1985 Field Report
(Part I)
by
Jean-Luc Pilon
NOGAP Archaeologist
Canadian Museum of Civilization

A brief account of all sites recorded during the summer of 1985 by this author is presented. Keeping in mind the nature of the data, the purpose is to provide the reader with a succinct description of the site and some idea of its potential for future study.

The sites have been arranged in order of their field numbers. These were assigned to all localities investigated, whether proving to have been occupied by human groups or not. With few exceptions, this ordering also results in grouping sites of different lakes together.

Field No: 85JLP-2
Borden No: MkTi-1
Location: lac au Goéland

Evidence of a small hearth area was discovered at the front of a terrace (4.70 m) forming the north shore of a deep embayment on the west side of the lake. Three test units, located within seven metres of each other, contained fire-cracked rock and sparse lithic detritus including a possible cobble core fragment, a unifacial implement fragment and a flake. These remains were found at the base of the thin sod layer (3-5 cm) which lay upon yellow-orange basal sands. The present vegatation cover is characterized by a moderately open spruce forest with a lichen and moss ground cover.

Field No: 85JLP-3
Borden No: MkTi-2
Location: lac au Goéland

The remains of a camp fire were observed near the tip of a low, slight projection on the north shore of a deep embayment on the west side of the lake. These included the charred ends of axe-cut pieces of wood lying on the surface within a circular pattern. No other remains were noted. The local vegetation is a spruce-lichen forest although the arboreal species dominating the immediate site area is brush willow and birch with a moss and lichen ground cover.

Field No: 85JLP-4
Borden No: MkTi-3
Location: lac au Goéland

Numerous test units with evidence of past human occupation were excavated over a wide area located on the front edge and down the slope of a high terrace (4.25 m) situated near the mouth of a deep embayment on the west shore of the lake. Along the top of the terrace, two positive test units (1,4), located over fifty metres apart, contained fire-cracked rock, calcined bone and in one case, a chert flake. Further down on the slope, two test units (2,3) both contained fire-cracked rock, chert flakes, and in test unit 2, calcined bone in a well-defined hearth feature.

Over the whole of the site the stratigraphy is fairly uniform. Under a relatively thin sod (3-5 cm), a thin humus was encountered which rested upon basal sands. These sands were reddened in the top 10 cm or so. However, the lower hearth feature could be easily recognized in the profiles as a bright red basin-shaped deposit which also contained fine powdered calcined faunal remains and ash.

Artifacts tended to be found in the humus or in the top portion of the basal sands. Near test unit 1, a circular depression was observed (diameter-1.50 m, depth 30 cm). A small trench inside revealed what appeared to be a buried humus horizon, but no evidence of human activity. The vegetation on the terrace and its slope is an open spruce-lichen forest.

Field No: 85JLP-5
Borden No: MkTi-4
Location: lac au Goéland

The site is situated on the raised terrace (4 m) of a wide point extending into the lake on the west shore. It is comprised of two definable tent emplacements and a now collapsed raised cache. The tent emplacements were recognized on the basis of structural elements (poles, stakes and stove supports). Within these square to rectangular areas are concentrations of small spruce branches, the remains of bough flooring. Artifacts include various types of tin cans, many of whose labels are still readable. The tent structures were less than 2 m apart. Four metres to the east of the easternmost tent was a raised cache which utilized existing tree stumps as corner supports to hold the platform. Few animal bones were noted, but those which were visible on the surface included hare, beaver and possibly caribou; canned goods included, coffee, canned bacon, snuff tobacco, butter, powdered milk, baking powder, syrup, dried vegetables. The present vegetation over the site is dominated by willow but this clump is surrounded by an open black spruce forest. A short distance behind the site, trees are absent although the area is well-drained. It is composed of low shrub species, grasses, mosses and lichens.

Field No: 85JLP-8
Borden No: MkTi-5
Location: lac au Goéland

A tent emplacement was discovered on a low terrace (less than 2 m) in the first slight embayment on the west shore of the lake from its southern end. The emplacement is defined by a slight depression in the thick moss ground cover, tin stove support stakes and a scatter of items on the surface and partly embedded into the moss. The latter include sealer jars, olive-green spirit bottles, tin cans, bits of canvas and axe-cut wood. The present vegetation on the terrace is dominated by willow bushes and a thick moss ground cover.

Field No: 85JLP-9
Borden No: MkTi-6
Location: lac au Goéland

Fire-cracked rocks were noted eroding from the edge of a low ridge (2 m) on the north side of the bay, situated at the southeastern extremity of the lake. Further investigation revealed a slight mound (1.5-2 m in diameter) with a few fire-cracked rocks protruding through the thin lichen and moss ground cover. A small test unit (30 cm X 20 cm) showed a 20 cm thick hearth deposit with large quantities of fire-cracked rock. Faunal remains were mostly calcined and included both large mammal (caribou?) and fish; a few pieces of chert debitage were collected as well. One additional test unit a few metres to the east also produced some debitage. The vegetation on the narrow ridge is dominated by a lichen and moss ground cover with some black spruce trees; it is presently undergoing active erosion. Behind the ridge, the drainage is impedded and therefore wetter. Near the site, the remains of what appear to be a deadfall were observed.

