Pope-Pfingston, Jodi and Noel D. Justice (Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology,
Indiana University, Bloomington)
FORT OUIATENON: A FRENCH AND INDIAN OCCUPATION ALONG THE
WABASH RIVER IN TIPPECANOE COUNTY, INDIANA, A COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT REPORT
The Wabash River was the center of settlement for several different tribes in
the eighteenth century. This settlement attracted the French who established Fort
Ouiatenon among the Indian villages. In 1715 the French government in Quebec granted
permission for the establishment of trade with the Ottawa, Miami, and Illinois
who were middlemen in the fur trade with more distant groups. Another reason for
building Fort Ouiatenon and it's geographic placement was to break any presumed
connections the "natives" might have had with the English in the Ohio Valley region
(Krauskopf 1955). The fort was active from 1717-1791 and was the first European
post within Indiana and the southwesternmost point in French Canada. In the late
1800's, the sandy soil of the ridge where Fort Ouiatenon was erected still bore
visible stains outlining the major structural layout of the original construction,
and eighteenth century European and native artifacts were ubiquitous (Craig 1893).
Archaeological investigations of the fort were first undertaken from 1968-1969
by the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology (Kellar- 1970), again from 1971
1973 by persons associated with the Tippecanoe County Historical Association,
and finally from 1974-1979 by Michigan State University (Tordoff 1975, 1980; Noble
1978, 1979, 1980, 1982). The 1968-1973 collections are curated at the Glenn Black
Laboratory of Archaeology, and the 1974-1979 collections remained at Michigan
State University. In aggregate, this research produced a large collection containing
thousands of culturally significant materials.
Neal Trubowitz and James R. Jones III began looking at the area in 1986 to investigate
cultural interaction and change in central Indiana between AD 1400 and 1850, and,
particularly, to look at the effects of Euro-American and Native American contact
in the Lafayette area of Tippecanoe County (Trubowitz and Jones 1987). One of
the most important sites in their study of Native American occupations was the
Wea Village site located on the Wabash River opposite Fort Ouiatenon. In conjunction
with this research, the 1968-1973 collections from the fort were loaned to Indiana
University, Indianapolis. Dr. Trubowitz directed students and volunteers in the
inventory, cleaning, and rebagging of these collections, and conducted research
on selected artifact classes (Trubowitz 1989a, 1989b, 1991).
These collections were returned to the Glenn A. Black Laboratory in 1990, and,
under the direction of Noel Justice, an inventory was completed, and all of the
early excavated collections up to and including the 1971 field season were cataloged
with the aid of Jennifer Smith and other students. This project consumed two years
of work and amassed a collection amounting to 65 cubic feet of storage.
In the fall of 1992, the senior author was charged with the responsibility of
cataloging the remaining collections. Presently, the cataloging of material from
the 1972 excavations is complete, and cataloging of the 1973 collections is ongoing.
The collections contain soil samples and fine-screened material which can provide
information related to subsistence practices and small artifact usage. Saretta
Pope has assumed the responsibility for sorting these samples.
Considering the rich array of artifact types and categories, standardization of
the terms used in cataloging was particularly important. It was decided to apply
the identification terminology used in Lyle M. Stone's book titled, Fort Michilimackinac
1715-1781: An Archaeological Perspective on the Revolutionary Frontier (Stone
1974). Fort Ouiatenon undoubtedly received many supplies in shipments routed through
Fort Michilimackinac, which indicates that the artifact types should be very similar,
if not often identical, to those documented in Stone's book.
In order to simplify description, the materials from the 1972- 1973 excavations
were organized into four main categories according to their context of utilization.
These categories are "personal", "household", "structural", and "craft" or "activity."
The personal context of utilization includes materials related to adornment, clothing,
and smoking activities. The adornment materials are by far the most numerous of
this category. They include various types of glass beads, silver earrings, ring
sets, tinkling cones, and hawk bells.
