Michigan Archaeological Society Meeting Thursday, 5 April 2018

The April meeting of the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society Will be held Thursday,  5 March 2018, at 7:00 pm, here at the Castle Museum. See the official announcement, copied below, for details on what is certain to be an interesting and informative program. As always, the public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

 

Saginaw Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society

April Chapter meeting, Thursday, April 5, 2018, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

The Morley Room, Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, 500 Federal Avenue, Saginaw, MI 48607

Current Research Status of the Hipwater Locale: A Parkhill Phase Paleoindian Retooling Location

Presented by:
William A. Lovis, Michigan State University

Abstract: The Hipwater Locale is a small Parkhill phase Paleoindian site, or one part of a larger site, located in south central Michigan. There is a limited assemblage of fluted Barnes bifaces, unfluted bifaces, core fragments, and fire cracked rock, with at least one major group of refits. The site location and the small assemblage were subjected to a range of different analyses, including interpretation of site location and integrity, stages of organization of lithic reduction, protein residue analysis, microwear analysis, and pXRF elemental analysis of tool stone sources. Current outcomes of these various analyses are reported and a preliminary synthesis will be undertaken.

The March meeting was canceled due to weather. The decision to cancel was made late in the day, and while steps were taken to contact members, several persons did not receive notification. We apologize for the inconvenience that this caused. A gentle reminder: if you have not submitted an email address or telephone number we will not be able to contact you in the event of a future cancellation.

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Michigan Archaeological Society Meeting Thursday, 1 March 2018

The March meeting of the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society is fast approaching. Thursday, March 1st, Dr. William Lovis of Michigan State University will present an overview of current research on the Hipwater Locale: A Parkhill Phase Paleoindian retooling location in south central Michigan. See the official announcement, copied below, for more details on what is certain to be an interesting and informative program. As always, the public welcome and encouraged to attend.

Saginaw Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society March Chapter meeting, Thursday, March 1, 2018, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. The Morley Room, Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, 500 Federal Avenue, Saginaw, MI 48607

Current Research Status of the Hipwater Locale: A Parkhill Phase Paleoindian Retooling Location  

Presented by: William A. Lovis, Michigan State University

 
Alphabetically coauthored by:  Alan F. Arbogast, Michigan State University,  Dillon H. Carr, Grand Rapids Community College,  Randolph E. Donahue, Bradford University,  G. William Monaghan, Indiana University  Jenny L. B. Milligan, PaleoResearch, Inc., Frank J. Raslich, Michigan State University.   

 

Abstract:  The Hipwater Locale is a small Parkhill phase Paleoindian site, or one part of a larger site, located in south central Michigan.  There is a limited assemblage of fluted Barnes bifaces, unfluted bifaces, core fragments, and fire cracked rock, with at least one major group of refits.  The site location and the small assemblage were subjected to a range of different analyses, including interpretation of site location and integrity, stages of organization of lithic reduction, protein residue analysis, microwear analysis, and pXRF elemental analysis of tool stone sources.  Current outcomes of these various analyses are reported and a preliminary synthesis will be undertaken. 

Archaeological Society Meeting, 1 February 2018

The February meeting of the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society will be held at the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History on Thursday, 1 February 2018, at 7:00 PM. Dr. Scott Beld will share his research related to excavations at the Early Woodland Arthursburg Hill site in Ionia County. The title of Dr. Beld’s talk is: The Arthursburg Hill Earthwork Enclosure: An Early Woodland (ca. 400 B.C.) Fortified Village in central Michigan.  With a construction date of around 400 B.C., this enclosure is the earliest known in Michigan (other earthwork enclosures in Michigan are from the Late Woodland Period).

To whet your appetite for the program, here are a few Early Woodland biface types (projectile points and knives) from various sites in the Saginaw Valley.

Early Woodland bifaces found in Saginaw County.

And we can’t talk about the Early Woodland Period without showing an example of some Early Woodland ceramics…

Early Woodland ceramics from Saginaw County.

As always, the public is invited and encouraged to attend.

