An Archaeological Survey of the Salamonie Reservoir

An archaeological survey of the Salamonie Reservoir was carried out to identify the variables that influenced site selection, refine the cultural history of the area, develop hypotheses concerning Early Archaic settlement patterns, investigate the seeming lack of Middle Archaic occupation of the area, and evaluate the effect the reservoir has had on the archaeological resources
Refinements and expansion of the description of the natural setting of the area as originally presented by Wepler (1982) allowed the definition of a region to be called the Upper Wabash drainage. This region is characterized by till plain topography, beech-maple forests, and extensive outcrops of only one type of chert.
The survey identified 370 prehistoric sites reflecting occupation from the Late Paleo-Indian through the Late Woodland periods. Late Paleo-Indian and Early Archaic sites were found to be small, usually single component, and most often located on the Till Plain. Middle and Late Archaic sites were large and most often located on terraces within the river valley. Early and Middle Woodland components were identified on only four sites and, as in the Late Paleo-Indian and Early Archaic periods, appeared to represent small group activity. Late Woodland sites were also relatively small and were found on low terraces at the edge of the river and on bluff edges overlooking the river.
Outcrops of chert were not located within the survey area although an abundance of chert was available in the glacial till. Use of cherts from sources outside the area was found in all periods except the Late Paleo-Indian and Late Woodland. This use was, however, most prevalent during the Early Archaic when cherts from the Middle Wabash Valley and eastern Ohio were in use. Late Archaic and Early Woodland exotic cherts were from north central Ohio while the one Middle Woodland point was manufactured from southern Illinois chert.
Reservoir impacts were found to be essentially the same as for the Mississinewa Reservoir. Potentially significant sites were found that are being damaged by cultivation, lake shore erosion, and uncontrolled artifact collecting. A number of recommendations are made for the management of these archaeological resources.