Two thousand five hundred Euroamerican manufactured beads have been cataloged
and these were divided into four main types; in decreasing frequency, these are
"barrel-shaped", "doughnut-shaped", "tubular", and "convex." The beads were divided
further by colors which included black, white, blue, red, and green. Beads were
used in a variety of contexts such as jewelry or clothing. During the cataloging
process, it was discovered that the present sample of convex beads included only
black examples with little size variation
(Figure 9 a). After some research, it was learned that there are unique functional
differences attached to certain bead types. While many appear to be decorative
or domestic bead forms, there are those which are specific to religious articles
such as the rosary. While none have been identified in the present round of cataloging,
we expect to encounter rosary bead types along with other religious articles (e.g.
cross, crucifix, rings, etc.), some of which are documented from Michigan State
excavations at Fort Ouiatenon (cf. Noble 1982:Appendix B). A fragmentary rosary
consisting of 24 beads and a chain has also been unearthed (Noble 1978:113). Early
documents place the Jesuit priest, R. P. Guimoneau at Fort Ouiatenon in 1725 (Krauskopf
1955:143). We believe the beads found throughout the Fort Ouiatenon collections
have excellent research potential. Samples from all years excavations will be
sent to Roderick Sprague at the University of Idaho, who is an expert in bead
types of the Early Historic period of North - America. The results of his identification
and study should provide us with some new and interesting details.
The earring fragments are few, but can be divided into two distinct types. The
first type consists of a conical bob which is enclosed on the end with a disc,
and the second type consists of a small, flat piece of perforated metal which
is sometimes decorated with stamped or incised designs
(Figure 9 d,h).
A total of five glass ring stones of similar size and shape have been cataloged
(Figure 9 b). Many tinkling-cones (triangular pieces of brass that were bent
in the shape of a cone with a small opening on the tip and the other end left
open) have also been cataloged. Tinkling-cones are so named because they were
attached to the clothing, presumably in patterned groups, to produce a tinkling
sound (Figure 9 c). The last item in the adornment category is the hawk bell,
which probably served a purpose similar to that of the tinkling cone.
Textiles are extremely rare at sites of this period, and Fort Ouiatenon is no
exception. For this reason, the only parts of clothing in evidence are those made
of metals, such as belt buckle fragments and buttons.
The activity category of "smoking" consists of fragmentary pipes which were divided
into Kaolin pipes and ground stone pipes. These pipe classes were discussed by
Dr. Trubowitz at the Annual Meeting of the Indiana Historical Society in 1989.
In that paper, he concluded that the Europeans and the Indians remained partial
to their own pipe forms. The Kaolin pipes were used only by the Europeans, and
the ground stone pipes were used strictly by the Indians. The differences in use
reflect Native American social and religious uses of tobacco as opposed to the
European recreational smoking activity (Trubowitz 1990).
The Kaolin pipes were made by casting and consist of a long thin stem and a small
bowl with a tiny foot at it's base. These pipes are typically represented by stem
fragments, although some bowl parts have been found. Many bowls have designs and
makers marks which identify the manufacturer
(Figure 9 i).
Archaeologists working at colonial sites in eastern North - America have measured
the bore diameters of kaolin pipe stems and found that they can give chronological
information for sites of this period. In essence, a method and formula was developed
that can be used to obtain a date for a site using the bore diameters of a large
sample kaolin pipes (Deetz 1967:40-42). James H. Kellar, Director Emeritus of
the Glenn A. Black Laboratory, analyzed the bore diameters of the Ouiatenon pipe
stems and, by applying the formula, arrived at a date of A.D. 1750 which coincides
with the middle occupation date of Ouiatenon.
The ground stone pipes are an important representation of the Native American
presence at the fort. Most of these pipes were made from slate and were formed
by carving, grinding, and polishing. Many show influence of the Micmac style and
a range of decorated pipe bowl fragments have been cataloged
(Figure 9 e,f,g).
The household context of utilization includes materials related to maintenance
and repair, preparation and consumption of food, and furnishings. Maintenance
and repair materials include brass pins and iron awls. The brass pins are very
numerous and are similar to modern straight pins used for sewing. There have only
been a few awls identified in this collection. This is undoubtedly due in part
to deterioration of key attributes, after which specific iron objects can be difficult
to distinguish. However, the collection contains large numbers of bolts, screws,
and wrought nails of many sizes. The only furnishing materials present are iron
tacks. The large numbers of unidentifiable iron fragments no doubt represent many
artifact categories, such as drill bits, files, hammers, and weights.
