Appendix H - Historical Archaeological and ... - CBP.gov

more during the Archaic period by cultures to the north and west. Another hypothesis is related
to early terrace preservation from ongoing lateral fluvial erosion during the Holocene. However,
preservation biases would seem as likely to have affected Early Archaic sites as Middle Archaic
sites.
Yet another hypothesis offered is that sites of the period that were oriented toward wetland and
anadromous resources may now be eroded (e.g., by a rise in freshwater Lake Champlain levels)
or impacted by development during the historic and modern time periods. For example, if sites
were located near Missisquoi Bay in northwestern Vermont in order to exploit wetland resources
in the Archaic, those sites would now lie well below the present-day surface of Lake Champlain.
Drowned sites off Lake Champlain’s present shoreline remain a possibility, although shoreline
erosion would probably have affected the integrity of such sites. While the upper reaches of the
Missisquoi River might not have supported significant anadromous fishing sites, archaeologists
could expect to find some evidence of human exploitation of aquatic resources in the northern
border project area. Refinement of Vermont’s Middle Archaic awaits more exploration of welldated
archaeological contexts.
Archaeologists believe that by the Late Archaic Period, the Northeast had a substantial resident
population. Regionally, archaeologists define four major archaeological traditions for the Late
Archaic period (i.e., Laurentian, Narrow Point, Susquehanna, and Maritime Archaic), and these
are subdivided into phases. All traditions but the Maritime Archaic appear to occur in Vermont
and New Hampshire, where a blending of the four traditions appear that created a culture unique
to the region (Starbuck, 2006). Late Archaic sites have been found in association with major
drainages and bordering wetlands, in minor streams and tributaries, in once marginal upland
areas, and on upland ridges. While Late Archaic sites are by no means rare in Vermont (Bailey,
1939; Thomas, 1992; Haviland and Power, 1994; Thomas, 2002), well-documented assemblages
with absolute dating of associated features are uncommon. Late Archaic occupations at the
Grand Isle Fish Hatchery are consistent with settlement patterns anticipated for this period. The
radiocarbon dated Late Archaic Saxe Brook North Site in Highgate, Vermont was positioned at
an important river confluence. Its artifacts and faunal remains point to strong use of wetland
resources along the fringes of the Rock River, and are consistent with what we know of the Late
Archaic period (Sloma and Callum 2001). Late Archaic sites are also represented on the
Vermont side of the Connecticut River at Sumner’s Falls and Skitchewaug. Occasionally,
unusual finds have been discovered associated with the Late Archic, such as the unearthing of a
rare cache of sixteen Late Archaic projectile points in Rutland, Vermont in 2010 (Minichiello,
2010).
Although rare in the Northeast, one example of a Glacial Kame burial site dated to the Late
Archaic was identified in western Vermont in a gravel pit on Isle LaMotte (Haviland and Power,
1994; Thomas et al., 1992). Ceremonial burials of this kind are found in gravel ridges or glacial
kames. The Isle La Motte Cemetery site yielded two burials consisting of burned and unburned
bone stained with red ochre. Sandal sole gorgets made of marine shell and other exotic items
suggest an affiliation with the Glacial Kame burial complex that is focused in the south-central
Great Lakes (Thomas, 1994:65). During the Late Archaic, differential temporal and spatial
environmental exploitation for habitation and burial sites is typical. Distribution of sites across
Vermont’s landscape is extensive and “sites in a number of environments will be difficult to
locate” (Thomas, 1994:66). By the Late Archaic period, habitation and resource exploitation
Northern Border Activities H-15 July 2012