| THE CULTURAL RESOURCE GROUP ARCHAEOLOGY• HISTORY• ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY Mr. G. Joseph Hudak Chief Archaeologist RE: Archaeological Monitoring of T.H. 55 Road Construction, Field Report Following Completion of Monitoring in Survey Areas 4 and 5. Dear Mr. Hudak: As per your instructions on July 25, 2000, enclosed please find a revised field report discussing the monitoring activities performed by archaeologists of The Louis Berger Group, Inc. (Berger) in Survey Areas 4 and 5 related to the construction of T.H. 55 between East 54th Street and C.S.A.H. 62 in western Hennepin County, Minnesota. Also included in the report is a description and results of the stratigraphic reconnaissance and subsequent Phase II investigation of the wooded section of Area 5 not previously examined for archaeological deposits. Minor revisions were made, including the state site number (21 HE309). No significant archaeological deposits were located in Survey Area 4 despite careful mechanical stripping between T.H. 55 Project Stations 3+150 and 3+207, stratigraphic trenching, and numerous hand-excavated stratigraphic pits. The subsurface deposits in this location have been greatly disturbed by various building and utility construction events. No human remains were found in Survey Area 4. The vicinity of the four oak trees was found to be within the wetland identified on various early maps of the area, including E.K. Smith s 1837 map. Thus, it is unlikely that the Mdewakanton Sioux would have buried their dead at this location. Monitoring activities in Survey Area 5 indicate that this section of the project also had been disturbed by past cutting and filling activities, probably related to the construction of the TCRT streetcar line to Ft. Snelling in 1905. No subsurface features or artifacts from the Camp Coldwater settlement period were observed were identified despite careful inspection of the ground surface during controlled scraping. Thus, no archaeological deposits were found in the construction right-of-way in Survey Areas 4 and 5 that are eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. The stratigraphic reconnaissance and Phase II investigations of the wooded upland bench west of the T.H. 55 right-of-way and east of the Bureau of Mines access road yielded artifacts that relate to the Camp Coidwater settlement, and may be associated with Antoine Pepin or Mr. LeRage. The investigation determined that, while many artifacts are present that date from about 1820 to 1870, they are usually present in the upper 20 centimeters. Stratigraphic profiles indicate that the area was deeply plowed and otherwise disturbed by activities such as logging and borrow removal, as well as by erosion. While early 1800s artifacts are present at Site 21HE309, they are generally in poor contexts. The artifacts have limited potential for addressing important questions about this period of Minnesota history. The site, therefore, lacks the integrity necessary for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. If we can provide any additional information, please contact Randy Withrow or myself. Sincerely, Christopher M. Schoen cc: John Hotopp, Berger-NJ
Louis Berger & Associates1 Inc. 950 50Th STREET, MARION, IOWA 52302-3853• TEL (319) 373-3043• FAx (319) 373-3045• www.Iba-crg.com
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A FIELD REPORT DESCRIBING ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONITORING
OF SURVEY AREAS 4 AND 5 OF MINNESOTA TRUNK HIGHWAY 55, HENNEPIN COUNTY,
MINNESOTA INTRODUCTION The Louis Berger Group, Inc (Berger) recently completed monitoring activities of the new alignment for T.H. 55 between East 54th Street and Highway 62 in Hennepin County, Minnesota (Figure 1). Monitoring was done in two locations (Figure 2): BRW, Inc. s Survey Area 4 (Project Stations 3+020 to 3+400) and Survey Area 5 (Project Stations 2+860 to 3+020). The work was done between April 3 and 12, 2000. In a letter, dated April 9, 2000, Berger provided an overview of the methodology and preliminary results of the archaeological monitoring activities performed in Survey Areas 4 and 5 between April 3 and 8, 2000 (Schoen 2000). The information is repeated in this report together with additional findings from the completed work. In addition to monitoring controlled grading in selected areas, Berger used a more conventional monitoring procedure for construction activities in the broader survey areas. This method involved visually inspecting all freshly graded surfaces for artifacts, intact archaeological features, or other signs of important archaeological remains by an archaeologist. Except for a few artifacts from Stratigraphic Pit (SP) 5 no archaeological evidence of the Camp Coidwater era settlement was uncovered in Survey Area 4. Butchered bone found around SF 5 in the area of Trench 4 was recovered from the fill capping the original ground surface. That fill was deposited around 1925 when the Veteran s Administration constructed a laundry, boiler plant, and research facility in the vicinity. No archaeological remains from the early 1 800s were discovered in the highway construction right-of-way in Survey Area 5, which lies west of the wooded parcel. Therefore, Berger recommends that no additional archaeological investigations be made in Survey Areas 4 and 5. In addition to monitoring, the Minnesota Department
