Archaeological Investigations at a Prehistoric Village Site on Drummond Island Michigan

Conference Paper

Archaeological Investigations at a Prehistoric Village Site on Drummond Island Michigan

Christine N. BRANTSNER

Abstract

During the summers of 1991 and 1992, field crews from the Michigan Sate University Department of Anthropology conducted excavations at the Cloudman site on Drummond Island, located in the St. Mary's River Valley of Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula. Excavations revealed that the site contained occupationally stratified deposits dating from the Middle Woodland, Late Woodland, and protohistoric/contact periods. Analysis of the ceramic assemblage indicates strong connections with other Michigan and Ontario groups. The location of the Cloudman site along the boundary between major eastem and western cultural traditions underscores its importance for understanding prehistoric social and cultural dynamics in this region of the Upper Great Lakes.