Palos Site


The Palos site is located on the Cal-Sag Canal in Cook County, Illinois, United States, near the city of Chicago. It is classified as an Protohistoric to early Historic site with Upper Mississippian affiliation.

History of Archaeological Investigations

The site was excavated under the auspices of the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History by Cheryl Ann Munson and Patrick J. Munson as part of a six-week Anthropology Training Program for high aptitude high school students.

Results of Data Analysis

Excavations at the site yielded Protohistoric to early Historic artifacts, pit features, plant remains and animal bone.

Features

A total of 21 pit features and several scattered post molds were identified at the site. All of them contained ash, charcoal and fire-cracked rock. Most of them were shallow and basin shaped and the rest were deep with vertical sides and flat bottoms.

Animal Remains

Remains from several species were recovered from the site. The main species present were deer and fish, but crayfish, mussels, birds, turtles and smaller mammals were also present. These remains were not modified into tools like the bone tools described in the Artifacts section below, and may be considered food remains.

Plant remains

Flotation techniques were used to recover small plant remains that would otherwise be missed during traditional archaeological activities. As a result, plant remains recovered included maize, one common bean, two hazelnut fragments and several seeds of Carex, and either Chenopodium or Amaranthus. Both Chenopodium and Amaranthus are part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex.

Artifacts

Artifacts recovered from the site included:
The Palos site yielded a small amount of artifacts but most importantly, it has yielded Upper Mississippian pottery in association with early Historic European trade goods. Based on the known dates of introduction of the artifacts, the excavators estimate that the date of occupation for this site is between 1673 and 1693.