Modoc Rock Shelter (11R5), Randolph County, Illinois

This collection includes information derived from multiple years of excavation at Modoc Rock Shelter (11R5), Randolph County, Illinois, located in the central Mississippi River valley. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a National Historic Landmark. The site is situated at the base of the bluffs of the Mississippi River Valley at the junction of Barbeau Creek with the main valley at a distance of about 5 km from modern channel of the Mississippi River. More than 8.5 meters of stratified cultural and natural colluvial and alluvial deposits accumulated at the base of the sandstone bluffs under slight rock overhangs at this locality. They document a series of Early, Middle, and Late Archaic encampments with well-preserved cultural remains.

Initial excavation occurred at Modoc Rock Shelter (11R5) in summer 1952 directed by Melvin Fowler (Illinois State Museum Curator of Anthropology and University of Chicago graduate student) and Irvin Peithman (amateur archaeologist from nearby town of Chester, Illinois). During the 1952 excavations, 5 foot square units were excavated in 4-inch vertical levels to a depth of a few feet in the Main Shelter area. Sediments were screened through 1/4 inch mesh.

The 1953 excavations in the Central Pit and West Pillar areas of the Main Shelter were directed by Howard D. Winters and sponsored by the University of Chicago and the Illinois State Museum. The deep excavation in the Central Pit reached bedrock. Sediment was screened through 1/4 inch mesh.

Further excavations took place in 1955 and 1956 by Dr. Melvin Fowler under the auspices of the Illinois State Museum and the University of Chicago. In 1955, 1-foot arbitrary levels were excavated about five vertical feet of sediments from the Main Shelter area. During the 1956 field season, a 6.1 m by 9.1 m block was excavated in the West Shelter area, located about 50 m west of the Main Shelter. All sediments were screened through 1/4 inch mesh.

Subsequent excavations by the Illinois State Museum (Dr. Bonnie Styles) and University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (Dr. Melvin Fowler) using improved excavation and recovery techniques took place in 1980, 1984, and 1987. Drs. Styles and Fowler directed the 1980 excavations. Sediments were waterscreened through nested screens with 1/4" and 1/16" mesh, and samples were saved for flotation with 1/16" mesh for the heavy fraction. Drs. Styles, Fowler and Ahler directed the 1984 excavations under the auspices of a National Science Foundation grant. Sediments were screened through 1/4" mesh with samples saved for flotation with 1/16" mesh for the heavy fraction. Dr. Steven Ahler directed the 1987 excavations for the Illinois State Museum with funding from the National Geographic Society. Recovery followed that used in the 1984 excavations.

Faunal data for excavations that occurred in 1953, 1956, 1980, 1984, and 1987 are included as separate projects by year. Gastropod data are presented in separate databases from the vertebrate and freshwater mussels data because snails were identified and analyzed by a different analyst.

Site Name Keywords
Modoc Rock Shelter (11R5)

Site Type Keywords
Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex • Settlements • Encampment • Domestic Structures • Rock Shelter • Resource Extraction / Production / Transportation Structure or Features • Hunting / Trapping • Funerary and Burial Structures or Features • Isolated Burial • Archaeological Feature

Other Keywords
Faunal Remains - Prehistoric • Gastropod

Culture Keywords
Archaic • Early Archaic • Middle Archaic • Late Archaic • Woodland

Investigation Types
Data Recovery / Excavation • Environment Research • Research Design / Data Recovery Plan

Material Types
Fauna • Dating Sample • Shell • Chipped Stone • Ground Stone • Macrobotanical • Fire Cracked Rock • Pollen • Human Remains

Temporal Keywords
Middle Archaic • Early Archaic • Late Archaic • Woodland • Archaic

Geographic Keywords
United States of America (Country) • Illinois (State / Territory) • Randolph County (County) • North America (Continent) • Randolph County, southwestern Illinois • Central Mississippi River Valley, USA • USA (Country)

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-13 of 13)

There are 13 Datasets within this Collection [remove this filter]

Datasets
  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1953 Fauna dataset Central Pit 1/4" Screen (1953)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. Bonnie Styles.

    The 1953 faunal remains from the Central Pit at Modoc Rock Shelter (11R5) were initially identified by Paul W. Parmalee of the Illinois State Museum. In 1980, Karli White and Bonnie Styles (Illinois State Museum) re-examined the 1953 identifications, augmented the identifications, and entered them into a database.

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1953 Fauna dataset West Pillar 1/4" Screen (1953)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. Bonnie Styles. Paul W. Parmalee. Karli E. White.

    The 1953 faunal remains from the West Pillar at Modoc Rock Shelter (11R5) were initially identified by Paul W. Parmalee of the Illinois State Museum. In 1980, Karli White and Bonnie Styles (Illinois State Museum) re-examined the 1953 identifications, augmented the identifications, and entered them into a database.

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1956 West Shelter Gastropod dataset (1956)
    DATASET James L. Theler. Mona Colburn.

