Phipps Site facts for kids

The Phipps Site is an ancient place in Iowa, near Cherokee. It's an archaeological site, which means it's where scientists study old human history by digging up things. This site is special because it tells us about the Mill Creek culture, a group of people who lived here a very long time ago. In 1964, it was named a National Historic Landmark, showing how important it is.

Exploring the Phipps Site

The Phipps Site is found next to Mill Creek in Cherokee County. It sits on a wide, flat area about 10 feet (3 meters) above the creek's usual water level.

What Was Found There?

The most important part of the site is a large, deep pile of ancient trash, called a refuse midden. Even though some of it has been lost over time, this pile still holds artifacts more than 8 feet (2.4 meters) deep. This shows that people lived here for a very long time.

Scientists also found signs of homes, like round dips in the ground. These dips are where people built earth lodges. Earth lodges were semi-underground homes typical of the Mill Creek culture.

Among the items found were pieces of pottery from different periods of the Mill Creek culture. They also discovered many bones from birds of prey, like eagles or hawks. This suggests these birds might have been important in their rituals or beliefs. The site also had artifacts from the Middle Mississippian culture. This proves that the people living at the Phipps Site traded with groups from far away.

Digging Up History

The Phipps Site was first explored in the 1930s. More digging happened in 1952 with help from the Sanford Museum in Cherokee and the Iowa Archaeological Society. The University of Iowa also excavated the site in 1955 and 1956. Since then, it has been studied even more.

However, the site faces challenges. It can be damaged by erosion, which is when soil and artifacts are washed away. For example, it was harmed during a big flood in 1993.