Environmental Analysis of Native American Settlement Patterns in the Late Archaic and Early Woodland Periods in Northern Indiana

This project explores environmental differences in site distribution between the Late Archaic and Early Woodland periods in LaPorte and St. Joseph Counties of Indiana. Comprehensive maps of sites were created using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (with layers displaying topography, satellite imagery, soil type and quality, and drainage patterns) to analyze trends in settlement pattern. Individual sites were examined through surface surveys to determine what features of the environment seemed to be selected for settlement and if those chosen features differed between the Late Archaic and Early Woodland and among different site types. Topography, soil type, and hydrologic data, including drainage patterns and proximity to nearest water source, were the main ways of characterizing local environments in this survey, since vegetation has since been heavily altered with large-scale farming. Although the sites were located in a variety of areas, the nearest high point relative to a water body or an area slightly higher than the surrounding area were frequently observed site characteristics. Synthesizing this information into easily accessible maps with different map layers for different environmental considerations (elevation, drainage, soil quality, etc.) is significant because it allows the data for this time period and region to be compared to other areas and thus helps suggest larger regional trends in settlement patterns. Future potential research directions include comparing the settlement patterns in this study area in Northern Indiana to other regions or comparing the settlement patterns in this study time period to earlier or later time periods.