of Transportation (Mn/DOT) authorized Berger to complete a stratigraphic
reconnaissance in the wooded upland located between the northbound lane
of the new highway construction and the U.S. Bureau of Mines access road
(see Figure 3). Plans proposing a water main to Ft Snelling and a bicycle/commuter
path as well as a north-bound access lane in the vicinity necessitated
work in the wooded segment of Survey Area 5, which had not been previously
examined. The presence of artifacts dating between about 1820 and 1870
in this wooded parcel prompted Phase II testing to evaluate the site (21HE309)
for eligibility in the National Register of Historic Places. A discussion
of the results of this investigation is presented in the third section
of this field report. While many artifacts were recovered from the wooded
area that can be associated with the Camp Coldwater era settlement (1821
to 1839), they were often found within poor archaeological contexts. No
structural features were located. The artifacts have limited potential
for answering important questions about early Minnesota history. Site
21HE309, therefore, lacks the criteria necessary to be eligible for the
National Register of Historic Places. Berger recommends MONITORING WORK PLAN The Monitoring Work Plan submitted to Mn/DOT by Berger (2000) proposed controlled grading in Survey Areas 4 and 5 at locations in which current topography and historic records suggested that archaeological remains of early nineteenth century historic occupations were most likely be found. Such deposits would be related to the founding of Minneapolis/St. Paul and the State of Minnesota between 1821 and 1839 (the Camp Coldwater era settlement); specifically the residence of Joseph Buisson and a blacksmith workshop and barn associated with Antoine Pepin (or Papin) or a man named LeRage. Efforts to relate historic maps, especially the 1837 map by E.K. Smith (Figure 3), by Dr. Bruce White (White 2000) SHPO Archaeologist, Scott Anfinson, Berger, and others suggested that intact archaeological remains of the Buisson farmstead might be found above and east of a long, narrow wetland between Project Stations 3+170 to 3+250 in Survey Area 4. Intact archaeological remains of the Pepin or LeRage occupation might be located between Project Stations 2+860 and 3+020 in Survey Area 5. No site potential was anticipated south of Project Station 2+860 because of extensive modern ground disturbance. Berger also proposed controlled grading in a second culturally sensitive locus in Survey Area 4, the location of the four oak trees identified by some members of the Mendota Mdewakanton Tribe as the site of Dakota burials. The known ethnohistoric records have not supported this claim (Hotopp et al. 1999). Nonetheless, a parcel measuring 20 meters north to south by 10 meters east to west was set aside for controlled grading. To effectively guide grading operations, Berger (2000:4) proposed to dig several stratigraphic pits in each area selected for controlled grading to establish the depth of fill and to collect stratigraphic information needed. The "strat pits" were planned to be excavated like shovel or bucket auger tests. The material removed from each pit was screened through 1/4 inch mesh hardware cloth to collect any archaeological remains. Review of the geomorphic cores sampled across Survey Areas 4 and 5 by Kolb (1999) and on-site observations suggested that the modern fill over the loci designated for controlled grading was thick. It quickly became clear to Berger that excavating the stratigraphic pits by hand would be impractical given the thickness of the overburden. SHPO and Mn/Dot archaeologists concurred. The latter approved a revised plan which involved careful removal of the modern fill overburden with a backhoe or trackhoe (Withrow 2000). Once the fill was removed to uncover the former (historic) ground surface, hand excavation of one or more stratigraphic pits could be made. SURVEY AREA 4 Berger laid a north-south base line through the area selected for controlled grading 26 meters east of the planned centerline for the northbound lane (Figure 4). A trench location was marked at 10, 30, and 50 meters north of Project Station 3+170 along the baseline. Trenches 1 through 3, excavated by trackhoe west of the base line, revealed the top of a buried peat-like soil (the former ground surface) approximately 80 to 144 centimeters below modern fill and demolition debris. The deposits below have geologic characteristics of a wetland environment. Thus, the trenches appear to be in the location of the wetland reported on the Smith (1837) map immediately west of the Buisson farm. Hand-excavated