Michigan Archaeological Society meeting Thursday, 2 November 2017

The November meeting of the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society will be held Thursday, 2 November 2017 at 7:00 pm here at the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History. Long-time chapter member Bernie Spencer will be presenting a program on the Ike Davidson site. Bernie describes the program as follows:

“Reflections on the Ike Davidson Site, a mixed Late Woodland site adjacent to the Cass River, occupying the bottom of the floodplain from two to four feet above the present water level. The entirety of my collections from the site will be available for observation at the meeting. This site was totally removed as part of the Cass River Dike Project in 2011. My collections began in 1957 and ended with the total destruction of the site in 2011.”

One of many Late Woodland Rimsherds from the Ike Davidson Site, Saginaw County, Michigan.

Bernie’s collection from this site includes an impressive array of Late Woodland (and some probably earlier) ceramics, projectile points and other flaked stone tools, and ground stone artifacts, all of which will be on display at the meeting.

As always, the public is welcome and encouraged to attend. You won’t want to miss this one!

Michigan Archaeological Society Meeting, Thursday, 5 October 2017

Somehow the days have gotten away from me this month, so this notice is rather last-minute. Nevertheless, all are invited to the October meeting of the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society. The meeting is tonight, 5 October 2017,  at 7:00 pm, here at the Castle Museum. For the evening’s program, I will be providing an update on our work at the Steltzriede Farm site in Saginaw Township. The official announcement from the chapter is copied below.

Nick and Julia excavating at the Steltzriede Farm site in Saginaw Township.

The October meeting of the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society will be on Thursday, October 5, 2017, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., in the Morley Room, of the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, 500 Federal Ave., Saginaw, MI 48607.

Jeff Sommer will give an update on the third season of excavations at the Steltzriede Farm site where, in 1838, German immigrants Henry and Katherine Steltzriede settled, established a farm, and began raising a family.

Michigan Archaeological Society Meeting Thursday, 7 Sept. 2017

Julia, Nick, and Brad excavating at the Steltzriede Farm site.

Julia, Nick, and Brad spent the summer working at the Steltzriede Farm site in Saginaw Township. What did you do???

Please join the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society for their annual Show and Tell meeting to kick off the 2017-2018 schedule. Members will share tales of their summer archaeological adventures and finds. As always, the public is welcome and encouraged to attend. The official meeting announcement is copied below.

The Saginaw Valley Chapter, of the Michigan Archaeological Society

 

September chapter meeting

Thursday, September 7, 2017

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

In the Morley Room, of the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, 500 Federal Avenue, Saginaw, MI 48607

 

Join us for the Annual Show and Tell meeting.

There will be a short business meeting prior to the evening program.

 

A note of passing, member Nik Smolinski.

Michigan Archaeological Society Meeting, 4 May 2017

The May meeting of the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society will be held 4 May 2017 at 7:00 PM at the Castle Museum. This will likely be the final meeting before the summer break, so you won’t want to miss it! Chapter member Don Simons will be the featured speaker. He will discuss the prehistoric use of Flint Ridge, a colorful type of flint/chert (stone) found in central Ohio and widely used across the region. In the Saginaw Valley, Flint Ridge is found most frequently, though not exclusively, on sites from the Early and Middle Woodland time periods. Here is an example of a few random  Flint Ridge artifacts from the Saginaw Valley:

Early and Middle Woodland Flint Ridge Artifacts from Saginaw County.

As always, the public is invited and encouraged to attend the meeting…it’s FREE! There will be artifacts made of Flint Ridge on display at the meeting. If you have artifacts that may be made of Flint Ridge, please bring them to show the group!

The official announcement from the Saginaw Valley Chapter is copied below.

 

Saginaw Valley Chapter
Thursday, May 4, 2017

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., in the Morley Room of the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, 500 Federal Avenue, Saginaw, Michigan 48607.

We will have a short business meeting before the program.

Don Simons will present an overview of Flint Ridge artifacts and related subjects from sites in the Saginaw Valley to the bedrock mines in southern Ohio.

Flint Ridge chert is the state gemstone of Ohio. For Thousands of years it’s exceptional quality as a stone tool material and colorful beauty made it a major item which served in many ways the needs of the ancient cultures of the Midwest and beyond.

Bring in your Flint Ridge artifacts for display to the chapter members.