Field No: 85JLP-11
Borden No: MkTi-7
Location: lac au Goéland

Two tent emplacements and two cache structures were discovered on the point on the west side of the southern portion of the narrows, in the middle of the lake. The tent emplacements and their respective cache structures were well separated from each other. On the lowermost terrace (1 m), a square, slight depression with a clearly different vegetation within it was noted, along with a large rock and stove support stakes. A few metres away, a collapsed raised cache structure with pole ladder was observed.

On the upper terrace (4.25 m) another square depression was recorded; in this case, the outside edges of the depression were lined with at least one spruce pole per side. Near the presumed entrance, two notched logs with charring in these notches were visible. These undoubtedly held a tin stove, likely manufactured from a small steel drum. Tin cans and fragments of a rubber boot were noted nearby. A couple of metres from this second tent emplacement, a collapsed surface cache was located. This small structure only measured 1 m x 1 m, but was a substantial construction made with large logs using saddle notches to lock the corner joints. If the fallen remains are any indication, it must have stood perhaps a metre high; the base is still in place.

Fifteen metres away, some spruce poles with charred extremities indicate the location of some type of external combustion area. The vegetation over most of the site is a very open spruce-lichen forest with brush willow and birch more plentiful on the lower terrace.

Field No: 85JLP-12
Borden No: MkTi-8
Location: lac au Goéland

This mixed prehistoric and historic site also served as our first base camp on the lake. It is situated on a slight point forming the southern limit of the wide and deep embayment on the west of the lake. The most imposing remains are associated with the historic occupation. These are found on the high terrace (5 m) and along the slope down to the lake's edge. Prominent among these are a collapsing cabin which, according to an incription inside the building, was built in 1955. Artifactual remains are prolific and include all kinds of tin cans, bottles, canvas, a tobaggan, etc. Beside the cabin, at least one test unit yielded some chert debitage. The vegetation cover is as expected: lacking in large trees and dominated by brush willow and birch. However, numerous stumps located over the area are indicative of recent logging; some possibly adze-cut stumps were also noted and may suggest older logging activities.

Field No: 85JLP-17
Borden No: MkTi-9
Location: lac au Goéland

Prehistoric remains were recorded over a wide area in five test units on sandy terraces between lac au Goéland and a small lake adjacent to the northwest end of Goéland. On the eastern side of the terrace (i.e., facing lac au Goéland) we observed the remains of a hearth area, (test unit 4) which included fire-cracked rock, charcoal flecks, and calcined bone lying on top of, or slightly embedded in, an oxidized basal sand level.

Twenty metres or so to the north a thin biface was found in a small test unit. To the east of test unit 4, a tree-fall revealed a large concentration of fire-cracked rock. On the western side of the terrace (i.e., the side facing the small lake) four test units were excavated. A sparse scattering of lithic remains were recovered along with one scraping tool fragment, an exhausted core, chert debitage, fire-cracked rock and fresh faunal remains.

The stratigraphy was straight forward in all cases: under a thin lichen and moss vegetation was a layer of decomposing organic material lying on a basal yellow sand. Where hearth materials were encountered, the top portion of the basal sands were oxidized and appeared to form a reddened basin. This reddened layer, however, seemed ubiquitous in the western area and may relate to forest fire activity. Artifacts were recovered from the base of the sod and in the upper portions of the basal sands. The vegetation cover over the site area is an open black spruce-lichen forest, although the western area is a clearing with only lichens and mosses forming a ground cover. Recent use is also noted in the western area with the remains of a camp-fire and a crushed tin container or stove.

Field No: 85JLP-19
Borden No: MlTk-1
Location: lac à la Truite

Extensive scatters of historic materials were found on the terraces of a point on the north shore, just west of the narrrows in the middle of the lake. At least three distinct scatters were recorded and two of these may also have had the remains of tent emplacements within them. The artifacts included all sorts of tin cans with labels which could still be read. Numerous rocks, apparently broken by fire, but not as small as fire-cracked rock on prehistoric sites nor exhibiting the same characteristic angular break pattern, were found in two of the artifact scatters (these ranged in size between about 16 square metres to over 120 square metres). In one case, the remains of a heavy string was still fastened around the rock's mid-section. Nearby, short cut sections from branches or poles (diameter 5-10 cm) were also found, some with the same type of string also tied around their middles. These would appear to be the remains of gill net weights and floats. Moose bones were noted on the surface. On the southern, steeply eroding bank of the point, faunal elements and fire-cracked rock were noted down the slope. Further investigation revealed birch bark fragments (some with stitch holes), fire-cracked rock and faunal remains contained in the base of a fairly thick sod level. At the base of the slope, in the water, a large roll of birch bark was found and retreaved for further analysis. The arboreal cover over the site area is a mixture of a few black spruce with clumps of brush willow, alder and birch. The ground cover is composed of grasses with some mosses and lichens.

