personal adornment. Some of the most prominent and diagnostic non-pottery artifacts are presented here in more detail: Occupations and associated pottery types Middle Woodland There was a small Middle Woodland component discovered at the site. Most of the pottery from this component was of the type Havana Ware (also known as Goodall focus). The Havana Culture was thought to be a local variant of the main Middle Woodland, which