Oxbow Archeological District

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Coordinates: 43°36′15″N 84°16′42″W / 43.60417°N 84.27833°W / 43.60417; -84.27833
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Oxbow Archeological District
Oxbow Archeological District is located in Michigan
Oxbow Archeological District
Oxbow Archeological District is located in the United States
Oxbow Archeological District
LocationChippewa Nature Center, Midland, Michigan[2]
Coordinates43°36′15″N 84°16′42″W / 43.60417°N 84.27833°W / 43.60417; -84.27833
Area120 acres (49 ha)
NRHP reference No.73002156[1]
Added to NRHPJune 19, 1973

The Oxbow Archeological District, also known as the Chippewa Nature Center Site, is a set of archaeological sites located on the grounds of the Chippewa Nature Center (400 S. Badour Rd.) near Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[1] The district contains single and multicomponent sites, which were occupied during the Middle and Late Archaic, Late Woodland, and Historic periods.[3]

The district was the site of a battle between two tribes: the Ojibwe and the Sauk. It was first unearthed in the 1930s.[4]

Archaeological sites at the Chippewa Nature Center include:

  • Naugle Site (20MD30): A site containing early Late Woodland and Late Archaic components, located near the Visitor's Center. It was first excavated in the early 1970s.[5]
  • Sumac Bluff site (20MD25): A prehistoric Archaic and Woodland site located on the bank of the Chippewa River.[6]
  • Sias East site (20MD263): A site located along the north side of the Chippewa river. This site contains at least two dated occupations: a Middle Woodland occupation in the fourth century A.D. and a late prehistoric occupation in the fifteenth century A.D. Other occupations are possible.[7]
  • Cater Site (20MD36): A site on the south side of the Chippewa River discovered in the early 1970. It contains artifacts from three eras of occupation: prehistoric occupation, Chippewa occupation (likely about 1800-1830), and settler European occupation dating to about 1840.[8]
  • Site 20MD534: An early nineteenth century Chippewa habitation site, located about 150 meters from the Cater site. This site was discovered in 1999.[9]
  • Ponton Site: Located across the river from the Cater Site, this was discovered in 1995, and incorporated into the Chippewa Nature Center in 2001. It is another historical European settler site, dating from about 1830.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ United States Army Corps of Engineers (1981), Tittabawassee River Control, Midland: Environmental Impact Statement, p. 25 Geo-coordinates shown are approximate.
  3. ^ East Central Michigan Planning and Development Region (1975), The Pattern of the past: regional perspective, The Region, p. 44
  4. ^ Bill Semion (2009), Fun with the Family Michigan: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips with the Kids, Rowman & Littlefield, p. 134, ISBN 9780762758043
  5. ^ "Naugle Site". Chippewa Nature Center (Internet Archive). Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  6. ^ "The Sumac Bluff Site". Chippewa Nature Center (Internet Archive). Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  7. ^ "The Sias East Site". Chippewa Nature Center (Internet Archive). Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  8. ^ "The Cater Site". Chippewa Nature Center (Internet Archive). Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  9. ^ "Site 20MD534". Chippewa Nature Center (Internet Archive). Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  10. ^ "Ponton Site". Chippewa Nature Center (Internet Archive). Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2019.

Further reading[edit]

  • Doreen Ozker (1976), "The Naugle Site 20MD30, Midland County, Michigan", The Michigan Archaeologist, 22 (4): 3–15
  • David J Frurip, ed. (2001), The Cater Site: The Archaeology, History, Artifacts and Activities at This Early 19th Century Midland County Site
  • Doreen Ozker (March 1976), "A Descriptive Report of the Surface Collections from Site 20MD28, Chippewa Nature center, Midland County, Michigan", The Michigan Archaeologist, 22 (1): 1–100
  • Doreen Ozker (December 1976), "Sumac Bluff (20MD25): A Site on the Chippewa River in Midland", The Michigan Archaeologist, 22 (4): 283–313


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