Winooski Archeological Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Winooski Archeological Site
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| Location | Winooski, Vermont |
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| Area | 15 acres (6.1 ha) |
| Built | 0400 |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000234 |
| Added to NRHP | January 5, 1978 |
The Winooski Archeological Site is a special place in Winooski, Vermont. It is also called VT-CH-46 by archaeologists. This site shows us where Native American people lived a very long time ago.
It was first found in 1972. This site is one of the biggest places in the northeastern United States where people lived during the Middle Woodland period. This period was from about 200 BC to AD 700. In 1978, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important historical place that needs to be protected.
Exploring the Winooski Site
The Winooski Archeological Site is located on a flat area next to the Winooski River. It is surrounded by wet, marshy land. This might have made it a small piece of land sticking out into the water, like a peninsula, when people lived there.
Layers of History
This site has many layers, like a cake. Each layer tells a story. Old tools and other items are mixed with silt (fine dirt) from river floods. This shows how the river changed over time and covered up old settlements.
Archaeologists have found many interesting things here. They found parts of old campfires. They also found pieces of pottery, which are called ceramic fragments. Stone tools and sharp projectile points (like arrowheads) were also discovered. There was even a lot of "debitage," which is the leftover bits from making stone tools.
Some people think this site might be "Winoosqueak." This was a Native American village mentioned in old French writings about the area.
How the Site Was Found
An amateur archaeologist first found the Winooski site in 1972. From the beginning, experts worried that the river might wash away parts of the site.
During the 1970s, state archaeologists studied the area. They worked to figure out how big the site was and what was there. They learned that some of the stones found at the site came from as far away as Pennsylvania. This shows that the people living here traded with others or traveled far.
The pottery styles found at Winooski are similar to those from the Saint Lawrence River valley and the Great Lakes region. This suggests that the people here had connections with groups from those areas.
It's still a mystery whether people lived at the Winooski site all year round, or if they just visited for short times over many years. More archaeological work might help us answer this question.
