Phase I Archaeological Reconnaissance of the Planned USH 151 Improvements, Dickeyville to Belmont, Grant and Lafayette Counties, Wisconsin

During June, July, August, September, and November of 1995 Great Lakes Archaeological Research Center, Inc. conducted a phase I archaeological reconnaissance and geomorphological investigation
for the planned USH 151 Improvements, Dickeyville to Belmont, Grant and Lafayette counties, Wisconsin. The area covered by the survey includes six alternate routes which extend from south of
Dickeyville to Belmont, and bypass the towns of Dickeyville, Platteville, and Belmont. A total of 34 linear miles was subjected to archaeological reconnaissance and geomorphological investigation.
Areas surveyed included 150 feet on either side of existing pavement of USH 151. Where overland investigations were conducted the study corridor ranged from 400 to 500 feet in width. Approximately 1922 acres (778 hectares) were investigated. Geomorphological investigations consisting of core extraction and analysis were conducted in the Dickeyville Bottoms within the study corridor. A prehistoric buried terrace and a lower prehistoric buried floodplain surface were identified as a result of these investigations, and both are considered to have the potential to
contain archaeological deposits. Further investigations consisting of (1) coring to define the extent of the buried surfaces, (2) stripping to expose the buried surfaces, and (3) sampling for archaeological
deposits, are recommended. Sixteen sites were encountered during the survey, in addition to six instances of isolated finds. Only two of the 16 sites were previously reported, a historic Euro-American homestead (Gt-0409) and Piddington Cemetery (BGt-0049). Eight of the remaining 14 sites are prehistoric occupations, while five of the sites are historic period occupations, and one site harbors both prehistoric and historic components. Of the eight prehistoric sites, four can be assigned
temporally to particular cultural periods. The other four sites consist of lithic scatters. Of the five historic period sites, two appear to be associated with mining and the other three are the locations and remains of former structures.Six of the sites encountered are recommended for additional archaeological investigation if project development is planned for those areas. In addition, efforts should be made as to not disturb recorded burial site BGt-0049 (Piddington Cemetery).