Materials related to preparation and consumption of food include ceramics, kettle
lugs, and glass container fragments. The largest category consists of glass fragments
of various colors. Container fragments were distinguished from window pane fragments
by variations in shape, curvature, and thickness. All of these fragments are clear
or translucent, highly patinated, and occur in five distinct colors, including
light blue, light aqua, pale green, and dark olive.
Ceramics are of two basic types. The most prevalent type is a course paste, porous
earthenware and the other type is a buff paste, fine earthenware or creamware.
These were further described according to their decorative qualities, such as
presence and color of glaze or transfer print. One kettle lug, which is a device
used to attach the handle to the kettle rim, was cataloged. Within the Ouiatenon
collections, generally, there are ceramics which are identical to those from contemporary
sites to the north and northeast including earthenwares and stonewares manufactured
in several European localities as well as porcelain from China (see Trubowitz
1989:29).
The structural context of utilization includes nails, bricks, nuts, and bolts.
In spite of the problem of the deteriorated condition of the iron, many of these
items, including a possible chisel fragment, have been successfully identified.
The craft or activity context of utilization includes materials related to the
acquisition of subsistence resources, commercial materials, and skills or crafts.
Artifact categories associated with subsistence include gun parts, gunflints,
musket balls, lead shot, and knife handle fragments. Gunflints in the collection
are typically the spall type and were made from three different types of flint
raw materials that were regularly imported from Europe. These flint types include
English Dover, Dutch, and French Honey Colored varieties
(Figure 9 l,m). Many lead musketballs were cataloged, as well as a large quantity
of lead shot. The lead shot is present in two sizes, which have been catagorized
as swan shot and bird shot. Along with these lead artifacts there was a large
quantity of lead sprue, which is a byproduct of lead shot and musket ball production.
When lead is poured into molds, some of it spills and splatters out resulting
in sprue.
Three knife handle fragments have been cataloged. Two are of bone and have been
knurled to aid in gripping as are some modern knife handles, and one is of decorated
and probably made from pewter (Figure 9 k,n).
One possible gun part was cataloged. There are also many unidentified flat iron
fragments. We suspect these include knife blades, animal trap fragments, gun parts,
and other objects. However, these could not be properly identified.
The only material in the commercial category is the bale seal. This device served
the same type of purpose as a wax seal on an envelope. The bale seal was attached
to bags of grain and other goods to insure that the contents would not be disturbed
or depleted during shipment (Figure 9 j).
Summary and Discussion
This discussion refers mainly to collection processing of material from the 1972-73
excavations. These artifacts were organized according to their context of utilization
although the assemblage reflects much of the range of artifacts from all years
of archaeological excavation at Fort Ouiatenon. Particular historical and archaeological
references pertaining to the fort and its investigation are cited. Only by using
both these forms of documentation, will the information necessary to reconstruct
the unique cultural contexts at Fort Ouiatenon be obtained.
We anticipate having the cataloging of these materials finished in their entirety
by May of 1994. The complete Ouiatenon collection, with all years excavations
combined, is rather large and impressive.It will fill approximately ninety cubic
feet of storage. This is a very substantial and diverse artifact assemblage, and
it will be the source of important information on the Early Historic period in
Indiana for years to come.
References Cited
Craig, Oscar J.
1893 Ouiatenon: A Study in Indiana History. Indiana Historical
Society Publications Volume 2(8).
Deetz, James
1967 Invitation to Archaeology. Natural History Press, Garden
City, New York.
Kellar, James H.
1970 The Search for Ouiatenon. Outdoor Indiana 34(10):4-10.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indianapolis.
Krauskopf, Frances
1955 The Ouiatanon Documents. Indiana Historical Society
Publications 18(2).
Noble, Virgil E., Jr.
1978 Excavations at Fort Ouiatenon 1977 Field Season:
Preliminary Report.Unpublished report, Michigan State
University, East Lansing.
1979 Excavations at Fort Ouiatenon 1978 Field Season: Preliminary
Report. Unpublished report, Michigan State University,
East Lansing.
