FAIRPORT HARBOR VILLAGE SITE 45
ANIMAL REMAINS6
By ROBERT M. GOSLIN
Animal remains were found in great
abundance at this site
scattered through the black earth of the
village deposit. They in-
clude the bones of various mammals,
fishes, birds and reptiles, as
well as the shells of mussels and
snails. Most of the bones are
in a fragmentary condition but on the
whole they are in an ex-
cellent state of preservation. All of
the animal skeletal material
was saved and carefully studied in order
to determine the number
of species which were used by the Indian
group occupying the
site. Such information not only
enlightens us as to their food
habits and the use they made of certain
bones for tools and orna-
ments, but is also of value to the
biologist in checking the occur-
rence of different species and the
changes which have taken place
in the fauna in historic times.
The total number of bone and shell
fragments recovered from
the area excavated was approximately
five thousand four hundred.
MAMMALS.
The twenty-one different species of
mammals represented will
be discussed in the order of their
abundance as indicated by the
total number of bones present for each
form.
Virginia Deer: The bones of the deer are
the most numerous
of any of the mammals found on the site.
One thousand, one
hundred and sixty specimens were
identified. We may infer from
this that the deer was the most
important single meat source for
the inhabitants of the village. The
bones of the deer were used
for the manufacture of awls, projectile
points, flint-chipping tools
and ornaments; and it may be safely
assumed that deer hides
were used for clothing and other
household purposes.
Raccoon: The raccoon is represented by
seven hundred and
ninety-four bones, among which are many
jaw and leg bones.
6The writer is indebted to the following
individuals for assistance in the identi-
fication of faunal remains: Birds, Dr.
Alexander Wetmore, Assistant Secretary,
Smithsonian Institution; Shells, Dr.
Frank C. Baker, Curator, Museum of Natural
History, University of Illinois; Fishes,
Mr. Milton B. Trautman. Assistant Curator
of Fishes, Museum of Zoology, University
of Michigan; and Dr. Carl L. Hubbs,
Curator of Fishes, Museum of Zoology,
University of Michigan.
46
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
From the number of bones present it was
concluded that the rac-
coon was one of the most important small
game animals. Raccoon
leg-bones were made into awls, its teeth
were drilled for pendants
or beads, and penis bones of this animal
were fashioned into arti-
facts.
Elk: The bones of the elk are fairly
common as indicated by
the three hundred and twenty-four
specimens which were found.
The bones in the collection consist
primarily of leg bones, verte-
brae, antler and teeth. This mammal may
be considered as one of
the significant food animals used by the
villagers. Its teeth were
drilled for pendants, and
"gouges" and flint-chipping tools were
made from its antler. Furthermore, it
may be assumed that elk
hides were used for domestic purposes.
Beaver: The beaver is represented by
three hundred and
four specimens, which rank it next to
the raccoon among the
smaller game animals used for food.
Incisor teeth of the beaver
were made into cutting implements and
there is one jaw which
may be an ornament. The pelt of the
beaver was also undoubtedly
used for its fur.
Black Bear: The black bear ranks third
among the large game
animals in the number of bones present
with a total of two hun-
dred and eighty-five specimens. It was
an important meat source
and its hide was probably used for
robes. The canine and molar
teeth of the bear were made into
pendants, a claw was drilled for
a pendant, and penis bones were worked
into artifacts.
Gray Squirrel: One hundred and
forty-nine bones of the
gray squirrel were identified,
indicating that this species was ap-
parently abundant and evidently commonly
hunted for food.
Dog: The Indian Dog is represented by
ninety-five speci-
mens. The fragmentary bones of this
animal were found scat-
tered through the debris of the village
deposit just as were those
of the wild game animals. It cannot be
stated definitely, however,
that the flesh of this domestic animal
was used for food by the
occupants of the site. One canine tooth
was drilled for a pendant.
Porcupine: Eighty-six porcupine bones
were identified in the
collection. In addition to the use of
this animal for food, it is
FAIRPORT HARBOR VILLAGE SITE 47
probable that the quills were used for
decorating household
objects.
Wildcat: The wildcat is represented by
forty-seven bones.
Artifacts made from the bones of this
species include awls, beads,
canine tooth pendants, and worked
fragments. Since its bones
were used commonly for artifacts this
animal may have been
hunted more for this purpose than for
food.
Otter: Only eighteen bones of the otter
were found. This
mammal may have been hunted primarily
for its fur.
