Collier Lodge Site
|
Collier Lodge Site
|
|
Collier Lodge, south face from the culvert (once the bridge) over the remnant of the original Kankakee Channel
|
|
 
|
|
| Location | 1099 Baum’s Bridge Road; Kouts, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°16′31″N 87°04′20″W / 41.275384°N 87.072100°WCoordinates: 41°16′31″N 87°04′20″W / 41.275384°N 87.072100°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| NRHP Reference # | 83003443 |
| Added to NRHP | 2009 |
Located in Porter County, Indiana one of the few places the Kankakee Marsh could be easily crossed. The site has been occupied for over 11,000 years with evidence of human occupation from 1,000 B.C.E. Historic records of humans occupation in northwestern Indiana are available from the late seventeenth century. The prehistoric and historic cultural deposits are unique for northwestern Indiana. Prehistoric artifacts from the site represent most time periods over the last nine to ten thousand years and historic artifacts span the full range of historic occupations in northwestern Indiana. Prehistoric archaeological features documented at the site include two different types of roasting pits and small features whose functions are unknown. Historic features include the remains of a fireplace, post molds, and what is now thought to be a cellar marks the location of a previously undocumented structure. Concentrations of animal bones from the early nineteenth century indicate furs were processed at the site.
The Collier Lodge site has been shown to contain an extremely high density of artifacts and features. The site is also the only site in northwestern Indiana that has produced the full sequence of prehistoric ceramics in the region from excavated contexts. Durable artifacts such as those made of stone, ceramics, or metal can be used to study technology, trade networks, economic status, culture contact, and the spatial distribution of different types of activities within the site and the region. Faunal and floral preservation are both excellent, so that a host of subsistence, economic, and environmental questions can be addressed.
The Kankakee River valley includes sand ridges and relict channel from its path before being straighten between the years 1906 – 1917. The site rests on one of these ridges adjacent to old channel. Until 1917, the marsh supported a productive ecosystem. This dry ridge next to the river and surrounded by the marsh was attractive to human and animal life. The site is located in the Kankakee Outwash and Lacustrine Plain zone. The valley was formed by glacial melt water flowing south from the Michigan and Saginaw lobes of Wisconsin Glacier. It created a broad floodplain. The extremely flat valley became the marsh. Over a 12,000 period, sandy soils were moved by the wind to create sand plains and sand dunes. The sandy soils are well-drained, this is well suited for human habitation. This was a high area that drained well and was adjacent to the Kankakee Marsh. The site was also situated at one of the few points where it was relatively easy to cross the Kankakee Marsh. The outwash ridges from the Valparaiso Moraine converge here from the north with another coming from the south. The crossing was known as Pottawatommie Ford {sic} and has been described as “the most historic spot along the Kankakee in the marsh proper”. The site is about 1 acre (0.40 ha) and is next to the Collier Lodge building. It is on a sand ridge on the north side of the historic channel. This was a productive natural area until it was channalized. It is at the tip of a sand ridge leading from the north to the channel of the Kankakee. This forms a natural route through the wetlands.
...
Wikipedia