Beyond the Walls: An Examination of Michilimackinac's Extramural Settlement

Summary

Since 1959 the continuous archaeological investigations at Fort Michilimackinac have shaped our understanding of colonial life in the Great Lakes. The fort served as the center of a vast, multicultural trade network. While the Fort’s interior continues to be vigorously excavated, little attention has been given to the larger village that emerged outside the Fort’s walls in the latter half of the eighteenth century. Summer excavations from 1970-1973, conducted by Lyle Stone, attempted to explore this settlement, and uncovered three rowhouses. However, no thorough analysis of these homes has been undertaken. Nor has any comparative analysis has been implemented to examine the complexity of life outside the walls. I aim to explore what the external village may have looked like in terms of community, architecture, and materiality. I further intend to examine the similarities and differences between domestic life inside and outside the walls of Fort Michilimackinac. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2016   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 530