Gray Fox: The gray fox is represented by
twelve speci-
mens. One awl among the bone artifacts
was made from the leg
bone of a gray fox and two canine teeth
of this animal were
drilled for pendants.
Mink: Eight bones of the mink were
identified. It evidently
was not used to any appreciable extent
for food, but may have
been secured principally for its fur.
Cotton-tail Rabbit: The rabbit, judging
from the eight bones
found, was either not abundant in the
vicinity or else it was not
hunted to any great extent.
Chipmunk: The chipmunk is represented by
only seven
bones.
Woodchuck: Six bones of this species
occurred in the col-
lection.
Muskrat: Four bones of the muskrat were
identified.
Opossum: The opossum is represented by
three bones.
Meadow Mouse: The presence of the meadow
mouse, in-
dicated by three bones, may be merely
fortuitous.
Cougar: Only one fragment of a leg bone
of this large cat
was found on the site.
Fox Squirrel: The Fox Squirrel is
indicated by one lower
jaw bone. This record is of interest in
view of the fact that some
mammalogists have believed fox squirrels
to have been very rare
or absent from the region in prehistoric
times. The possibility
exists, of course, that the remains of
this species on the site could
have been introduced in later times,
although there is nothing with
reference to the specimen which would
support such an opinion.
48 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
MAMMALS
OCCURRENCE AT VARIOUS SITES
FH R TH
SP
(No. of
bones)
Didelphis virginiana, Opossum
.............. 3
Euarctos americanus, Black Bear
............ 285 x x x
Procyon lotor, Raccoon
..................... 794 x x x
Mustela vison, Mink
........................ 8
Lutra canadensis, Otter..................... 18
Mephitis nigra, Skunk
....................... x x
Urocyon cinereoargenteus, Gray
Fox........ 12 x x
Canis familiaris, Dog
........................ 95 x x
Felis couguar, Cougar
....................... 1 x
Lynx rufus, Bobcat,
Wildcat................ 47 x x x
Marmota monax, Woodchuck
................ 6 x x
Tamias striatus, Chipmunk
................... 7 x x
Sciurus carolinensis, Gray
Squirrel........... 149 x x
Sciurus niger rufiventer, Fox
Squirrel....... 1
Castor canadensis, Beaver
................... 304 x x
x
Microtus pennsylvanicus, Meadow
Mouse..... 3
Ondatra zibethica, Muskrat
.................. 4 x
Erethizon dorsatum, Porcupine
.............. 86 x x x
Sylvilagus floridanus mearnsu, Cotton-tail
Rabbit ................................. 8 x
Cervus canadensis, Elk
...................... 324 x x x
Odocoileus virgianianus, Virginia
Deer .......1160 x x
3315
BIRDS.
Fifteen different species of birds were identified from their
skeletal remains found on the site. Altogether, one hundred and
twenty-nine bird bones were classified according to the species
represented. The list of species from the site is as follows: Com-
mon Loon, Trumpeter Swan, Canada Goose, Mallard, Blue-winged
Teal, Wood Duck, Lesser Scaup Duck, Hooded Merganser, Bald
Eagle, Wild Turkey, Herring Gull, Passenger Pigeon, Great
Horned Owl, and Snowy Owl.
The Wild Turkey stands out among the birds represented as
the most important in the economy of the Indians. Ninety-eight
bone fragments of this bird were identified. The turkey was not
FAIRPORT HARBOR
VILLAGE SITE 49
only used for food
but its bones were fashioned into artifacts.
including awls and
other worked specimens. It may be assumed
that its feathers
were used for decorative purposes.
The other birds
present are represented by from one to eight
bone fragments each,
hence, little can be said concerning their
archaeological
significance. Many beads were made from
cut and
polished sections of
leg and wing bones. These bones could not
be identified but
their different sizes indicate that a number of
different species
were utilized. It is also safe to assume that the
feathers of various
birds were used for decorative purposes.
The Passenger Pigeon,
the Herring Gull and the Snowy Owl
are here reported for
the first time from Ohio archaeological sites.
More detailed work,
however, should reveal their presence at other
sites. The Passenger
Pigeon record is of interest for this is the
only species of bird
on this list that is now extinct. In pioneer
times great flocks of
these birds were present in Ohio. The Her-
ring Gull is common
in the area today and was probably equally
so in prehistoric
times. The Snowy Owl is rare for the region
being known as an
occasional visitor from the north.
The other species of
birds, most of which are migratory, are
still found in the
area, ranging from common to rare in
their
occurrence.
