Bear Creek Site, MI (20SA1043) Project

Summary

The Bear Creek Site (20SA1043) is a small site on a tributary of the Shiawassee River in the Saginaw Valley drainage basin in Michigan. Site elevation is 180.6 AMSL. Archaeological work at the site was determined by the boundaries of a pipeline expansion in the Phase III of this CRM project in 1991, when 73 m2 were excavated in 1 m2 units. Five radiocarbon dates are reported from the site. The stratified deposits (Strata 2-5) represent encampments of short duration beginning ca. 4000 years ago in the terminal Middle Archaic and spanning the duration of the Late Archaic period to about 2000 years ago. A more recent Woodland period occupation is found in the upper strata of the site (Strata 1.1 & 1.2). In addition to faunal remains from all strata, flotation samples produced a relative small floral sample that informs both cultural and palaeoecological reconstruction. The Archaic period lithic assemblage is relatively small but diverse, reflecting chipped and ground stone tools and debitage reflecting extractive and processing activities of both plants and animals. Excavations identified a hearth (Feature 3) and an erosional low spot (Feature 4) where faunal remains, nut remains, and lithic tools and debitage are considered to reflect processing activities and disposal during the Archaic period.

Cite this Record

Bear Creek Site, MI (20SA1043) Project. ( tDAR id: 394388) ; doi:10.6067/XCV88G8NJQ

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Keywords

Culture
Late Archaic • Middle Archaic

Material
Chipped Stone • Dating Sample • Fauna • Fire Cracked Rock • Ground Stone • Macrobotanical • Shell

Site Name
20SA1043 • Bear Creek Site

Site Type
Resource Extraction / Production / Transportation Structure or Features

Investigation Types
Data Recovery / Excavation

General
Faunal Remains - Prehistoric

Geographic Keywords
Saginaw Valley, MI • Southeastern Michigan

Temporal Keywords
Late Archaic • Terminal Middle Archaic

Temporal Coverage

Radiocarbon Date: 2590 to 2430 (2510+/-80 RCYBP; Uncalibrated; Strata 2/3; sheet midden; BETA56425; charcoal)

Radiocarbon Date: 4990 to 4918 (4954+/-36; RCYBP; Uncalibrated; Strata 4/5, Level 7; D-AMS02095; calcined bone4)

Radiocarbon Date: 2370 to 2230 (2250+/-120 RCYBP; Uncalibrated; Strata 2, Feature 4; BETA56118; bone collagen)

Radiocarbon Date: 4032 to 3960 (3996+/-36 RCYBP; Uncalibrated; Strata 3, Level 5; D-AMS020955; calcined bone)

Radiocarbon Date: 4628 to 4548 (4588+/-40 RCYBP; Uncalibrated; Strata 3, Level 5; D-AMS020956; calcined bone)

Radiocarbon Date: 4330 to 4170 (4250+/-80 RCYBC; Uncalibrated; Strata 4/5; sheet midden; BETA56311; calcined bone)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -84.108; min lat: 43.255 ; max long: -84.078; max lat: 43.277 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Beverley Smith

Source Collections

Michigan State University

Related Comparative Collections

Bear Creek Site (20SA1043), Saginaw County, MI

Eastern Archaic Faunal Working Group

Great Lakes/Upper Midwest

Resources Inside this Project (Viewing 1-54 of 54)

Datasets

  1. Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic (1994)
  2. Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic (1994)
  3. Bear Creek Site (20SA1043), MI (1994)

Coding Sheets

  1. Coding sheet for Burning (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  2. Coding sheet for Burning (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  3. Coding sheet for Butchering (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  4. Coding sheet for Butchering (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  5. Coding sheet for Completeness (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2015)
  6. Coding sheet for Completeness (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  7. Coding sheet for Completeness (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2015)
  8. Coding sheet for Completeness (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  9. Coding sheet for Completeness (Bear Creek Site (20SA1043), MI) (2015)
  10. Coding sheet for Context Type (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  11. Coding sheet for Context Type (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  12. Coding sheet for Cultural Aff (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  13. Coding sheet for Cultural Aff (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  14. Coding sheet for Element (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  15. Coding sheet for Element (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  16. Coding sheet for Element (Bear Creek Site (20SA1043), MI) (2015)
  17. Coding sheet for Feature (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  18. Coding sheet for Feature (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2015)
  19. Coding sheet for Feature (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  20. Coding sheet for Gnawed (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  21. Coding sheet for Gnawed (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  22. Coding sheet for Gnawed (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  23. Coding sheet for Lab # (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2015)
  24. Coding sheet for Lab # (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2015)
  25. Coding sheet for Portion (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  26. Coding sheet for Portion (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  27. Coding sheet for Portion (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  28. Coding sheet for Portion (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  29. Coding sheet for Preservation (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  30. Coding sheet for Preservation (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  31. Coding sheet for Quad (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  32. Coding sheet for Quad (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  33. Coding sheet for Recovery (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  34. Coding sheet for Recovery (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  35. Coding sheet for Resource Type (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  36. Coding sheet for Resource Type (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  37. Coding sheet for Side (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  38. Coding sheet for Side (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  39. Coding sheet for Side (Bear Creek Site (20SA1043), MI) (2015)
  40. Coding sheet for Site Type (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  41. Coding sheet for Site Type (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  42. Coding sheet for Spec # (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2015)
  43. Coding sheet for Stratum (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  44. Coding sheet for Stratum (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  45. Coding sheet for Taxon (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2015)
  46. Coding sheet for Taxon (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  47. Coding sheet for Taxon (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2015)
  48. Coding sheet for Taxon (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)
  49. Coding sheet for Taxon (Bear Creek Site (20SA1043), MI) (2015)
  50. Coding sheet for Unit (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Late Archaic) (2016)
  51. Coding sheet for Unit (Bear Creek (20SA1043), MI Middle Archaic) (2016)