Revealing the Hidden Landscape: Saint Croix Island International Historical Site beyond French Colonial Settlement

Author(s): Margaret Wilkes

Year: 2020

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Northeast Region National Park Service Archeological Landscapes and the Stories They Tell" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Baseline documentation and climate change research focus on identifying and interpreting archeological remains to help guide immediate- to long term treatment and preservation of the actively eroding Saint Croix Island. The integrated high resolution remote sensing surveys on the southern end of the island mapped evidence of historic occupation and provided insight to the geological stratigraphy underlying the ground surface. Combined with baseline inventory and tribal consulting this work has brought a focus to the use and habitation of the island pre- and post- French colonial occupation in 1604 and provides critical information to the potential for continued erosion. Saint Croix Island, and the failed 1604 French colonization attempt are fundamental themes for interpretation by the park. However, a broader landscape focus of the entire park including the mainland tracts tells an engaging story of the occupation and use of this environment rich in natural resources over thousands of years.

Cite this Record

Revealing the Hidden Landscape: Saint Croix Island International Historical Site beyond French Colonial Settlement. Margaret Wilkes. 2020 ( tDAR id: 457167)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 310