GIS Analysis Of Maine’s Indigenous and European Settlements Throughout The Fur Trade

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The development of relationships between Europeans and Indigenous peoples throughout the fur trade was a significant factor in the European settlement of modern-day Maine. Despite the abundance of research into the fur trade, many questions remain about how Europeans chose where to settle and how Indigenous peoples adapted to their new neighbors. This research utilizes GIS to analyze the spatial relationships between European settlements and Indigenous sites with an archaeological presence of fur-bearer remains. By analyzing the spatial relationships and landscapes that define these sites, we can make inferences about European and Indigenous relationships in Maine, from the start of the contact period and throughout the fur trade. This project demonstrates how considering pre-contact Indigenous sites and activities in tandem with post-contact interactions can clarify the changes brought about by European settlement in the Americas.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025   •
• 2025 SHA Poster Submissions

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow