Using a Geographic Information System (GIS), locational analysis was performed for prehistoric sites recorded during a 1985 surface survey conducted in Henry County, Indiana. Two sensitivity models were developed to identify areas more likely to contain substantial archaeological resources. Both models were based on environmental data derived largely from soil survey information. An intuitive model was created and "blindly" applied to the study area. This model did not interpret the distribution of sites very well. During development of an alternative model, the 1985 survey data was more thoroughly investigated. Site locations were found to be correlated with Soil Conservation Service drainage categories. In upland areas, sites with ten or more artifacts clustered around pockets of very poorly drained Millgrove loam soils. In lowland areas, sites with ten or more artifacts exhibited a preference for well drained soils. Before and during analysis, the integrity of source data was investigated. A United States Geological Survey 7.5-minute digital elevation model was found to be unsuitable for analysis within the study area. Mapping errors were discovered within the 1985 survey data. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, which can increase the spatial integrity of survey data, was demonstrated and used to register and adjust source data. A mapping-grade GPS base station was established at Ball State University. / Department of Anthropology

In 1987, the Archaeological Resources Management Service (AXM6) at Ball State University conducted a sampling survey of a seven mile section of the Maumee River Valley in Allen County, Indiana. In addition to the primary survey, the project conducted an experiment in resurveying previously surveyed sample units, interviewed local collectors, and analyzed and tabulated data from a local collection with site level provenience. The project also reevaluated data previously collected from an adjacent section of the river valley and tested four sites in the latter study area.This study summarizes the data from the Maumee Grant Project and presents a general chronology of prehistoric habitation in the study area based upon that data. More specifically, this study has formulated provisional settlement models for the:PaleoIndian and Early Archaic habitation of the Upper Maumee River Valley, circa-10,000 to 6,000 B.C.The data indicate that the earliest peoples to inhabit the study area were Paleo-Indian bands with a preference for floodplain habitation and a subsistence strategy that emphasized hunting. As the post-glacial climate of the region ameliorated, the Early Archaic peoples that followed adapted a more diverse subsistence strategy, thus drawing upon a wider variety of terrace and floodplain resources. In contrast to their PaleoIndian forerunners, Early Archaic groups in the Upper Maumee Valley generally exhibited a preference for terrace habitation. In addition to the general Early Archaic occupation of the valley, three specific lithic traditions, the Kirk, the Bifurcate, and the Thebes, were identified and their settlement practices compared. While the origins of the earliest PaleoIndian bands in the region remained unclear, subsequent groups seem to have extended from and/or been influenced by Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene populations to the north, west, southwest, south, and east. By contributing to the regional data base and formulating provisional settlement models, this report provides a foundational basis for future research in the region. / Department of Anthropology

An archaeological survey was carried out for the Mississinewa Reservoir, located southwest of Peru in central Indiana. The goals of this study were to locate and evaluate a sample of the archaeological resources of the Mississinewa Reservoir area and to evaluate the impact of the reservoir and its management on those resources. During the course of the survey, 107 sites representing the Paleo-Indian, Early Archaic, Late Archaic, Middle Woodland, Late Woodland, and historic periods were recorded, while the general locations of several historic Native American sites were extracted from various sources. The distribution of prehistoric sites suggests that the presence of extensive chert bearing outcrops of Liston Creek limestone played an important role in the selection of site location. The impact of the reservoir on the archaeological resources of the reservoir is discussed as data is currently being lost by artifact collecting, and erosion due to cultivation and fluctuations in the reservoir pool.

This study presents a skeletal analysis of the burials from the Elrod (12CL 1) site. This site, excavated by E.Y. Guernsey in the 1930s, has exhibited extreme commingling and loss of context. The early date, before the implementation of archaeological standards, and lack of publication are the primary sources of commingling. An outline for dealing with commingling, as well as a demographic profile and overview of health, were created during this research. The Elrod site has been characterized as a Middle to Late Archaic shell midden, though literature and analyses presented here support a stratified excavation of the Elrod burials. The stature, dentition and pathology suggest that this series contains individuals from several temporal periods and is not confined to the Middle-Late Archaic. / Department of Anthropology

