Mapping Musketballs: Exploring Ammunition at Fort St. Joseph

Summary

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

Musket balls were used by military personnel, settlers, and traders for hunting, warfare, gifting and exchange throughout New France. These small finds at archaeological sites can provide information about eighteenth-century firearm use and life at military forts, trading posts, and settlements. Recently, an analysis of musket balls recovered from Fort St. Joseph, an eighteenth-century mission, garrison, and trading post, revealed the caliber size of each and offered additional evidence on the types of firearms in use at the site. To build on this research, a spatial analysis will be performed in hopes of locating specific areas on site where musket balls were recovered through excavation. From this analysis, a better understanding of daily life and firearm use at Fort St. Joseph will be gained and can contribute to our understanding of military and trading operations in the Great Lakes area.

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