Plum Island Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Plum Island Site |
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| Location | on the Illinois River in LaSalle County, Illinois |
| Area | 3 acres |
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The Plum Island Site (Ls-2) is located in the Illinois River near Starved Rock, LaSalle County, Illinois, in the vicinity of the Hotel Plaza site and the Zimmerman site (aka Grand Village of the Illinois). It is a multi-component site representing Prehistoric, Protohistoric and early Historic periods, with the main occupation being a late Prehistoric to early Historic component with Upper Mississippian affiliation.
History of Archaeological Investigations
Excavations took place in 1930 under the auspices of the University of Illinois and overseen by Arthur Randolph Kelly. A total of 7,316 artifacts was collected, but the site report was not done until 1964 when Gloria Fenner of the University of Illinois did a Master's Thesis and followed it up with an article in the Illinois Archaeological Survey. Unfortunately, in the interim between excavation and the report, many of the artifacts were misplaced and some stratigraphic information was lost.
Significance
The Plum Island site reflects a series of occupations going back thousands of years, but the main occupation consists of a late Prehistoric Upper Mississippian component. This component apparently lasts until the Protohistoric or early Historic period based on the European trade goods present at the site.
No house structures were present at the site, but the presence of numerous pit features indicates intensive occupation took place, possibly to harvest and roast plants like macoupins in the fire pits. Very little bison bone was found in the food remains, possibly because bison were not present until after A.D. 1600 in most of Illinois.
The trait list of Plum Island was compared to that of other sites in Illinois to gauge regional relationships in material culture. It was found that Plum Island shared 79% of traits with the Heally Component at the Zimmerman Site; 75% with the Fisher Period B; and 67% with the Gentleman Farm site. The trait lists combined all attributes including pottery, other artifacts, features, plant remains and animal remains.