stratigraphic pits were used to sample the intact soil beneath the fill. Soil removed from each pit was screened for artifacts. Hand-excavated strat pits in Trench 2 and Trench 3 did not yield any artifacts from the early I 800s. Five more trenches were excavated immediately east of the north-south baseline at 0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 meters north of Project Station 3+170. Modern fill was present to bedrock in Trenches 6 and 8. Undisturbed buried soils were found below the fill in Trench 4 (at 197 centimeters below ground surface), Trench 5 (at 107 centimeters below ground surface), and Trench 7 (at 121 centimeters below ground surface). Stratigraphic pit (SP) 5 in Trench 4 yielded artifacts with use dates from about 1830 to around 1860. However, artifacts were recovered from the twentieth century fill above the intact soil. SP 6 in Trench 7 and SP 7 in Trench 5, both of which sampled the intact original topsoil, did not yield any historic artifacts. A representative profile showing the stratigraphy of each trench where undisturbed soils were present was drawn to scale and each trench was photographed. The strata of each strat pit also were drawn to scale. The matrix of each layer was identified and documented using a Munsell color chart. The strata from which artifacts were recovered was recorded. Additional excavations were used to explore the area where historical artifacts were found in Trench 4. The trackhoe was used to carefully strip the modern fill to near the top of the intact soils in trenches extending from the original Trench 4 in the four cardinal directions. Two stratigraphic pits were dug in each trench extension at 5- and 10-meter intervals from the original SP 5. All of the pits included artifacts at the base of the modern fill, predominately butchered animal bone, a few clay target fragments, and a couple of bottle glass sherds. No artifacts were found in the underlying intact soil. At the request of the SHPO, an excavation unit, measuring 1 meter by 1 meter, was hand excavated in 10-centimeter increments 2.5 meters south of SP 5. Once again, animal bone was recovered from the base of the modern fill, but no items were found in the undisturbed soils. The unit was dug to 1.5 meters below the present ground surface (1.0 meter below the trench floor). The stratigraphy of the unit from the ground surface to the base of the unit was drawn to scale and photographed. Five additional backhoe trenches were excavated between the five previous trenches along the east side of the baseline. Trenches 9 through 12 included fill as deep as 1.27 to 2.41 meters below the present surface. Undisturbed soils were found below the modern fill in Trench 13, located near Trench 4. No artifacts were found in SP 16 or SP 17 in Trench 13, nor were artifacts recovered from about 9 cubic feet of the buried topsoil that was removed from this trench by backhoe and screened. In summary, the depth of the modern fill and the thickness and character of the undisturbed deposits in the eastern half of the area originally selected for controlled grading (Project Station 3+170 to 3+250) were sampled and recorded at 10-meter intervals. The trenches and strat pits were excavated below the grade required for construction of T.H. 55 and were deep enough to determine that trenching for the proposed water main to Fort Snelling has low potential to affect intact archaeological deposits. The western half of this parcel is a filled wetland (see Trenches I through 3). The wetland environment would not have provided an attractive location for human habitation. The sandier, well-drained soils east of the wetland have greater potential for occupation, but sampling of this area has found no intact archaeological deposits. A large number of animal bone fragments (n=164) from 41 elements were recovered from Area 4, particularly from Trench 4. The bone included one rabbit mandible, 37 cattle bones, two elements of an unidentified medium mammal, and one bone from an unidentified large mammal bone. Many of the cow bones had butcher marks. The dietary refuse represented a wide range of meat cuts, including stew meats from the neck, hindshank, and foreshank, steaks from the prime rib and loin, and roasts from the short rib, sirloin, and rump. Most were beef cuts, but some were veal (Pipes 2000). Although Buisson had butchered beef for the Army and neighbors, the bone was found in association with fill deposits above the 1821-1839 deposits and are probably associated with the Veteran s Administration operations. The ceramics and few other items found in SP 5, which date to the Camp Coldwater era, appear to have been introduced into the project location by erosion, twentieth century grading for the Veteran s Administration physical plant, or some other undetermined means. SURVEY AREA 5 The modern fill, where present, was relatively
thin in Survey Area 5. The historic ground surface, therefore, was accessible
and hand-excavated stratigraphic pits were possible without trenching.
