Woodland occupation of the Lower Sand Lake Site (47Lc45-1), La Crosse, Wisconsin

Abstract

The Lower Sand Lake Site (47Lc45) was first excavated in 1984 by archaeologists from the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center (MVAC) with additional excavations during the 2008 field season, by MVAC archaeologists and students from University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. The Lower Sand Lake is a multicomponent prehistoric site located on a ridge and swale along County Trunk Highway S in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. Recovered artifacts included thousands of pieces of Woodland grit-tempered pottery. For this project I am identifying the ceramic types to illustrate a local sequence of Woodland occupations from Early through the Late Woodland, with an analytical emphasis on ceramics from the Late Woodland period. In addition, I discuss the evidence for interaction between the Late Woodland and Mississippian periods, based on the types of ceramics identified and their distribution across the site.