ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA RECOVERY AT 47GT594 (KIELER II), USH 151 CORRIDOR (BELMONT TO DICKEYVILLE), GRANT COUNTY, WISCONSIN

In October through December of 2004, Great Lakes Archaeological Research Center, Inc. conducted Phase III archaeological excavations at the Kieler II site (47GT594) on behalf of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Federal Highways Administration as part of the reconstruction of USH 151, Dickeyville to Belmont, Grant and Lafayette counties, Wisconsin (WisDOT Project ID 1209-02-00). Kieler II is a multi-component site containing prehistoric Native American occupations associated with the Late Archaic and Late Woodland phases. Previous investigations at 47GT594 determined that the prehistoric component at the site met the criteria for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. During the Phase III investigations, 26.5 cubic meters of soil were hand excavated from 44 square meters of site area, not including subsurface features and discarded PSA. The data recovered during the Phase III archaeological mitigation of Kieler II included over 8000 artifacts and indicate the site was occupied from the Early Woodland through at least the mature Late Woodland (Eastman), with the most intense (or at least, best preserved) occupations occurring during the Eastman phase (AD 750 – 1050).