Site 16CL197 2017 - Passport in Time
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Louisiana - Kisatchie NF
Closed! Exploration at Site 16CL197
Pine trees on the Kisatchie National Forest
LA-4323
March 31-April 7, 2017 (including weekends)
Must commit to a minimum of 5 days
Please join us this spring, among the beautiful mixed pines and deciduous hardwoods of the Kisatchie National Forest, for another exploration of Louisiana’s prehistory! Site 16CL197 is situated on a ridge, just southwest of Kidd Lake, on the Corney Unit of the Caney Ranger District. The site overlooks Corney Bayou to the east, and would have been an ideal vantage point for its past occupants to view game and, perhaps, other groups that were at a distance; to gather wild plants, have abundant access to water, and to use the natural riverine landforms as easily navigable pathways to other resources.
The site was discovered in 2015 through a contract that the Kisatchie National Forest had with Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc., during which 41 of 97 shovel tests were positive for cultural remains. Three-hundred- fifty two artifacts were recovered from these tests, including ceramics, lithics (stone tools and flakes), and faunal materials. It is a large site, and has thus far presented materials to indicate dates from the Late Woodland (Baytown to Coles Creek: ca. A.D. 500-1000) to Mississippian/Plaquemines Periods (ca. A.D. 800-European Contact (~A.D. 1600)). Site reports indicate that the site may have been a base camp or village site with isolable components. As such, we can learn much about this area’s cultural past, and we invite you to help us further document the site and explore what valuable information may yet lie beneath!
Participants will excavate, photograph, map, and fully document Site 16CL197, using modern forms and recording techniques. There will also be a field laboratory run in tandem with the excavation, wherein volunteers will process and analyze the cultural materials recovered. Our project will not only shed light on the cultural past at the site, but will help establish eligibility for placement on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and allow us to develop and implement means for the site’s protection. We hope to see you in April for this unique glimpse into the Kisatchie’s past, and the important work to ensure the future of Site 16CL197!
Number of openings: 15
Special skills: Volunteers must be capable of extended periods of kneeling, standing, stooping, lifting, and bending each day, and in a variety of weather conditions; previous archaeological excavation, survey, site mapping, photography, lithic and/or ceramic analysis (especially Late Woodland-Mississippian cultures), and/or archaeological laboratory experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 14 years old, under 18 with a responsible adult
Facilities: Tent and small RV (pop-up/trailer) camping available at no charge at nearby Coney Lake Campground; water, vault toilets; no hook-ups; Bernice (~10 miles from the AR border) and Junction City, AR, are full-service communities with motels, restaurants, recreational activities (camping, fishing, boating, museums), and a full range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for own lodging/camping equipment, meals, and daily transportation to designated meeting area
Nearest towns: Bernice, 10 miles; Homer, 30 miles; Junction City, AR, 10 miles
Applications due: Filled
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