Platte River Campground Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Platte River Campground
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Portion of the Platte River Campground Site
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | along the Platte River, within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore |
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| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 90000605 |
| Added to NRHP | April 27, 1990 |
The Platte River Campground Site (also called 20BZ16) is a very old place where people used to live. It's located right by the Platte River in Empire, Michigan. This special spot is found within the amazing Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
This site is super important because it holds clues about how people lived a very long time ago. It's like a time capsule showing us prehistoric life. Because of its historical value, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Contents
Discovering the Past at Platte River
The Platte River Campground site was used by people on and off for many years. Experts think people visited this area between the years A.D. 130 and 1269. This was during the Middle and Late Woodland period.
It seems like people used this spot for short visits, maybe as a seasonal camping site. They likely didn't live here all year round.
From Logging to Camping
Much later, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, a logging town called Edgewater grew up here. This town was right on the shore of Platte Lake. Parts of this logging community were built over the ancient camping grounds.
After the trees were cut down, the State of Michigan turned the area into a campground. This campground later became part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore when it was created in 1973.
Finding Hidden History
Archaeologists first found old artifacts at the Platte River Campground in 1985. It's interesting because another survey in 1976 had missed this ancient site.
In 1987, more archaeological digs happened here. These digs were done to see how a planned campground upgrade might affect the old site. Even though the area had been a busy campground for over 50 years, many ancient clues were still safe underground.
What We Found at the Site
The Platte River Campground site stretches about 300 meters along the north side of the Platte River. It goes back up to 160 meters from the riverbank. This is a "multicomponent" site, meaning it has layers of history.
People lived here many times during the Middle and Late Woodland Periods. There were also people living here around the early 1900s. Because of this, archaeologists found artifacts from different time periods.
Tools and Treasures
Many of the items found were "fire-cracked rocks" and "chert flakes." Fire-cracked rocks are stones that were heated in fires, possibly for cooking. Chert flakes are small pieces of stone left over from making tools.
Archaeologists also found pieces of pottery, called ceramic shards. They discovered stone arrowheads or spear points. Two celts were also found, which are like ancient axes or chisels. Plus, two artifacts made of copper were uncovered.
Some more recent historical items were also found. These likely belonged to the logging community of Edgewater that lived there in the early 1900s.
