Petaga Point was discovered in the 1920s, and is a multi-component site that was occupied during the Archaic, Middle Woodland and Late Woodland periods. The site is located on a peninsula of land between the outlet of the Rum River and Lake Ogechie in central Minnesota The site was discovered by T.E. Moore and his family while clearing and farming his homesteaded land during the 1920s and 1930s. Moore uncovered numerous artifacts including pot sherds and native copper implements. The site was visited by Lloyd A. Wilford who recorded the presence of the artifacts, but decided not investigate the area more fully. Eventually Petaga Point was acquired as part of the Mille Lacs Kathio State Park in the early 1960s. The University of Minnesota undertook a survey of the site, directed by Leland R. Cooper, and discovered that the site had been used repeatedly throughout the prehistoric era. In the summer of 1966, the site was excavated under the direction of Peter Bleed. Bleed's published report provided most of the material used in site research, and is as follows:
The La Moille Rockshelter is located in Winona County, southeast Minnesota, near Trout Creek and the Mississippi River. One of the earliest Woodland sites ever excavated in Minnesota, it has been aged at roughly 1500 BC. The site, formed in a pocket of limestone bluffs facing the river, the La Moille shelter contained fifteen feet of sediment at the time of excavation. Features and artifacts uncovered at the site include: fire hearths, charcoal, burned bone fragments and ceramics, and stemmed and unstemmed points. The presence of large numbers of fish bones and clam shells suggested that the shelter was used as a fishing camp. The relatively small number of animal remains also indicated that the shelter may have been used as a temporary or seasonal camp. There is no indication as to what time of year the shelter was occupied.
The Rainy River serves as the international boundary between Canada and United States. On the southern bank of this river, near the town of Pelland, Minnesota lie two burial mounds. These mounds are situated near the bank of the river and are within sight of Canada. They are known as the McKinstry Mounds and were explored thoroughly toward the end of the first half of this century by Lloyd Wilford. Both mounds had been previously disturbed, and have each been given separate names, Mound 1 and Mound 2.
During the excavations, Mound 2 proved to be very interesting. It contained approximately 96 skeletons. The skeletons showed evidence of primary and secondary burial, disarticulation and burial in place. Some of the skulls recovered had the eye sockets filled with clay that was then fire-hardened. Also, some of the skulls recovered had a portion of the occipital area removed. About 1/3 of the 8,256 potsherds recovered from Mound 2 were of the Blackduck type. The rest were Laurel. Interestingly, Dr. Wilford states in his work that the mound yielded "a rich treasure of artifacts" but states that they are "not pertinent to a study of Rainy River culture" (This was most likely said to fend off looters).
The Shakopee Bridge site, found in Mille Lacs County, is a Woodland site bordered by Rum River and Shakopee Lake. Thirty-six square meters were excavated in 1972, in the area where fishermen had often gathered on the bridge which stretched across the mouth of the river. Of the habitation features found throughout the excavation were 9 ricing jigs, 8 fire hearths, a refuse pit, 84 postmolds and a house outline and the occupational floor. This site is believed to have been occupied intermittently over a span of several thousand years. The identification and occupations of the components are hard to identify and distinguish because of the shallowness of the Old Shakopee Bridge Site. Also the mixture of the artifacts was affected by tree roots and rodents.
Silvernale pottery is generally shell-tempered, with a coloration ranging from gray to tan. It has smooth surface treatments, and a thickness ranging from 4 to 6 mm. Lloyd Wilford's excavation of the Silvernale Site in 1952 produced 61 ceramic rims, 22 of which had rolled rims and 39 with flared rims. Silvernale ceramics have been found in southeastern Minnesota, primarily in the Red Wing area and in western Wisconsin in the Diamond Bluff area. Radio carbon dating shows that Silvernale pottery was made from 1100-1300 A.D, during the Middle Mississippian Period.
A large number of burial grounds were found and excavated at the outlet of Gull Lake. This was directed by Alan Kutchera. These mounds were irregularly shaped and seemed to show signs of dual and even triple burials in one mound. The total site, located on the eastern edge of the Gull Lake dam, contained twelve complete burial sites and parts of others. There is at least a forty mile radius around the Gull Lake Site were no excavations were been done. There were also burial mounds close to the Gull Lake find near the Mille Lacs Lake area, all of which have been heavily disturbed and covered by lake shore cabins and road construction. The Gull Lake Dam Site is extremely significant in this regard. It is important for plotting and documenting the prehistoric significance of this region of Minnesota. The evidence from excavation of the Gull Lake Site is valuable to the prehistoric knowledge of the region. The area was indeed a burial site of massive importance. The projectile points, stone flake debris and pottery found on the site gave evidence of Malmo and Kern inhabitants. The same were found in the Mille Lacs area carbon-dated to periods of 800 B.C. and 200 A.D. The Gull Lake dam excavation site is the only undisturbed site in the area and is in the process of being explored further by archaeologists.
The Itasca Bison Kill site is located in Clearwater County of north central Minnesota. The site, located in the forested zone, is dated from 5,000 to 6,000 BC. This is one of a few Archaic sites that have been excavated in Minnesota. A unique geographical feature in the valley, on a tributary of Nicollet Creek, provided an easy place to ambush bison. It is thought that anywhere from 25 to 100 people seasonally occupied this site during the fall and spring. It is probably a transitional site as the Archaic people moved between summer and winter camps. The occupants apparently spent the summer in the prairie region to the west, and wintered in caves and wooded areas to the east. The faunal remains discovered included bison, birds, turtles, amphibians, fish, and several mammal species. Among the latter, a dog skull was found and is thought to be the earliest evidence of such in Minnesota.
This is the last large group of rock carvings remaining in southern Minnesota. It contains over two thousand carvings which have been dated in two groups. The earliest group is from the period between 300 B.C. and 500 B.C. This determination is based upon the presence of atlatls in almost 100 of the carvings. Further, there is only one image of a bow and arrow within this group. From the presence of glyphs and other symbols which were utilized by early historic peoples the second group has been dated to between 900 A.D. and 1750 A.D. This site is located in southwestern Minnesota, and is still accessible to the public. In 1966 the Minnesota Historical Society purchased the land on which the site resides to preserve it.
The Sheffield Site is located in the flood plain of the St. Croix River in Washington County, MN. Near the town of Marine, the site is situated within the deciduous forest zone of Minnesota. The Sheffield Site was first excavated by Lloyd A. Wilford and a University of Minnesota crew in 1956. It was excavated again in 1959 and in 1960, conducted by Peter Jenson using the Midwest Taxonomic System. The Midwest Taxonomic System, or McKern System, was adapted to Minnesota archaeology by Lloyd Wilford in 1944 and later refined in 1951. His system took the two identified patterns in Minnesota and fit the three major cultural pattern identified for Minnesota into four periods.