    Gastropod remains from the 1956 field season deep excavation in the West Shelter area. Gastropods were recovered via either hand picking or screening through 1/4" (6.4mm) mesh. In 1991, a sample of 1956 strata was chosen by Steven R. Ahler to represent a contiguous cross-section of the 1956 excavations. The gastropod samples from the 1956 excavation were identified and analyzed by James L. Theler (University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse). In 2015, Mona Colburn (Illinois State Museum) entered data...

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1980 Fauna dataset-West Shelter 1/16 inch waterscreen (1980)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. Bonnie Styles. James R. Purdue.

    This data set contains the faunal data recovered by 1/16 inch waterscreening during the 1980 excavations conducted at Modoc Rock Shelter (11R5). Modoc Rock Shelter is in the central Mississippi River valley in Randolph County, Illinois. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. Excavation was conducted by Bonnie Styles, Melvin Fowler, and Steven Ahler under the auspices of the Illinois State Museum and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee....

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1980 Fauna dataset-West Shelter 1/4 inch waterscreen (1980)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. Bonnie Styles. Holly Ann Carr.

    This data set contains the faunal data recovered with 1/4 inch waterscreening during the 1980 excavations conducted at Modoc Rock Shelter (11R5). Modoc Rock Shelter is in the central Mississippi River valley in Randolph County, Illinois. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. Excavation was conducted by Bonnie Styles, Melvin Fowler, and Steven Ahler under the auspices of the Illinois State Museum and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee....

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1980 West Shelter-Snails in 4 liter-Stratigraphic Samples (1980)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. James L. Theler.

    The 1980 excavations at Modoc Rock Shelter collected an approximately 4 liter sediment sample from each of the major stratigraphic zones exposed in the profiles in the West Shelter for malacological analysis. David Baerreis (University of Wisconsin, Madison) and James Theler (University of Wisconsin, Madison) and identified an analyzed the gastropods recorded in this database.

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1980-West Shelter Units C, D, and F-Snails in Flot Samples (1980)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. James L. Theler.

    The database includes gastropods identified and analyzed by James Theler (University of Wisconsin, Madison). The gastropods were recovered in the heavy fraction from flotation samples, usually 15 liters in volume, from Excavation Units C, D, and F from the 1980 excavations in the West Shelter at Modoc Rock Shelter.

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1984 East Pillar 1/4" Faunal data (1984)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. Bonnie Styles.

    This data set contains the vertebrate and freshwater mussel data excavated in 1984 from the East Pillar and processed with 1/4" waterscreening. The East Pillar is located within the Main Shelter area of Modoc; it includes Units G, H, and J (no bones were identified from J). Vertebrate remains were identified by Mona Colburn using the Illinois State Museum Osteological Comparative Collection, and checked by Dr. Bonnie Styles. Freshwater mussels were identified by Bonnie Styles and verified...

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1984 Main Trench 1/4" Fauna (1984)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. Bonnie Styles.

    This data set contains the vertebrate and molluscan remains excavated in 1984 from the Main Trench, and processed with 1/4" water-screening. The Main Trench, which is located within the Main Shelter area of Modoc, includes Units A, B, I, C, and E. 1984 excavations were funded by the National Science Foundation. Vertebrate remains were identified by Mona Colburn using the Osteological Collections of the Illinois State Museum; and checked by Dr. Bonnie Styles. Bivalves were identified by...

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1984 Unit D 1/4" Faunal data (1984)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. Bonnie Styles.

    Unit D was excavated in an elevated non-sheltered area between the Main Shelter and the West Shelter (the latter was excavated earlier, in 1980). Unit D shows that the two shelters areas at Modoc have independent and separate stratigraphies, and that they need to be treated as two sites. Faunal remains were recovered via 1/4" waterscreen and 1/16 " waterscreen. Remains include vertebrates, freshwater mussels, and gastropods. Faunal remains were identified by Mona Colburn using the...

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1984 West Pillar 1/4" Faunal data (1984)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. Bonnie Styles.

    Faunal remains were excavated from the West Pillar (Unit F) at Modoc Rock Shelter (11R5) and processed with 1/4" waterscreening. Remains include vertebrates, gastropods, and freshwater mussels. Remains were identified by Mona Colburn using the Osteological Collections of the Illinois State Museum; and checked by Dr. Bonnie Styles.

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1987 Fauna dataset-East Pillar-1/4" screen (1987)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. Bonnie Styles. Paula Thorson.

    Faunal remains reported here were recovered by dry-screening through 1/4 inch mesh and from flotation (heavy fraction) using 1/16 inch mesh. Using the comparative faunal collection at the Illinois State Museum, Paula Thorson identified vertebrate remains from 1/4" screen and flotation and Dr. Bonnie Styles identified freshwater mussels from 1/4" screen only. Dr. Bonnie W. Styles directed the faunal analyses and verified faunal identifications.

  • Modoc Rock Shelter, IL (11R5)-1987 Fauna dataset-East Pillar-Flotation 1/16" mesh (1987)
    DATASET Mona Colburn. Bonnie Styles. Paula Thorson.

    Faunal remains recovered during the 1987 field season by water flotation using 1/16 inch mesh. Identified by Paula Thorson using the comparative osteology collection at the Illinois State Museum. Identifications were verified by Dr. Bonnie W. Styles.