BIRDS
NUMBER
OF BONES
Gavia immer, Common Loon
............................... 1
Cygnus buccinator, Trumpeter Swan ........................ 1
Branta canadensis,
Canada Goose
............................ 2
Anas
platyrhynchos, Mallard............................... 1
Querquedula
discors, Blue-winged Teal
..................... 3
Aix sponsa, Wood Duck ................................... 2
Nyroca affinis, Lesser Scaup Duck ......................... 5
Charitonetta
albeola, Buffle-head Duck
...................... 2
Lophodytes
cucullatus, Hooded Merganser
................... 1
Haliaectus
leucocephalus, Bald Eagle
........................ 2
Meleagris
gallopavo, Wild Turkey
.......................... 98
Larms argentatus, Herring Gull ............................. 1
Ectopistes
migratorius, Passenger Pigeon
.................... 8
Bubo virginianus, Great Horned Owl ....................... 1
Nyctea nyctea, Snowy Owl ................................ 1
129
50 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
FISHES.
Fish was evidently an
important food item for the inhabitants
of the village judging
from the twelve hundred and seventy-three
fish bones found on
the site. They were secured both from the
Grand River and Lake
Erie. The bone fishhooks found on the
site reveal that the
hook and line was used and it is probable that
they also used nets
and spears. The only fish bones used for arti-
facts were the
otoliths of the Sheepshead. These were perforated
and used for pendants.
The species
identified, in the order of their abundance, are
as follows: Northern
Channel Catfish, Sheepshead, Yellow Pike-
Perch, White Bass,
Yellow Perch, and Pavement Tooth Sucker.
In addition, the
Fine-scale Sucker and the Redhorse Sucker were
tentatively
identified. Many fragments could not be identified.
FISHES
Aplodinotus
grunniens, Sheepshead, Drum Fish
Stizostedion
vitreum, Yellow Pike-Perch
Ictalurus
lacustris, Northern Channel Catfish
Lepibema chrysops, White Bass
Perca flavescens, Yellow Perch
Placopharynx
carinatus, Pavement Tooth Sucker
Catostomus or Placopharynx, Fine-scale Sucker or Pavement
Tooth
Sucker
Moxostoma or Placopharynx, Red Horse Sucker or Pavement
Tooth
Sucker
REPTILES.
The only reptile bones
found were those of the Box Turtle
and the Snapping
Turtle. The former is represented by eleven
fragments and the
latter by twelve. The Snapping Turtle was
evidently used for
food but it is doubtful if the Box Turtle was
so used. The carapace of the latter may have been
used for
containers and
rattles.
TURTLES
NUMBER OF BONES
Terrapene carolina, Box Turtle
....................... 11
Chelydra
serpentina, Snapping Turtle
................. 12
FAIRPORT
HARBOR VILLAGE SITE 51
MOLLUSKS.
The
Mollusks are represented by one hundred and fifty-three
shell
fragments. Of this number one hundred and thirty are
mussel
shells and twenty-three are snail shells. The following
species
of Freshwater Mussels were identified: Maple-Leaf,
Pimple-Back,
Mucket, Three-Ridge, Spike or Lady-Finger, Black
Sand
Shell, and Pink Heel-Splitter. All of these forms were
probably
used for food. The shells of the Maple-Leaf and Black
Sand
Shell were used for making hoes. There is also one small
disk-shaped
bead which was cut from a mollusk shell. All of the
species
represented are found in the present mollusk fauna of the
region.
Two
species of Freshwater Snails were identified for the
site,
the Green River Snail and the Slender River Snail. The
former
may have been used for food and one perforated speci-
men
of the latter was found which was probably used for a bead.
There
were also two species of Land Snails in the collection,
Polygyra
profunda and Anguispira alternata. Both
of these forms
may
have been used for food.
MOLLUSKS
FH R
TH SP
Freshwater
Mussels
Quadrula
quadrula, Maple-Leaf .................
x
Quadrula
pustulosa, Pimple-Back ..............
x
Actinonaias
carinata, Mucket ................... x
Amblema
costata, Three-Ridge
.................. x7 x7 X7
Elliptio
dilatatus, Spike, Lady-Finger
........... x7 x7 x7 x7
Ligumia
recta latissima, Black Sand
Shell....... x7
Ligwnia
nasuta ............................... x
Proptera
alata megaptera, Pink Heel-Splitter... x7 x7
Lampsilis
siliquoidea, Fat Mucket
............... x
Freshwater
Snails
Campeloma
rufum, Green River Snail........... x
Pleurocera
acuta, Slender River Snail ...........
x7
Land
Snails
Polygyra profunda ............................. x
Anquispira alternata ............................ x
7Species
made into artifacts.
