ANTHROPOlOGICAl PAPERS MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOlOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN NO. 17 LAKE SUPERIOR COPPER AND THE INDIANS: MISCELLANEOUS STUDIES OF GREAT LAKES PREHISTORY edited by JAMES B. GRIFFIN ANN ARBOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, 1961 © 1951 by the Regents of the University of Michigan The Museum of Anthropology All rights reserved ISBN (print): 978-1-949098-28-0 ISBN (ebook): 978-1-951519-50-6 Browse all of our books at sites.lsa.umich.edu/archaeology-books. Order our books from the University of Michigan Press at www.press.umich.edu. For permissions, questions, or manuscript queries, contact Museum publications by email at umma- [email protected] or visit the Museum website at lsa.umich.edu/ummaa. FOREWORD This publication was conceived in 1953 as the result of my par ticipation in the first excavation on Isle Royale by Professor Roy W. Drier, which he describes in the first section of the volume. Professor Drier was to write up the results of the field work and prepare a section on the metallurgy of the pre his toric Indians. My task was to describe the archaeological finds from the excavation and to prepare a statement on the cultural relationships of the material. As a part of this program I col laborated with George I. Quimby, Curator of North American Ar chaeology and Ethnology at the Chicago Natural History Museum, in two summer surveys of archaeological sites and collections around the Lake Superior basin in 1956 and 1957. In the sum mer of 1959 another field survey with Mark Papworth was again made along the southeastern and eastern side of Lake Superior. For a variety of reasons I was unable to seriously begin the writing and compiling of the data presented in this volume until the fall of 1960. Unless otherwise identified, the responsi bility for the material in this volume is mine. I am indebted to Professor Drier for his patience at my delay and for his valu able contributions. George I. Quimby has not only prepared val uable sections of the volume but has also shared with me his ex tensive knowledge of Great Lakes prehistory. The drawings of many of the copper artifacts were done by Barbara Gagnon of the Exhibits Museum of the University of Michigan. The transformation of this manuscript into its publishable form has been ably accomplished by Mrs. Clara D. Johnston of the University of Michigan Publications Office. James B. Griffin iii CONTENTS The Michigan College of Mining and Technology Isle Royale Excavations, 1953-1954. Roy W. Drier 1 Contributions on Isle Royale Prehistory. . . . .... 8 Notes on the Pottery from the Michigan College of Mining and Technology Excavations . . . . . 8 Notes on the Plant and Animal Life Associated with Prehistoric Activities on Isle Royale . . . . . . 13 Prehistoric Finds made by Early American Mining Activ- ities on Isle Royale, 1870-1880. . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Archaeological Investigations on Isle Royale, 1892-1930 24 The Acquisition of Isle Royale by the United States . . 30 Early Historical Accounts of the Lake Superior Copper District 32 Early American Mining in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the First Recognition of Prehistoric Mining Activities. . . . . . 47 Prehistoric Copper Pits on the Eastern Side of Lake Superior. James B. Griffin and George I. Quimby 77 The Pic River Site. George I. Quimby . . . 83 The McCollum Site, Nipigon District, Ontario. James B. Griffin and George I. Quimby .........• 91 Various Finds of Copper and Stone Artifacts in the Lake Superior Basin. George I. Quimby and James B. Griffin. 103 Old Copper Specimens from Near Brockville, Ontario 118 Copper Artifacts from Manitoba 124 Interpretation of Technology and Cultural Level from the Copper Pits and Included Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Comments on Current and Recent "Folklore" and Misconceptions About the Lake Superior Prehistoric Copper and the Area in General . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . . . . . • • . . . • • 130 Archaeology and Some Metallurgical Investigative Techniques. Roy W. Drier . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . • . . . . . . 