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261:, where most sites have thin layers from which it is difficult to establish firm chronologies about what material is characteristic of which period. Such sequencing has hitherto been based on extrapolations from better stratified sites in Wisconsin and Iowa, so the King Coulee Site is valuable for providing a local source for this analysis. In particular it can provide future researchers with a clearer chronology of the region's little-documented transition between the Archaic and Woodland periods.
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From the earliest date of inhabitation the steep-sided coulee would have been forested and watered by a perennial stream. These factors provided shelter from sun, wind, and forest fires. A variety of food resources from fish and shellfish to waterfowl and game mammals were present or nearby. Since
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The site's second area of significance is in the rare abundance of biofacts, which are valuable for research on prehistoric resource use. The presence of domestic squash seeds in the
Archaic strata is especially revealing, as this is the northernmost evidence of its presence during that period. In
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composed of mussel shells, animals bones, nut shells, and a few stone tools. Middle
Woodland use is echoed only by a scatter of grit-tempered ceramics. More abundant are thin, grit-tempered ceramics with a variety of surface treatments characteristic of the Late Woodland period.
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Railroad tracks were laid across the mouth of the coulee in 1876 but did not substantially impact the site. Sometime later in the 19th century a flood deposited one or two meters of sediment on top of the site, insulating it from later impacts such as the construction of
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redesigned their plans to keep it intact. The survey ultimately excavated seven test pits and eight trenches, uncovering 25,000 artifacts and biofacts. 66% of these were faunal remains like bones and shells, 19% were lithics, 14% were ceramic
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The King Coulee Site is significant on three major points. First, it preserves a deep and well stratified cultural sequence ranging from the
Archaic period through the Woodland and up to Oneota times. This is virtually unique within
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the words of archaeologist
Bradley Perkl, it demonstrates that "use of domesticated plants occurred much earlier in the region than previously acknowledged" and supports the revisionist theory that later domestic crops such as
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in the 1930s. The site was unknown to modern people until 1987, when an archaeological survey was conducted in advance of roadwork on the highway. When the significance of the site was recognized, the
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period. This timeframe spans roughly from 3,500 to 500 years ago. The site yielded the oldest known evidence of domesticated plants in
Minnesota: seeds dated to 2,500 years ago from the squash
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in 1994 for having state-level significance in the theme of archaeology. It was nominated for being a largely undisturbed occupation site with intact stratigraphy and numerous
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Federal and state laws and practices restrict general public access to information regarding the specific location of this resource. In some cases, this is to protect
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Johnson, Craig; Kim
Breakey (June 1993). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: King Coulee Site". National Park Service.
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Finally, the minimal impacts to the King Coulee Site since
European contact lend it additional significance as an archaeological resource.
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The site was first occupied by humans around 3,500 years ago during the
Archaic period. This is based on findings of
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speculate that the site was occupied by seasonal encampments in the late summer or fall during the Early
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499:"Prehistoric Period: An Overview of Prehistoric Archaeology in Minnesota (12,000 BC – AD 1650)"
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from vandalism, while in other cases it is restricted at the request of the owner. See:
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214:, about 1,940 years ago. The one deposit identified from this period contained sand-
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Guidelines for
Restricting Information about Historic and Prehistoric Resources
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The upper strata of the site contain shell-tempered ceramics indicative of the
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Archaeological sites on the
National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
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The King Coulee Site is located near the mouth of a valley that empties into
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National Register of Historic Places listings in Wabasha County, Minnesota
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188:(BP), during the Late Archaic. To date these are the oldest evidence of
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National Register of Historic Places in Wabasha County, Minnesota
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Former Native American populated places in the United States
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Knoerl, John; Miller, Diane; Shrimpton, Rebecca H. (1990),
103:) is a prehistoric Native American archaeological site in
446:"Cucurbita pepo from King Coulee, Southeastern Minnesota"
269:"were incorporated into existing horticultural systems".
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in the region was from the Middle Woodland, found near
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History of the National Register of Historic Places
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157:, the site was on a major transportation corridor.
