remains to be analyzed. These conclusions illustrate how 

 archaeologists go about their task of cultural reconstruction 

 after the excavation is completed. 



The Horton Site was found to be primarily a single com- 

 ponent site; that is, it was only occupied during one prehis- 

 toric culture period. This occupation belongs to the Upper 

 Mississippian Period, beginning about 1400 a.d. and ex- 

 tending into the historic period in this area. This dating 

 is based upon similarities between pottery from the Horton 

 Site and from other Upper Mississippian sites of known age. 

 A few sherds from an apparent earlier occupation period 

 were observed the first season. Within the Upper Mis- 

 sissippian period there are several local variations known to 

 archaeologists, such as the Langford Tradition which is cen- 

 tered in the Upper Illinois River Valley. A second Upper 

 Mississippian tradition, similar to the Oneota of Wisconsin, 

 is the "Blue Island Culture" localized in the southern Chi- 

 cago area. The Horton pottery places this site in the Blue 

 Island Culture. The Anker Site, located on the Little Calu- 

 met River four or five miles away, is very similar in ceramic 

 and projectile point styles to Horton. 



All of the observed Upper Mississippian ceramics from 

 Horton were shell- tempered. There were few sherds with 

 incised and punctuated shoulder decorations, and many 

 rim fragments were notched. Most of the sherds were frag- 

 ments of plain globular vessels approximately 6 inches or 

 more in height. 



On right, sherd found at Horton Site; on left, complete pot of similar ceramic 

 tradition from nearby Fisher Site 



Although the ceramic remains tell us where to place the 

 site in time, interpretation of particular activities carried out 

 at the site is based on other kinds of evidence. 



Quantities of large mammal bones were recovered. Most 

 belonged to the white- tailed deer; buffalo bone was rare or 

 absent. The archaeologist observed few bird bones, while 

 fish remains and fresh water mussel shells occurred in small 

 amounts in different areas of the site. 



These observations in part reflect the animals exploited 

 by the Horton residents, and when correlated with the arti- 

 fact evidence they enable us to infer a prehistoric subsistence 

 pattern of which the Horton occupation was part. Projec- 

 tile points occurred in high frequencies. These reflect a bow 

 and arrow technology used to hunt the deer and other mam- 



mals documented by the Horton bone assemblage. While 

 there are abundant projectile points on the site, little flint 

 debris was recovered except for tiny chips of the kind pro- 

 duced by sharpening and reshaping a tool. It appears that 

 finished chipped stone tools were being brought to Horton 

 with only minimal tool maintenance preformed there. 



The excavators also recovered an abundance of chipped 

 flint tools interpreted as scrapers and apparently used in pre- 

 paring animal hides for tanning. Several flake knives were 

 also recovered. The arrow heads, scrapers and knives, to- 

 gether with the mammal bones, comprise a hunting-butch- 

 ering assemblage indicating that the killing and processing 

 of large mammals (particularly deer) was a major activity 

 carried out at the site. 



Seed-grinding tools, such as manos and metates, were 

 absent at Horton. The combined evidence suggests that 

 this site functioned differently from Anker and other Upper 

 Mississippian sites in the area. Seed grinding and agricul- 

 tural tools, along with charred corn remains, are often found 

 in abundance in these other sites. 



Also lacking in the Horton Site artifact assemblage are 

 "tools to make other tools," such as hammerstones, bone 

 awls, flint working tools, etc. Therefore, tool manufactur- 

 ing was not a major activity at the site. This indicates that 

 all the recovered artifacts were carried to the site in their 

 finished state. Nor was Horton an agricultural settlement 

 since farming tools and evidence of corn was not recovered. 

 Instead, the Horton community focused its attention on the 

 exploitation and processing of wild food. The hunting of 

 large mammals was most important, and the collecting of 

 fish, mussels and birds provided additional food. 



The 1966 and 1967 excavations recovered quantities of 

 hearth stone, attesting to the importance of cooking and 

 perhaps household heating to the settlement. Some of the 

 pit features contained quantities of this stone and appear to 

 be undisturbed hearths. Unfortunately many other hearths, 

 and other constructions at or just below the ground surface, 

 have been destroyed by plowing. Their presence is reflected 

 only by the cooking stones and charcoal dispersed through 

 the plowed soil of the site. Analysis of this charcoal will tell 

 the archaeologist what woods were being selected for fuel. 

 This same charcoal will also allow us to accurately date the 

 site by the radiocarbon method. 



Bone artifacts are notably rare at Horton. In the other 

 Upper Mississippian sites in the Chicago area many bone 

 tools were recovered. Since the majority of bone artifacts 

 serve manufacturing purposes, their presence in some sites 

 and absence at Horton points up an interesting contrast in 

 the activities performed in different Upper Mississippian 

 settlements in one region. 



No beads or other ornaments were recovered by the 

 Horton Site excavators, although a fragment of a tobacco 

 pipe with a design reminiscent of a stylized bird was exca- 

 vated by one of the students. 



A particularly interesting contrast between Horton and 

 other Upper Mississippian sites in the area is the lack of 

 burial mounds or cemeteries associated with the living area. 



Page 12 MARCH 