134 Metallurgical Examination of Five Copper Artifacts from Southern Michigan by William C. Root. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.48 Trace Element and Metallographic Studies of Prehistoric Copper Artifacts in North America: A Review. Tyler Bastian. 150 References and Additional Sources . 176 Plates ... (after) 189 v ILLUSTRATIONS Plates (Plates I - XXIII following page 189) I. Fig. 1. Pit 25 on Isle Royale before excavation in June, 1953. Fig. 2. Hammerstones recovered from Pit 25. II. Fig. 1. Pit 25 with excavation at about the 6-foot level. Fig. 2. Excavation party at work on test trench at Chippewa Harbor village site in June, 1953. III. Fig. 1. Rim and decorated sherds from Chippewa Harbor test trench. Fig. 2. Portion of clay pipe bowl from Chippewa Harbor site. Fig. 3. Rim and body sherds from Chippewa Harbor. IV. Fig. 1. Location of Indian Point Village site at east end of McCargoe Cove. Fig. 2. Upper left group are from a small Blackduck style vessel of Late Woodland time, and associated sherds. Fig. 3. Late Woodland body sherds from a different area of Indian Point Village. V. Copper nugget weighing 5, 720 pounds found at a depth of 16-1/2 feet in the Minong Mine, Isle Royale in 1874. VI. Another view of the Minong copper nugget on a dock in Detroit in 1874. VII. View to the north of the Minong Mine area, Isle Royale, taken in 1892 by W. H. Holmes VIII. Tunnel of the Minong Mine in area of many prehistoric pits. IX. Rubble fill of ancient copper pit near the Minong Mine, Isle Royale. X. Hammerstones from ancient pit excavated by W. H. Holmes near the Minong Mine, Isle Royale. XI. Fig. 1. Area of prehistoric copper pits near Minong Mine, Isle Royale before excavation in 1924 by S. A. Barrett for the Mil waukee Public Museum. Fig. 2. Lower and upper prehistoric pits after excavation by S. A. Barrett. XII. Fig. 1. Larger hammerstones from pits excavated by S. A. Barrett near Minong Mine, Isle Royale. Fig. 2. Hammerstones and frag ments from pits excavated by S. A. Barrett near Minong Mine, Isle Royale. XIII. An eighteen-ton mass of native copper uncovered in 1862 at the Mesnard Mine in Keweenaw County, Michigan. XIV. Fig. 1. Copper Pit No. 1, near Point Mamainse, Ontario. Fig. 2. Copper Pit No. 1, near Point Mamainse, Ontario. vi XV. Fig. 1. Copper Pit No. 2 near Point Mamainse, Ontario. Fig. 2. Copper Pit No. 3 near Point Mamil.inse, Ontario. XVI. Fig. 1. Southern section of Pic River site. View to the east from the beach with the Pic River on the right. Fig. 2. View to the east of north and south exposures of occupied zone. XVII. Fig. 1. G. I. Quimby at work clearing sand from occupied zone of Pic River site. Fig. 2. Artifacts from the Pic River occupation zone. XVIII. Fig. 1. The McCollum site from the railroad trestle over the south- east arm of Lake Nipigon, Ontario. Fig. 2. The McCollum site in the foreground with the railroad tracks and Ontario Highway No. 11 in the background. XIX. Copper discs, bracelets, and beads from the McCollum site, Nipigon District, Ontario. XX. Socketed narrow points, broad-bladed beveled points, and socketed beveled knives from the McCollum site, Nipigon District, Ontario. XXI. McCollum site-unworked copper fragments, awls, cylinders, celt, and narrow socketed points. XXII. Projectile points, scrapers, and an ovoid "blank" from the McCollum site. XXIII. Artifacts from near Brockville, Ontario, and Ontonagan, Michigan. XXIV. Three copper gaffs in the Lakehead College collection, Fort William, Ontario, Canada. XXV. Copper specimens from the Fort William, Ontario area in the Thunder Bay Historical Museum. XXVI. Miscellaneous copper finds from Ontario and Manitoba. XXVII. Fig. 1. Bone spear point, projectile points and copper knife from high dune area west of Grant Marais, Alger County, Michigan. Fig. 2. Five copper specimens studied by Dr. W. C. Root from the lower Peninsula of Michigan. XXVIII. Copper artifacts from Manitoba and western Ontario. XXIX. Copper artifacts from southern Manitoba and western Ontario. XXX. Microphotograph of native copper, foged native copper, and cast copper to show the presence and absence of copper--cuprous oxide eutectic. Fig. 1. Native copper. Fig. 2. Forged native copper. Fig. 3. Cast copper. XXXI. Copper artifacts analyzed by R. W. Drier. vii