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367:Minnesota National Register Properties Database
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547:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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40:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
180:seeds recovered from the site have been
153:Lake Pepin is a natural widening of the
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196:. Previously the oldest appearance of
107:, United States. It was listed on the
1108:Geography of Wabasha County, Minnesota
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301:"National Register Information System"
241:Minnesota Department of Transportation
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145:—carried sediments down into a small
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1113:Native American history of Minnesota
369:. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009
306:National Register of Historic Places
109:National Register of Historic Places
16:Archaeological site in Minnesota, US
501:. Office of the State Archaeologist
14:
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1098:Archaic period in North America
341:U.S. Department of the Interior
335:, National Register Bulletin,
204:, and dated to around 160 CE.
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21:United States historic place
1034:National Historic Landmarks
202:Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
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444:Perkl, Bradley E. (1998).
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115:stretching from the late
105:Pepin Township, Minnesota
70:NRHP reference
56:Pepin Township, Minnesota
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1039:Voyageurs National Park
1052:Keeper of the Register
420:Cite journal requires
1072:Contributing property
337:National Park Service
311:National Park Service
218:ceramics and a small
98:Smithsonian trinomial
65:c. 1500 BCE – 1300 CE
54:Address restricted,
325:archeological sites
259:Southeast Minnesota
450:American Antiquity
363:"King Coulee Site"
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1067:Historic district
757:Lake of the Woods
182:radiocarbon dated
167:projectile points
155:Mississippi River
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83:Designated
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32:King Coulee Site
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208:Archaeologists
198:Cucurbita pepo
186:Before Present
178:Cucurbita pepo
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143:Driftless Area
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117:Archaic period
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503:. Retrieved
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481:. Retrieved
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413:cite journal
371:. Retrieved
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252:Significance
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18:
1022:Other lists
742:Koochiching
505:January 13,
483:January 15,
184:to 2530±60
171:stone tools
133:Description
1087:Categories
972:Washington
847:Pennington
842:Otter Tail
802:Mille Lacs
647:Cottonwood
637:Clearwater
597:Blue Earth
373:January 8,
288:References
147:floodplain
139:Lake Pepin
917:Sherburne
907:St. Louis
857:Pipestone
732:Kandiyohi
672:Faribault
652:Crow Wing
592:Big Stone
560:by county
551:Minnesota
478:163695647
190:cultigens
977:Watonwan
952:Traverse
887:Renville
877:Red Lake
822:Nicollet
807:Morrison
782:Marshall
777:Mahnomen
762:Le Sueur
697:Hennepin
682:Freeborn
677:Fillmore
622:Chippewa
582:Beltrami
349:20706997
276:See also
216:tempered
113:biofacts
77:94000340
51:Location
1029:Bridges
957:Wabasha
937:Stevens
927:Stearns
882:Redwood
837:Olmsted
767:Lincoln
737:Kittson
727:Kanabec
722:Jackson
707:Hubbard
702:Houston
687:Goodhue
667:Douglas
627:Chisago
607:Carlton
470:2694698
192:in the
161:History
119:to the
992:Wright
987:Winona
982:Wilkin
967:Waseca
962:Wadena
932:Steele
922:Sibley
902:Roseau
872:Ramsey
832:Norman
827:Nobles
817:Murray
797:Meeker
792:McLeod
787:Martin
717:Itasca
712:Isanti
657:Dakota
612:Carver
587:Benton
577:Becker
567:Aitkin
476:
468:
347:
246:sherds
220:midden
121:Oneota
101:21WB56
942:Swift
912:Scott
812:Mower
692:Grant
662:Dodge
602:Brown
572:Anoka
558:Lists
474:S2CID
466:JSTOR
456:(2).
267:maize
62:Built
947:Todd
897:Rock
892:Rice
867:Pope
862:Polk
852:Pine
772:Lyon
752:Lake
642:Cook
632:Clay
617:Cass
507:2018
485:2018
426:help
375:2018
345:OCLC
176:Two
92:The
549:in
458:doi
72:No.
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96:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.