An archaeological survey of Fayette County, Indiana was conducted under a Department of the Interior Historic Preservation Fund Survey and Planning Grant administered by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. The reconnaissance covered 747.3 acres by systematic survey.Prior to the survey, only 102 sites were on record in Fayette County. The systematic survey, collector interviews and background research identified 275 new sites. A total of 252 sites were identified through the systematic survey, while 23 sites were identified through collector interviews, background research and non-systematic field survey. A total of 4081 prehistoric and 13 historic artifacts were recovered. Site density for Fayette County was compiled from the systematic survey of the county and sites not found in conjunction with the systematic survey were not included. Overall site density for Fayette County is 1 site per 2.97 acres with an average of 15.66 artifacts per site and 5.28 artifacts per acre. Site densities for the Dearborn Upland were also compiled with an overall site density of 1 site per 2.64 acres. / Department of Anthropology

Phase II archaeological testing of the Wesley Chapel Gulf area was conducted in June and July 2004 by six Ball State Anthropology students, including the author, for the Hoosier National Forest. This fieldwork was aimed at assessing the significance of two sites, 120r382 and 120r384, located by the previous surveys. These two sites were considered potentially eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places because of the data they may provide.The purpose of the research is to determine how this unique natural feature was utilized by prehistoric cultures and to assess its role within the regional archaeological context. The research builds upon data recovered during the previous archaeological surveys of the land immediately surrounding the gulf and tests the conclusions of those investigations with recent data from two archaeological sites, 120r382 and 12Or384. Analysis of the cultural material recovered during the 2004 fieldwork illuminates the prehistory of the Wesley Chapel Gulf area and enhances the interpretation of its role in prehistoric settlement patterns within the Hoosier National Forest region. / Department of Anthropology

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Theoretical background -- Environmental setting -- Prehistory within the Upper Wabash River Valley -- Data sets -- Results -- Discussion and conclusion. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Anthropology

The Crib Mound Site (12 Sp 1-2) is a shell mound that contains a major Mid-Late Archaic element. This site has been largely destroyed over the past few decades as a result of erosion by the Ohio River, development, artifact collecting and blatant looting. Collections of artifacts from the mound, and much of the relevant information about the site, are located in the private sector. Only minimal artifact representations from Crib Mound reside in universities or museums.This site has received little in-depth professional investigation or study. Although it is one of several significant multi-component archaeological sites in the Lower Ohio Drainage with an indication of a significant Mid-Late Archaic component, it has not been accurately incorporated into discussions of Mid-Late Archaic settlement systems. The underlying reason for this omission relates to the information from the site not having been systematically recorded or synthesized into a usable format for archaeological research.This thesis analyzes, documents and evaluates the chronologically sensitive data from Crib Mound as a means of defining the mound's relationship to other (already documented) Mid-Late Archaic sites that are found in the region of theLower Ohio River Basin. This research also explores the relationship between tradition and phase (as it existed in this area), perhaps identifying an earlier phase or phases that can be distinguished from within the tradition. All information from the Crib Mound Site is integrated into the regional prehistory by either expanding on the anomaly of the mound or by clarifying and supporting the mound's relationship with the current regional settlement patterns. / Department of Anthropology

A Place In Between tells the story of the Old Northwest through a French family who lived in Quebec and on the Wabash valley from the 1660s through the 1860s. The Brouillette family illustrates the rise and fall of a cultural and geographical middle ground forged by whites and Algonquian-speaking Indians of the Great Lakes region. The Woodland tribes discussed include the Miami, Wea, Piankashaw, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Delaware and Ottawa. The white participants of this middle ground were primarily French, but were joined at times by certain English, Scottish, Irish and Americans.The middle ground and trade culture created a people of mixed heritage called metis by the French, which means mixed-blood. Because of their place between cultures metis often acted as arbitrators of culture. They often found employment as interpreters, scouts or in the fur trade. The fall of the middle ground included the loss of a valuable Indian country to native people, as well as a shift from a rich cultural interchange to a socially and politically inferior status for the tribal people of the central Great Lakes.This story traces the lives of three main characters: Michel Brouillette, the elder and younger who were both traders; and the French-Miami son, Tahquakeah. Flashbacks to French ancestors illustrate the early creation of the middle ground through trade and military alliances. / Department of History

The goal of this thesis research is to examine the Patty Ann Farms site using noninvasive techniques, such as a magnetic gradiometer. The Patty Ann Farms site, 12H1169, located in northeastern Hamilton County Indiana, is a multicomponent archaeological site spanning all periods of prehistory. Diagnostic artifacts from the Paleo-Indian, Archaic, and Woodland periods have been surface collected by the land owner. The land owner’s collection was documented, and the site was recorded at the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology--Department of Natural Resources, in 2004. Since then, a controlled surface survey has been conducted identifying three areas of high artifact density and preliminary soil phosphate tests have been conducted. / Department of Anthropology