Tomak, Curtis H. (Indiana Department of Highways)
ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK IN THE WHITE RIVER VALLEY WITH A CONSIDERATION
OF LATE PREHISTORIC OCCUPATIONS
During the past year the writer has conducted fieldwork in the White River Valley
of southwestern Indiana as part of his continuing archaeological research program
in that area. Most of the work was done in the lower valley of the West Fork from
Morgan County downriver to Knox and Daviess counties. In addition, some time was
devoted to the lower valley of the East Fork and to White River below the forks.
Most of the 1985-1986 research pertains to the Greene-Knox-Daviess county area.
That area is heavily affected by coal mining, and the research conducted there
was funded by a grant from the Indiana Academy of Science to do archaeology in
the coal mining area of Indiana. The fieldwork consisted of test excavating an
Early Archaic Jerger Phase site in Daviess County; testing a heavily occupied
Early Archaic to Late Woodland site, 12 Gr 374, in Greene County; surveying sites;
and interviewing collectors. Much time was spent and remains to be spent with
collectors recording sites and materials, fieldchecking sites, and photographing
collections.
Some of the data obtained during the past year pertains to the late prehistory
of the White River Valley, and the present discussion focuses upon the late prehistoric
occupations found in the lower valley of the West Fork. Occupations discussed
are Albee, Oliver, and Mississippian. It is proposed that Albee and Oliver be
regarded as traditions and that each of them can be divided into more than one
phase.
Albee extends from the Owen-Morgan county area down the West Fork into Knox County
below the Junction of the West Fork with the East Fork. There does not appear
to be any substantial occupation of the lower valley of the East Fork by the Albee
Tradition.
The Oliver Tradition extends from the Marion-Hamilton county area, being represented
there by the Oliver Phase, down the west Fork into Greene County where it is represented
by the Heaton Phase. The Oliver Tradition also extends from the Indianapolis area
down the East Fork into Martin County. The southernmost extension of the Oliver
Tradition down the West Fork appears to basically coincide with the northern limit
of Mississippian up the valley of the West Fork. A similar situation evidently
exists along the East Fork.
Mississippian is not well represented in the lower valley of the west Fork, and
there is little evidence of Mississippian occupation of the lower valley of the
East Fork. Mississippian occupation appears to have been by the Caborn-Welborn
Phase and possibly by the Vincennes Culture.
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