52 OHIO
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
CULTURAL AFFILIATIONS
The traits present at the Fairport Harbor Site were
compared
with the traits present at the Reeve, Tuttle Hill and
South Park
village sites.
The three latter sites are the major components
making up the Whittlesey Focus of the Iroquois Aspect
which was
established by Greenman.8 Three additional components9 were
included by Greenman in the focus but these were
omitted from
this treatment because of their paucity in traits. The
traits pres-
ent at the four sites are shown in the accompanying
Comparative
Trait List (pp. 55-58).10 Pottery traits which have been omitted
from the list will be discussed separately.
The total number of individual traits present at the
four sites
is one hundred and twenty. Fifty-two of these are
universal traits
which all four sites have in common. Fairport Harbor
has ninety-
seven traits, Reeve eighty-five, Tuttle Hill
seventy-eight, and
South Park seventy-seven. A comparison of the four
sites on
the basis of the traits they have in common is given in
the fol-
lowing table.11
% in
Total Traits
Common Common
Fairport Harbor-Tuttle Hill.......... 107 68 64
Fairport Harbor-South Park......... 107 67 63
Fairport Harbor-Reeve ............... 113 69 61
Tuttle Hill-South Park.............. 92 63 68
Tuttle Hill-Reeve .................... 103 60 58
South Park-Reeve................... 97 65 67
A comparison
made by the four-cell method using the for-
mula Z=
(a--b--c+d) / (a+b+c+d)12 gives the following
results:
Tuttle South
Hill Park Reeve Fairport
Tuttle Hill.............. 1.0 .15 -- .27 -- .15
South Park............. .15 1.0 -- .06 -- .18
Reeve .................. -- .27 .06 -- 1.0 -- .30
Fairport ................ -- .15 -- .18 --
.30 -- 1.0
8Greenman, "Two Prehistoric Villages,"
348-51.
9Ibid. 357.
10The following traits were furnished by Mr. Raymond
Baby, Department of
Anatomy, Western Reserve University: South Park--beaver
incisor chisels, Os penis
of raccoon, beamers, antler gouges, and bear molar
pendants; Tuttle Hill--abrading
stones, ovoid scraper, Os penis of raccoon,
fishhooks and elk canine pendants.
11The following traits were not counted in the
statistical treatments: stone beads,
pointed-poll celts, flake knives, "turtle
backs," elk incisor pendants, and wildcat
canine pendants; historic material was also omitted
from the count.
12A. L.
Kroeber, "Statistical Classification," American Antiquity (Menasha,
Wis-
consin), VI (1940), 34.
FAIRPORT HARBOR VILLAGE SITE 53
It is evident from the two comparisons
made that these four
components are essentially alike and
that they may be placed
together in a common focus. It may be
noted that in these com-
parisons South Park and Tuttle Hill show
the highest degree of
relationship.
An analysis of the pottery from the four
sites revealed a
basic similarity. There are, however,
certain differences which
will be pointed out. All of the groups
and sub-groups present
at Fairport Harbor were present at
Reeve, although the frequency
of sherds in some of the sub-groups
varied considerably. Sub-
group 3, a very distinct type with
forty-three sherds at Fairport
Harbor, contains only four sherds at
Reeve. Sub-group 6, the
most common type at Fairport Harbor, is
present but not com-
mon at Reeve. Sub-group 7, decorated on
the lip surface, con-
tains thirty-five sherds from the
Fairport Harbor site but only
nine from Reeve. Sub-group 8,
another prominent group at
Fairport Harbor, is present but not
common at Reeve. There
are several groups of sherds from the
Reeve site which are barely
suggested or not represented at all at
Fairport Harbor. The most
prominent of these groups is that
decorated with parallel lines
at angles.13 This group at Reeve is as common as
any other
group but at Fairport Harbor it is
represented by a single sherd.
Another group, resembling Sub-group 4,
but with the addition of
elongated punctates below the added
rim-strip, is represented by
six sherds at Reeve but is not found at
Fairport Harbor. In
addition, there are several minor
variations in decoration in the
Reeve pottery which are not present in
the Fairport Harbor pot-
tery. The appendages of the pottery at
both sites are more or less
the same, consisting of small loop
handles and lugs. Group B
is represented by nine sherds at
Fairport Harbor and seven sherds
at Reeve.
