Magnetic Survey of the Southern Portion of the Elbee Site (32ME408), Mercer County, North Dakota

Between September 11 and September 15, 2006, Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC) staff conducted magnetic geophysical investigations at the Elbee Site (32ME408) within Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site (KNRI). This was part of a multiple phase archeological project to assess the archeological record of the Elbee Site that has been dramatically impacted by erosion of the vertical cutbank along the Knife River in the northern portion of the site. Initially, a magnetic survey was conducted in the northern portion of the site by MWAC staff in 2002 (Volf 2002). The University of North Dakota archeological staff and students conducted a ground truthing phase in 2003 to investigate magnetic anomalies to confirm the presence or absence of significant archeological deposits in the threatened northern portion of the site. The magnetic survey indicated that the southern portion of the site had been severely impacted by the historic farmstead that was present on the site during the 19th and 20th century; however, a number of magnetic anomalies were identified as potential archeological features associated with the Native American occupation of the site during the prehistoric and historic periods. A total of 14,200 m2 or 3.51 acres were surveyed during the geophysical investigations at the site.