A line of shovel tests had been excavated by BRW, Inc. west of the centerline
for the south-bound lane of T.H. 55 (Halverson et al. 1999). Berger placed
a line of strat pits along the centerline for the north-bound lane (Figure
5). Eleven pits were excavated at 10-meter intervals, beginning at the
lower end of the slope, (about 30 meters south of the U.S. Bureau of Mines
entrance road) and continuing south to Project Station 2+860. South of
this point the area has been heavily disturbed by borrowing and the construction
of the trolley and road. The strat pits showed that intact soils were
present in many places along the slope. Historic fill was present over
intact soils in all of the pits, except SP 7, located at the top of the
slope, which had an intact soil at the ground surface. Two additional
pits were dug at 5 meters on the north and south sides of SP 7, two pits
were excavated at 5 and 10 meters west of SP 7, and two more were 7. As in Survey Area 4, the stratigraphy of each pit was recorded and the sediment screened to recover artifacts. No artifacts or archaeological features associated with the Camp Coldwater era settlement were found in these 17 stratigraphic pits. The original topsoil at the top of the slope in this area has been reduced in thickness by erosion or scraping, probably as a result of construction activities associated with the trolley railroad or the adjacent Minnehaha Road. Borrow activity removed topsoil from the upland bench east of the highway right-of-way, probably for these construction projects. This borrowing may have taken evidence of the residence or blacksmith shop of Antoine Pepin or LeRage, who were indicated in this vicinity by the 1837 Smith map. SITE 21HE309 Berger, with Mn/Dot s approval, included the wooded parcel located east of the T.H. 55 construction right-of-way and west of the U.S. Bureau of Mines access road in their work (see Figure 5). A water main to Ft Snelling and a bicycle/commuter trail are planned in this part of Survey Area 5. The north-bound access ramp for the highway also is planned at the western edge of the parcel. Berger placed a line of 12 stratigraphic pits at 10-meter intervals southward from the lower part of the gentle slope of the upland bench to the top of upland (Figure 6). South of this point, the ground has been subject to extensive borrowing Artifacts, including transfer-printed and hand-painted whiteware sherds, thin window glass fragments, square nails, and a triangular file, were recovered from SPs 24, 28, and 29. Three stratigraphic pits (Sps 40 to 42) were excavated at 35-meter intervals to record the soils at the base of the drainage running north-south parallel to the U.S. Bureau of Mines access road. The stratigraphy of the pits was typical of a wetland or drainage in this area: Black (1OYR2/1) sandy loam (A horizon) to about 55 to 60 centimeters below ground surface over 20 to 25 centimeters of very dark grayish brown (1OYR3/2) sandy loam (AC horizon) and 1OYR5/1(gray) sand © horizon) by 80 centimeters below ground surface. A 68-centimeter thick layer of dark gray loamy sand fill from the embankment for the access road was found at the top of SP 40. No artifacts were found. Three stratigraphic pits (SPs 43 to 45) were excavated at 10-meter intervals at the west edge of the wooded parcel opposite site 2387-1. The strata indicated that the A and B horizons had been stripped or borrowed from this location. SP 43 had 14 centimeters of very dark gray (1OYR3/1) sandy loam fill over dark yellowish brown (1OYR4/4) sand. SP 44 included only dark olive brown (2.5Y3/3) sand to 70 centimeters below ground surface. SP 45 had 20 centimeters of very dark grayish brown (IOYR3/2) sandy loam fill over brown (1OYR4/3) to dark yellowish brown (1OYR3/4) sand to 70 centimeters below ground surface. No artifacts were found. Because artifacts were found in stratigraphic pits on the bench, Berger excavated a series of strat pits in a rough 5-meter grid to determine the boundaries of the artifact distribution, search for structural remains or other archaeological features, and evaluate the archaeological integrity of the site. Eighteen additional strat pits were dug. Artifacts similar to those found in the line of strat pits were collected from reworked topsoil or fill in the upper 30 centimeters of SPs 32, 46, 47, 48, 50, 55, 56, and 60. Three, one-meter-square excavation units also were dug to evaluate the site. Excavation Unit 1 was placed between SP 29 and SP 32 which