CHARCOAL IDENTIFICATION, BONE COLLAGEN EXTRACTION, ORGANIC RESIDUE (FTIR) ANALYSIS, AND AMS RADIOCARBON AGE DETERMINATION OF SAMPLES FROM THE T. THOMPSON SITE (21CO50), COTTONWOOD COUNTY, MINNESOTA

The T. Thompson site (21CO50), located in Cottonwood County, in southwestern Minnesota, yielded three samples for AMS radiocarbon analysis (Table 1). A ceramic sherd containing visible charred food crust, a bison ulna, and a piece of Ulmus rubra (slippery elm) charcoal were submitted for AMS radiocarbon analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) analysis also was performed on the charred food crust removed from the ceramic sherd to obtain a signature of the foods cooked.