We returned to this locality in 1991.

Field No: 85JLP-20
Borden No: MlTj-1
Location: lac à la Truite

A number of positive units were excavated along a narrow low terrace on a marked point on the north shore of the lake. The terrace was no more than 4 to 5 m in width and backed against a steep slope. Evidence from a test in proximity to the active beach (test unit 8) suggests that the site is being destroyed by erosion and that some areas are undergoing deposition by ice-rafting. However, it appears that the erosional forces are more important than the depositional ones.

The finds include fire-cracked rock and faunal remains (both fresh and calcined). In the westernmost test unit (test unit 1), a hearth feature was found just below the sod level which had a distinct ash layer with fire-cracked rock on a basin-shaped oxidized sand level and sterile sand.

In the middle of the tested area (test unit 4), a buried humus containing faunal remains and at least one fire-cracked rock was found under what appear to be ice-pushed cultural deposits. These are characterised by a jumble of mostly calcined bone in a grey-brown layer. These deposits seem to form a small mound and thus strengthens the notion of deposition by ice-pushing of nearby cultural deposits. The present vegetation cover on the terrace is mostly grasses and lichens with some shrubs and spruce trees at the rear of the terrace.

Field No: 85JLP-24
Borden No: MkTk-5
Location: lac à la Truite

Prehistoric remains were located on a series of low terraces situated on the right of the mouth of a small creek entering the lake in its southwestern extremity. At least three terrace are clearly visible and range from 1 m to 4.50 m above the lake level. Positive test units were dug on the lower two. In addition to these test units, concentrations of fire-cracked rock were observed protruding through the thin lichen ground cover. At least one chert flake was found in a unit on the lowermost terrace, while limited faunal remains were recovered in association with fire-cracked rock from the higher terrace. The black spruce arboreal cover is fairly continuous and quite open on the lower terrace, while only occasional trees are found on the higher terraces.

Field No: 85JLP-25
Borden No: MkTk-6
Location: lac à la Truite

Prehistoric remains were located opposite 85JLP-24 (MkTk-5) on the left of the mouth of a small creek entering the lake in its southwestern extremity. Two terraces are definable. The western end of the second terrace rises to form a ridge. On this ridge, fire-cracked rocks were visible from the surface and two small test units revealed powdered calcined bone, fire-cracked rock and at least one chert flake in the yellow sands underlying the thin lichen and moss ground cover. Further to the east, fire-cracked rock and faunal remains were recovered on the second terrace. These were found in the thin (5 cm) humus and included fish remains. The present vegetation cover over the general site area is an open spruce-lichen forest with large clearings; willow and birch line the shoreline behind the cobble beach.

Field No: 85JLP-26
Borden No: MlTj-2
Location: Location: lac à la Truite

Evidence of prehistoric, as well as more recent historic occupations, were discovered on a terrace located on the west side of a point extending into the lake on the north side of the narrows situated in the middle of the lake. The front edge and slope of the terrace lack arboreal vegetation cover; instead there is only a thin carpeting of lichens and grasses. At two separate areas on the terrace, fire-cracked rocks were observed protruding through the thin vegetation cover. Elsewhere, especially near the northwestern end of the open area, abundant evidence of more recent occupations was discovered. These ranged from the casing of an unmarked, large caliber cartridge, a fragment of cloth which might be a cotton fabric, various cut and split pieces of wood, a raised cache ladder and cut strips of birch bark. But, the most impressive find was an apparently complete birch bark canoe lying virtually on the surface. The canoe has long since collapsed on itself, but all elements seem present. The original length of the craft is estimated at approximately 6-7 m. There is no evidence of the use of metal in its manufacture. In fact, the different mortise and tenon joints which held the thwarts to the gunwales exhibit a high degree of craftsmanship. Holes just behind the tenons suggest that the joint was held in place by binding as there were no signs of pinning. The birch bark which covered the exterior of the canoe is still present and in a very brittle state. It still retains the closely spaced holes by means of which it was sewn together.

Two test blocks were excavated near the canoe not so much for its proximity to the craft as for the apparent concentration of fire-cracked rock. In the upper portion of the thin sod/humus layer, some historic materials were recovered which included numerous cut strips of birch bark and two small octagonal shaped birch bark appliqués, one of which has a number of small stitch holes within it. Also recovered was a crescent-shaped tobacco stamp and two unidentified ferrous metal objects. At the base of the sod/humus and imbedded into the underlying sand, were fire-cracked rocks, faunal remains, chert flakes and a thin, bifacially flaked slate or sandstone tool. A hearth feature was located in the center of the westernmost block.

To the north of the test area, two test units in a much smaller clearing which could be a tent emplacement, yielded significant quantities of faunal remains, most of which appear to be caribou. These were recovered from the thick sphagnum carpet.

Additional work was conducted at this site in 1986 and in1987.