Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center

This discoidal has circular impressions in the centers of both sides that do not go all the way through. It was recovered during excavations in the early 2000s at the Sanford Archaeological District in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Discoidals are generally…

This celt is made of pecked and ground basalt. It was recovered during the 2008 excavations at the Sand Lake Archaeological District located north of La Crosse, Wisconsin. This celt is somewhat asymmetrical, with a narrow, but highly polished bit…

This well-preserved hoe is made from the left scapula (shoulder blade) of an adult elk. The blade is worn, rounded, and polished from use as a hoe. The hole punched or chipped through the center is worn along the edges,…

The paste and form of this vessel is consistent with La Crosse Oneota pottery; however, the rim and the decorative motif do not fit the typical pattern. This vessel has a typical Perrot Punctate motif, but the rim is decorated…

Seventy-five lead and pewter 4 holed military buttons were recovered during the 1999 excavations at Second Fort Crawford in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. This included fifty-seven from the Enlisted Men’s Quarters, eleven from the Boardwalk outside the Enlisted Men’s Quarters,…

This mano, or handheld grinding stone, is made of a whitish granite that probably came from glacial outwash deposited along the Mississippi and Black Rivers. It has one distinctly flat surface with minor pitting in the center from slight hammering.…

Whistles made from long bones of large birds (e.g., goose) are sometimes found at local Oneota sites. This short, heavily worked section of bird long bone can probably be classified as a whistle, although its form is unusual. The surface…

Vessel 29 was found at the base of an ash lens in an oval storage or refuse pit. This Koshkonong Bold variety bold vessel portion has a distinctive handle attached at the lip. The handle is a loop, flattened on…

These two pieces of worked bone have polish and perforations and were probably needle-related implements of some type. The top needle (or perhaps a shuttle?) is a narrow, fairly flat section of long bone from a bird. It has a…

This Woodland tradition, Linn Ware vessel was found during the 1983 excavations at the Overhead site south of La Crosse, Wisconsin. The vessel was found in a pottery concentration that had no visible staining or charcoal flecks. The vessel is…