1980 Excavations at Fort Ouiatenon 1979 Field Season: Preliminary
Report. Unpublished report, Michigan State University,
East Lansing.
1982 Excavations at Fort Ouiatenon 1979 Field Season:
Supplementary Report. Unpublished report, Michigan State -
University, East Lansing.
Stone, Lyle M.
1974 Fort Michilimackinac 1715-1781: An Archaeological
Perspective on the Revolutionary Frontier. Publications of
the Museum, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
Tordoff, Judy
1975 Preliminary Report of Excavations at Fort Ouiatenon, 12 T 9,
Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Unpublished manuscript,
Michigan State University, East Lansing.
1980 Excavations at Fort Ouiatenon, 1974-76 Seasons:
Preliminary Report.Unpublished report, Michigan State -
University, East Lansing.
Trubowitz, Neal L.
1989a Historical Archaeology Research by IU-Indianapolis, 1987.
In Current Research in Indiana Archaeology and Prehistory:
1987 & 1988, edited by Christopher S. Peebles, pp.29-30.
Indiana University, Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology
Research Reports No. 10, Bloomington, Indiana.
1989b Historical Archaeology Research by IU-Indianapolis, 1988.
In Current Research in Indiana Archaeology and Prehistory:
1987 & 1988, edited by Christopher S. Peebles, pp. 50-51.
Indiana University, Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology
Research Reports No. 10, Bloomington, Indiana.
1990 Thanks, But We Prefer to Smoke Our Own: Pipes in the Great
Lakes-Riverine Region During the Eighteenth Century. In
Current Research in Indiana Archaeology and Prehistory:
1989, edited by Christopher S. Peebles, p.17. Indiana -
University, Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology Research
Reports No. 11, Bloomington, Indiana.
1991 Inventory and Analysis of Fort Ouiatenon (12 T 9) Collections,
1987-1990. In Current Research in Indiana Archaeology and
Prehistory: 1990, edited by Christopher S. Peebles, p.24.
Indiana University, Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology
Research Reports No. 12, Bloomington, Indiana.
Trubowitz, Neal L. and James R. Jones III
1987 Historical Archaeology Research by IUPUI, 1986. In Current
Research in Indiana Archaeology and Prehistory: 1986,
edited by Christopher S. Peebles, p.20. Indiana University,
Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology Research Reports
No. 7, Bloomington, Indiana.
Figure 9: Artifacts from the 1972-73 Excavations at Fort Ouiatenon, Tippecanoe County, Indiana.
Key to Figure 9
a. Glass bead; black, mandrel wound, convex-shaped.
N 970 W 860. GBL 6643/184.
b. Glass ring set, clear, faceted "marquis cut".
N 980 W 860. GBL 6643/716.
c. Tinkling cone; rolled metal, brass? N 980 W 860.
GBL 6643/678.
d. Pendant; engraved, perforated sliver. N 980 W 870.
GBL 6643/845.
e. Pipe base; unidentified stone, incised and decorated,
exhibits extra drill holes, some filled with metal (lead?).
N 970 W 860. GBL 6643/191.
f. Pipe bowl fragment; limestone, incised line decoration.
N 970 W 860. GBL 6643/192.
g. Pipe bowl fragment; bauxite?, bowl interior exhibits
attrition due to reaming and cleaning. N 970 W 860.
GBL 6643/136.
h. Pendant; cut, perforated, flat brass sheet. N 830 W 960.
GBL 6644/99.
i. Kaolin pipe bowl fragment; Mark "R" is probably the mark
of "R T" and is surrounded probably with a partial heart
shape. N 980 W 865. GBL 6643/772.
j. Lead bale seal; lacks imprint. N 970 W 860. GBL 6643/70.
k. Knife handle fragment; pewter? with other metal rivet,
decorated. N 985 W 860. GBL 6643/1239.
l. Spall type gun flint; French Honey Colored flint.
N 970 W 860. GBL 6643/166.
m. Spall type gun flint; English Dover flint. N 980 W 865.
GBL 6643/790.
n. Bone knife handle fragment; carved and incised "knurled",
obverse exhibits scratches from the cut of a metal saw.
GBL 6644/134.
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