appeared to sample a large, filled pit (Feature 1). The unit yielded a large number of artifacts in the upper 70 centimeters, including whiteware sherds decorated with blue and polychrome hand-painted floral motifs, blue, mulberry, and purple transfer-printed whiteware sherds, blue shell-edge whiteware fragments, whiteware rimsherds with a blue, red or green ring, thin window glass, bottle glass, bone, ceramic pipestem and bowl fragments, bone and metal buttons, a small brass crucifix, a small buckle, a brass dragon side plate from a firearm, shell, square nails, and unidentified metal fragments. However, a bicycle seat was found in the north wall of the unit near the northeast corner at 35 centimeters below ground surface and plastic-coated wire was present in the northeast corner at 50 to 70 centimeters below ground surface. A few artifacts were found to the base of the unit at 110 centimeters below ground surface. The pit fill ended at 80 centimeters below ground surface at the north wall and 96 centimeters below ground surface at the south wall. The fill was deposited in Feature I in at least three episodes. Laminated deposits at the base of the feature fill and at about 60 centimeters below ground surface indicate the pit was open for a long period between fill episodes. Probing in the cardinal directions away from Feature 1 with an Oakfield split-spoon core indicated that the pit measures about 13 meters northwest to southeast by 7 meters northeast to southwest. No walls were located to suggest this was a cellar pit. SP 60, which was expanded to 70 by 50 centimeters, was excavated at the northern edge of the feature specifically to look for a wall. The brass crucifix is from a rosary and appears to be of eighteenth century French origin (Stone 1974; Neumann and Kravic 1989). The serpent or dragon side piece is probably from a pistol or fowling piece and is likely British or American in origin. The plate was manufactured between 1700 and 1785 (Neumann). The 42 recovered bone fragments, representing 13 elements, are from a pig (n=2), an unidentified small mammal (n2), one or more unidentified medium mammals (n15), a large mammal (n=8), a duck (n= I), an unidentified bird (n=4), an unidentified fish (n=4), and a turtle (n=6). Freshwater clam was represent by 24 fragments from one or two valves. Together the faunal material may be described as dietary refuse and food processing waste (Pipes 2000). Excavation Unit 2 was placed near the center of the bench. The unit yielded only six small window glass fragments and two hand-painted whiteware sherds in the upper 20 centimeters. The first 10 centimeters below ground surface was dark grayish brown (1OYR4/2) sandy loam. Between 10 and 26 centimeters below ground surface, the soil was light olive brown (2.5Y5/3) loamy sand. Sterile light olive brown (2.5Y5/4) sand was present deeper than 26 centimeters below ground surface. The soil was clearly disturbed by deep plowing or scraping. Excavation Unit 3 was located at the highest point on the west edge of the site adjacent to the borrowed area. The unit included a few blue shell-edge whiteware sherds, many blue and polychrome handpainted wliiteware sherds, whiteware rimsherds with a thin green ring or a red ring on the ventral surface, a fragment of green sponge-decorated whiteware, blue, mulberry, and black transfer-printed whiteware sherds, some bottle and window glass, square nail fragments, a ceramic pipe bowl fragment, and five bone fragments. Artifacts were found to 80 centimeters below ground surface. Two of the bone fragments, found in a rodent burrow between 80 and 90 centimeters below ground surface, were from a rabbit maxilla and an unidentified large mammal. One bone fragment is from a cow femur and two pieces are from an unidentified medium mammal. A large limestone intruded into the center of the unit from the southeast corner at 57 centimeters below ground surface. Smaller cobbles were found in the northeast corner below 70 centimeters. The matrix above the dark yellowish brown (1OYR4/4) sand at 74 centimeters below ground surface was a mixed fill composed primarily of very dark gray (IOYR3/l) and dark brown (7.5YR3/2) loamy sand. The soil included a few small gravels (less than 10 percent). Unit 3 showed that the site has little or no intact archaeological deposits and that in localized proven iences mixed deposits occur to a great depth. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS An extensive study of the stratigraphy in the segment