Since the pottery from Tuttle Hill and
South Park is very
similar it will be discussed as a unit
in comparing it with the
material from Fairport Harbor. The
essential differences between
the sherds of these two sites and those
from Fairport Harbor lie
in a different series of combinations of
the same decorational ele-
13Greenman, "Reeve Village Site," 51.
54
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
ments. The main similarities are within
Sub-groups 3, 5, and 6.
Sub-group 5 is common in the South
Park-Tuttle Hill material
but the notches on the added rim-strip
tend to be restricted to the
lower edge of the rim-strip while those
on the Fairport Harbor
pottery extend clear across the
rim-strip. In addition, many of
the South Park-Tuttle Hill sherds have
scalloped lip surfaces as
well as plain, often both on the same
sherd. Sherds of Sub-group
6 are common at all three sites and
those of Sub-group 3 are
present at all three. Group B is
represented by only three sherds
at Tuttle Hill-South Park. Loop handles
and lugs are present
in the Tuttle Hill-South Park material
but the "knob" type of
appendage at these sites is not found at
all at Fairport Harbor.
For decorational types not present at
Fairport Harbor but occur-
ring at the other two sites the reader
is referred to Greenman's
report.14
Grit tempering predominates at all four
sites; however, at
all sites, there are also shell-tempered
sherds and sherds contain-
ing both grit and shell. Reeve
apparently has a larger percentage
of shell-tempered sherds than Fairport
Harbor, but a re-analysis
of the material might show that many of
the so-called shell-tem-
pered sherds also contain grit.
As has been indicated, the Fairport
Harbor pottery shows
a greater resemblance to the Reeve
pottery than it does to the
Tuttle Hill-South Park pottery. The main
differences exhibited
in the pottery from the four sites lie
in the varied combinations
of the same decorational techniques.
On the basis of the comparative study
that has been made
the Fairport Harbor site may be classed
as a component of the
Whittlesey Focus of the Iroquois Aspect
of the Upper Mississippi
Phase.l5
14 Greenman,
"Two Prehistoric Villages," 351-6.
15 Ibid., 348-51.
FAIRPORT HARBOR VILLAGE SITE 55
COMPARATIVE TRAIT LIST
LOCATION AND STRUCTURES
R SP TH FH
On bluff........................................ x x x
Village site over long period, black soil.............
x x x
x
Post holes indicating stockade ......................
Walls indicating fortified enclosures ................ x
Refuse and storage
pits ............................ x x
x
Burials found ...................................... x x x
Ash beds present ............................... x x
STONE ARTIFACTS
Abrading
stones ................................. x x x
A dzes ........................................ x x x x
Beads ........................................ x
Blades, unnotched .................................. x x x
Elliptical ......................................x x x
Leaf-shaped
..............................x x x
Ends pointed...............................
x x
Ends rounded .............................. x x x
Lanceolate ................................... x x
Celts .......................................... x x x x
Ground or pecked............................. x x x x
P ointed poll
............................... x
Flat or rounded poll ....................... x x x
Chipped ...................................... x x x
Slate .....................................
