Northeast Subsistence-Settlement Change: A.D. 700 –1300

points and notched Chesser or Lowe points, bladelets
of Flint Ridge chalcedony, and ground stone tools and
ornaments (cf. Stothers et al. 1994).
Only a handful of Green Creek phase components
are known. Perhaps the best documented of these
occur along the south shore of Sandusky Bay, near the
mouth of the Sandusky River. Three components
(Baker II, Green Creek, and Hickory Island) here have
produced material assemblages from wave-exposed
deposits. These same components are littered with
Middle Woodland Esch phase cultural materials,
attesting to long continuous occupation by the Green
Creek phase populations and their progenitors
(Stothers 1992). The sites are believed to represent
warm weather occupations, which are perhaps contemporaneous
with Riviere au Vase phase components
concentrated along what was once the north bank of
the Sandusky River on Squaw Island (Stothers and
Prahl 1972) and perhaps farther east on now submerged
Eagle Island (cf. Mosely 1905). In other words,
it may be that the Green Creek and Riviere au Vase
phases cohabitated the Sandusky River estuary during
the warm season.
The Weilnau site (cf. Stothers and Abel 1993:63),
located in the interior along the Huron River in northcentral
Ohio, disclosed two deep storage pit features
associated with Green Creek series ceramics and
numerous overlapping postmold lines. Charcoal from
one of these pits was radiocarbon-dated to A.D. 540
(660) 790 (I-16,454). Excavations also disclosed what
may be a single palisade line encircling an area of
approximately one-half hectare. Based on the presence
of the storage features, perimeter fortifications (crude
as they are), and maize remains, this site may represent
an early warm weather hamlet, a site type that comes
to predominate the warm weather settlement aspect
during the subsequent Eiden phase.
Cold weather dispersal to the interior seems probable,
though is at this time poorly documented. At the
Jenkins site (cf. Stothers et al. 1994:165-166), along Old
Woman’s Creek in north central Ohio, a single circular
wall-trench house was found outside a cluster of similar-looking
Wolf phase (A.D. 1250-1450) structures.
Green Creek series ceramics were found within both
the wall trench and interior features. No maize was
associated with this component, possibly suggesting
the absence of maize at interior settlements. A radiocarbon
assay from the structure wall trench returned
an A.D. 1450 intercept date (Beta 84967), which is unacceptable
for this occupation.
Little is known of Green Creek phase mortuary practices,
except that they appear to consist of multipleindividual
bundle burials with few artifactual inclusions.
Middle Woodland mound complexes in the
lower Huron and Sandusky River Valleys attest to a
history of mound construction that does not appear to
have continued into the Green Creek phase (Everett
1882; Stothers et al. 1979). Radiocarbon determinations
from the Esch Mounds suggest their continued use into
the early Green Creek phase; however, the predominant
burial pattern seems to be of discrete cemetery
areas adjacent to warm weather components. The
Taylor site in the Huron River Valley has disclosed
numerous bundled and cremated inhumations in a discrete
cemetery area adjacent to a habitation area that
contains pit features associated with Green Creek
phase ceramics. Work at this component continues, but
two pit features and one burial have been radiocarbondated
to the Green Creek phase. The Baker II site disclosed
a rare dual flexed burial associated with seven
trapezoidal pendants, a stone celt set in an engraved
bone handle, a bipointed stone pick, a butterfly bannerstone
preform, two Snyders projectiles, and a
Chesser/Lowe projectile. The burial feature was radiocarbon-dated
to A.D. 220 (430) 660 (Beta-14758), placing
it in the Middle/Late Woodland transition period
(Abel and Edwards 1990).
THE EVIDENCE
FOR EARLY MAIZE INTRODUCTION
What was once believed to be the earliest maize in
the region was derived from the Indian Island No. 4
site in Maumee Bay of northwestern Ohio. The Indian
Island No. 4 site produced maize cob fragments and
kernels (Table 4.1) from one pit and an associated cultural
level (lower level). A radiocarbon assay on wood
charcoal associated with the pit yielded a calibrated
date of A.D. 440 (650) 780 (DIC-414) (Stothers 1975).
Originally accepted as an uncalibrated date of A.D.
540, this was thought to represent the earliest date on
maize in the Great Lakes region (Stothers and Yarnell
1977). Charcoal from the lower level, which was also
associated with maize, was dated to A.D. 720 (970) 1150
(DIC-301) (Stothers and Yarnell 1977). In addition,
wood charcoal from a nearby pit, which produced no
cultigens, was dated to A.D. 630 (690) 890 (DIC-300).
Still more maize was found in another excavation area,
again, in the lower level, which was associated with
charcoal, producing a calibrated date of A.D. 610 (670)
780 (DIC-415) (Stothers and Yarnell 1977). Maize was
also recovered from another site on the island, Indian
Island No. 3, which was associated with charcoal
Chapter 4 The Early Late Woodland in the Southwestern Lake Erie Littoral Region 79