Ground Penetrating Radar in the Northern Great Lakes: A Trial Survey of a Contact Period Occupation in Marquette County, Michigan

ABSTRACT

Timing, inclement weather, and limited budgets can obstruct archaeological survey efforts. Here, we ameliorate some of these with use of ground penetrating radar (GPR) at the Goose Lake Outlet #3 (GLO#3) site (20MQ140). GPR surveys to guide survey and excavation efforts in these well-drained sandy soils are limited. GPR imagery exhibited false positives; however, shovel probes, subsequent site excavation, and artifact analysis led to numerous discoveries at this protohistoric site—including glass trade beads dating to the 1630s. These discoveries solidify evidence for some of the earliest European-made trade items in the region and provide further confirmation for placement of an Indian trail and ancient travel corridor between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. Two ¹⁴C samples obtained from moose-bone in features with trade goods fall within the expected occupation range of 1633–1668 and 1615–1647. Several anomolies, possible hearth clusters were seen on the GPR imagery; however, many features remained invisible.

KEYWORDS:

• ground penetrating radar (GPR)
• 3-D visualization
• contact period
• protohistoric fur trade site
• Great Lakes

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the original discoverers and excavators of the GLO#3 site, including Jim Paquette and Randy Champion, Marla Buckmaster, the late John Anderton, as well as the many volunteers that participated on this project. We extend our thanks for the professional assistance of Terrance Martin and Kathyrn Parker, who contributed their professional expertise in the analysis of faunal and floral materials from the site, and who, among others contributed to the 2015 paper that helped lead to this article. Additional thanks to Jim Paquette for use of his compilation of research for the Trygg map. We also thank the editor of the MCJA and five anonymous reviewers who provided critical commentary that helped us to improve the article. Original support from Cliffs Natural Resources (property owners) for permission to excavate, as well as Northern Michigan University for John Anderton's 2013 faculty research grant, is also greatly appreciated, as is the assistance of the Marquette Regional History Center and the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on the Contributors

Robert Legg is a professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences at Northern Michigan University, Marquette, and leads the geomatics programs within the university. His research focuses on applied spatial analysis, geographic information science (GIS), and spatial modeling. For archaeological applications, he has a particular interest in predictive archaeological modeling for cultural resource management, settlement pattern analysis, and quantifying and mapping human-environmental interactions.

Scott Demel is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Northern Michigan University, Marquette. His research focuses on how different ethnic groups have used the Great Lakes throughout prehistory and into the mid-nineteenth century. To fully understand the opportunities available along these inland coasts, Demel investigates all aspects of the natural environment and the cultural landscape, identifying how humans have adapted to this dynamic region.

ORCID

Robert J. Legg http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2846-8241

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This project was in part funded by a Faculty Research Grant from Northern Michigan University.