November 1, 2003

From: Scott Beld
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2003
To: Oxbow Archaeologists
Subject: Ponton Site - November 1, 2003

Hi Oxbow Archaeologists,

We made it out to the site yesterday and had a good day excavating (see Ponton Map November 1, 2003 in the photo gallery at the bottom of this page). Marianne, Dave, and I began excavating in the morning. Just after Dave and Marianne left in the late morning Greg and Lia came and we excavated into the afternoon. We managed to excavate five units yesterday and finished the 505R500 5mx5m Block. I began the 520R500 5mx5m Block in the late afternoon.

506R499. Dave, Marianne, and I excavated this unit. It produced the usual brick fragments, flat glass and square nails. Decorated earthenware included Old Blue and Brown Transfer and the painted band on a Handpainted rim as well as one sherd of redware (see 506R499 Artifacts in the photo gallery).

505R499. Dave, Marianne, Greg, Lia, and I excavated this unit. Decorated earthenware included Old Blue, Blue, Red, Green and Purple Transfer as well as two sherds of redware (see 505R499 Artifacts in the photo gallery).

507R500. Greg, Lia, and I excavated this unit. Decorated earthenware included Old Blue and Green Transfer and Handpainted. We also recovered a fragment of a side-notched projectile point made from Bayport chert (see 507R500 Artifacts in the photo gallery). This point has a ground base and could be a fragment of a Meadowood point (ca. 1000 B.C.) or a Raccoon Side-notched point (ca. 600-900 A.D.).

506R500. Greg, Lia, and I excavated this unit. Decorated earthenware included Old Blue Transfer and Blue Edge. We also recovered a ribbed/fluted pipe bowl fragment (see 506R500 Artifacts in the photo gallery).

520R499. I excavated this unit late in the afternoon. Decorated earthenware included Old Blue, Blue, Red, and Browon Transfer. I also recovered a white clay pipe bowl fragment (see 520R499 Artifacts in the photo gallery). This unit in the 520R500 5mx5m Block was wetter than those to the south, but still dry enough to excavate.

This week on Wednesday we’ll plan on doing lab work at the RB. Next Saturday, we’ll try to make it out to the site and excavate provided it’s not raining.

Hope to see you at the site.

Scott

*************************************************************
Scott G. Beld, Ph.D.
Research Associate II
The University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology
1109 Geddes Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1079
Phone: 734-764-0489 (UMMP Main Office)
734-763-9253 (My Office)
Fax: 734-936-1380
Email: sbeld@umich.edu
*************************************************************