Investigations with the Office of the State Archaeologist by Matthew Streeter
FIGURE 1. A soil core is described in Plymouth County to identify potential settlement locations of the Mill Creek culture.
THE IGS COLLABORATED with the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) at the University of Iowa on multiple drilling excursions. These investigations were designed to determine the need for more intense archaeological investigations to locate, record, and preserve prehistoric artifacts from locations slated for development or in locations deemed at risk of natural destruction. In 2020, IGS Soil Scientist Matthew Streeter worked with OSA Archaeologist Bryan Kendall to identify potential settlement locations of the Mill Creek culture (approximately AD 1000) along sections of the Big Sioux River in Plymouth County, Iowa (Fig. 1). They also collaborated on two projects in the city of Des Moines, Iowa, to locate potential settlements near the Des Moines River (Figs. 2 and 3). These preliminary studies provide archaeologists
with important soil and geological information to guide future work. In low-lying areas (such as floodplains), this primarily involves differentiating between buried river channels (not a good place for a settlement) and buried floodplain soils (a likely place for a settlement). R.H. Sin once wrote, “Bury the past, keep the lessons.” Indeed, humans do a tremendous job of literally burying their past, but records of the lessons from prehistoric times are scarce. Recording and preserving the past and the lessons learned is the purpose of these types of investigations. This is especially important in locations such as Des Moines where prehistoric communities dwelt along the Des Moines River and its tributaries. Now, however, after centuries of development, most remnants are buried deep below our feet.
FIGURES 2 AND 3. Soil cores are collected beneath a major street in Des Moines to identify native settlement locations prior to European settlement.
Activities of the Iowa Geological Survey, 2020–21 | 17