of Survey Area 4 blocked out for controlled grading and more conventional
monitoring activities across the remainder of Survey Area 4 determined
that limited pockets of undisturbed topsoil were present at this location,
often buried by a thick cap of modern fill. The western two-thirds of
Survey Area 4 had been a wetland, and would have been unsuitable for human
burial or occupation. The somewhat higher eastern third of Survey Area
4 was well-drained and could have been the location of the Joseph Buisson
farm, but no evidence of this occupation remains fer-printed whiteware sherds, and butchered bone were covered by a layer of clay, coarse limestone, and other fill as the ground surface was landscaped for parking and vegetation cover. There appear to be no intact archaeological deposits in Survey Area 4, and Berger recommends that no additional archaeological nvestigations are warranted. A study of the stratigraphy in Survey Area 5, followed by monitoring of controlled grading in the construction right-of-way, showed that an intact soil was present on the slope between Project Stations 2+860 and 3+020, but in some locations had been removed from the apex of the natural landform by earlier construction activities, probably related to building the TCRT streetcar rail in 1905. The topsoil was removed or highly disturbed at the top of the slope, presumably by the 1905 construction. No early to mind nineteenth century artifacts were observed or recovered within the T.H. 55 right-of-way in Survey Area 5, which is west of the wooded parcel. There do not appear to be any intact archaeological deposits in Survey Area 5 within the highway corridor. Berger recommends that no additional investigations be conducted in this area. The wooded parcel east of the highway corridor right-of-way does include artifacts which, with two exceptions, date from about 1820 to 1870 and can be attributed to the Camp Coldwater settlement. The concentration of artifacts that forms Site 21 HE309 includes transfer-printed, shell-edge, and hand-painted whiteware sherds, thin window glass and bottle glass fragments, square nails, a brass side plate, a brass crucifix, ceramic pipe stem and bowl fragments, bone and metal buttons, a buckle, and some shell and bone fragments. The brass crucifix is from a rosary and appears to be of eighteenth century French origin (Stone 1974; Neumann and Kravic 1989). The serpent or dragon side piece is probably from a pistol or fowling piece and is likely British or American in origin. The plate was manufactured between 1700 and 1785 (Neumann). The results of the line of stratigraphic pits placed through the western side of the parcel indicated that this area had been disturbed by factors such as deep plowing, logging activities, erosion and, south of the site, by borrowing. Additional strat pits in a 5-meter grid were excavated after the initial transect of stratpits revealed the presence of artifacts. These strat
pits and three, one-meter-square test units were excavated to evaluate
the archaeological integrity of the site. The investigation determined
that the site was disturbed and no evidence of structural features was
present. Artifacts were usually recovered from the upper 20 centimeters,
but were present as deep as 110 centimeters bgs. Based on preliminary
review, Site 21HE309 has no spatial integrity. Artifacts from the site
have limited potential for answering important questions about early Minnesota
history. Therefore, Site 21HE309 is not eligible for inclusion in the
National Register of Historic Places and no further work is recommended
at this site. REFERENCES Halverson, Holly P., Scott O Mack, and Bruce R. Penner 1999 Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Hiawatha (T. H. 55) Upgrade and Reroute from South 46l~1 Street to C.S.A.H. 62, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Report prepared by BRW, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota for the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Hotopp, John A., Randall M. Withrow, Ingrid Wuebber,
and Fabio Pittaluga 1999 A Cultural Resource Assessment of the Proposed
Reroute for Trunk Highway 55, 54th Street to County Road 62, Hennepin
County, Minnesota. Report prepared by Louis Berger & Associates, Inc.,
Marion, Iowa for the U.S. Department of KoIb, Michael F. Neumann, George, and Kravic Schoen, Christopher M. Smith, Ephraim K. Stone, Lyle The Louis Berger Group, Inc. White, Bruce M. Withrow, Randall M. |