Document Type
Report
Publication Date
1983
Abstract
On 1 Jun 83, the authors conducted a Phase I site location survey of 1.5 ha of land adjacent to the M-43/M-89 intersection one mile north of the Village of Richland, Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Systematic and intensive evaluation of the project area was accomplished by means of a combination of surface reconnaissance and shovel testing procedures.
Our fieldwork resulted in quick confirmation of the historic Andrew Jackson site (20KZ112) in the NW quadrant of the intersection (SE corner of Section 10), and we also recorded a· second site, the Curtis Farmstead (20KZ189), in the SW quadrant (NE corner of Section 15). No evidence of two reported prehistoric mound groups, 20KZ22 and 20KZ23, thought possibly to be located within the project ROW was observed.
Upon completion of the Pha~e I study, documentation and analysis of an impressive collection of prehistoric artifacts from the SE quadrant (NW corner of Section 14), where 20KZ22 had been reported to occur, was undertaken in an attempt to confirm this group of four mounds. According to the documents, at least one of these structures formerly lay in the ROW.
Additionally, a thorough examination of archival resources was undertaken in an attempt to evaluate the potential significance of the two historic period sites occurring within the limits of the project. No architectural remains of the residential structures occupying the sites were observed during fieldwork, albeit i one outbuilding foundation and a well were discovered just outside the project boundary some 10 m south and west of where the Curtis residence had formerly stood.
The literature and documents search revealed no written or pictorial representation of either structure, nor did we succeed in associating an historically significant individual(s) with the occupation of either house. This, together with our field observations and the collections of cultural material derived from 20KZll2 and 20KZ189, strongly suggests that both site should be regarded as typical of the rural southwest Michigan residences of a series of individuals (and families) who did not achieve a significant level of visibility in the growth and development of the area in which they lived.
It is our carefully considered opinion that the proposed MOOT road improvements for the M~43/M-89 intersection will not have an adverse impact on significant archaeological resources.