Archaeological Survey Within Designated Portions of the Proposed Len Small Floodway in Dogtooth Bend, Alexander County, Illinois

Abstract

Abstract : This report documents the findings of Phase I cultural resources survey of a portion of the proposed Len Small floodway, Alexander County, Illinois. The proposed Len Small Floodway would be the Illinois portion of the larger Mississippi River and Tributaries Commerce to Birds-Point Levee project also located in Scott County, Missouri. Dogtooth Bend is a large meander loop of the Mississippi River between river miles 14 and 34 upstream from the confluence with the Ohio. During high water, such as the Flood of 1993, Mississippi River floodwaters flow across the meander neck. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIU-C) conducted a survey in 1993 and the present investigation builds on that work. In 2004, 1294 acres (524 hectares) were surveyed. Survey areas were based on those for which tenant/landowner permission was obtained. A total of 78 archaeological sites and isolated finds were investigated; 46 new sites were reported. Of the remaining 32 sites previously reported (most by SIU-C in 1993), 13 sites were revisited, 8 sites could not be found and apparently were destroyed by the 1993 flood, and 11 sites were inaccessible for various reasons. The contractor recommended 19 sites, including the historic period Lake Milligan Cemetery, as possibly eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and these would be tested and mitigated, if appropriate, prior to construction. Forty-eight sites, including the 8 apparently destroyed in 1993, were determined ineligible. The prehistoric sties ranged from late Archaic through Mississippian period. The Mississippian components are most common and are undoubtedly related to the Dogtooth Bend Mound Center, listed on the National Register of Historic Place, which would not be impacted by the floodway. Historic period sites ranged from the late nineteenth through mid-twentieth century.