x x x x
Diorite spalls
............................. x x
Notched or grooved
............................ x x
Chisels .................................... x x x
Disks, roughly chipped
slate ........................ x x
Drills ........................................ x x x x
Straight
...................................... x x x x
Expanded base................................. x x x x
Flake
knives....................................... x
Fossils .......................................... x x
Gorgets
.......................................... x x x x
Hammerstones
.................................... x x x
Spherical, faceted ............................ x x x x
Pitted, asymmetrical .......................... x x x x
Incised designs on stone ........................... x x
Mortar, shallow ................................... x
Net sinkers, notched ............................... x x
x x
Pendants ......................................... x x
56 OHIO
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
R SP TH FH
Pestles, rough, bell-shaped .......................... x x
Pipes ......................................... x x x x
Effigy
........................................ x x
Conoidal ...................................... x x x
K eeled ....................................... x x
Elbow ....................................... x x x
Projectile points.................................. x x x x
Triangular, unnotched.......................... x x x x
Notched ..................................... x x x
Scrapers ......................................... x x x
Circular ...................................... x x x
Ovoid ........................................ x x x
Rectangular .................................. x x x
Triangular .................................... x x x
BONE ARTIFACTS
Awls ............................................. x x
Bird bone (leg and wing) ...................... x x x x
Unnotched ................................ x x x
N otched .................................. x x
One articular end unmodified ............... x x x
Split ..................................... x x x x
Animal bone .................................. x x x x
Cross-section
round........................ x x x x
P la in ................................. x
Incised ............................... x
Long, slender, curved antler........... x x x x
Knobbed base ..................... x x
Pointed at both ends
................... x
Flat in cross-section
........................ x x x
Plain ................................. x x
Effigy .................................x x
Expanded head or spatulate ............. x x
Pointed at both
ends................... x
Deer dewclaw ............................ x
Scapula ................................... x
Two-tined ................................ x
Beads
......................................... x x x x
Bird bones .................................... x x x x
Notched ................................. x x x
Unnotched ................................ x x x x
Animal bones .................................. x x
Beamers, deer leg-bone .......................... x x
FAIRPORT HARBOR VILLAGE SITE 57
R SP TH FH
Bones, deer phalanges, hollow ...................... x x
Bones, bird leg, incised cross-hatch .................. x
Bones, animal ribs, notched ........................ x
Bones, os penis of raccoon, polished
................. x x x x
Bones, os penis of black bear, polished
.............. x
Bones, bird scapula, polished ....................... x
Bones, worked human skull fragment................ x
Chipping tools
..................................... x x x x
Antler, cylindrical, ends blunt ................... x x x x
A ntler tine .................................... x x x
Os penis raccoon
............................... x x x x
Chisels, antler
..................................... x
Chisels, beaver
incisor .............................. x x
x x
Combs
........................................ x
Fish-hooks
........................................ x x x
Unbarbed, shaft round.......................... x x
Knobbed end.............................. x
Unknobbed end............................ x x
Unbarbed, shaft flat ........................... x x
Flutes,
bird bone
................................... x x x
Gouges, antler ..................................... x x x
x
Handles, antler tine, socketed ...................... x
Jaws, animal, worked .............................. x
Musical rasps, bone ................................ x x
N eedles ........................................... x
Pendants ........................................ x x x x
Teeth
........................................ x x x x
Bear canine, perforated ..................... x x x
Bear molar, perforated ..................... x x
Elk canines, perforated ..................... x x x x
Elk
incisor, perforated
..................... x
Wildcat canines, perforated ................ x
Small animal, perforated .................... x x
Bear
claws, perforated
......................... x
Turtle leg-bone, perforated ..................... x
Flat, thin, rectangular, perforated.............. x
Projectile points, antler, socketed ..................
x x x x
Projectile points, flat, concave base.................. x
Punches, large
.....................................
x x x x
SHELL ARTIFACTS
Bead,
disc, flat..................................... x
Hoes, mussel shell .................................. x x x x
M ussel shell, edge
ground .......................... x x x
Pendant,
perforated ................................ x
58
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
R SP TH FH
COPPER ARTIFACTS
Beads,
tubular ..................................... x x
TRADE OBJECTS
Miscellaneous material .......... .. ..........x.
CONCLUSIONS
The Fairport Harbor Village site is one
of a number of sim-
ilar sites located on the south shore of
Lake Erie. Culturally it
is closely related to the Reeve, Tuttle
Hill and South Park vil-
lage sites as well as other sites in the
area. The four sites are
located on major streams and are
characterized by thick deposits
of black earth resulting from long
occupation. Implements, orna-
ments, potsherds and animal bones are
found scattered through
the black earth and also in storage or
refuse pits. Burials were
made in the village area at South Park,
Tuttle Hill and Reeve,
but no burials were found at Fairport
Harbor. No structural
features were recognized at any of these
sites which would indi-
cate the type of houses used by the
inhabitants. Several series of
post-molds at Fairport Harbor may be
interpreted, with a rea-
sonable degree of certainty, as remnants
of stockades which once
enclosed the village area.
No evidence of stockades was found at
the other three sites,
but according to Whittlesey, the village
area at Tuttle Hill, which
occupied a promontory, was originally
set off by two parallel
earthen walls with outer ditches.l6 It is probable that Reeve
and South Park were also enclosed by
stockades or palisades.
In the same region are hill-top
fortifications characterized by one
or more parallel earthen walls.l7 Some of these have been corre-
lated with the same people responsible
for the village sites under
discussion. Since the ones examined
revealed little evidence of
occupation it is likely that they served
as places of defense rather
than occupation sites.
16 C. C. Whittlesey, "Ancient Earth
Forts of the Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio,"
Western Reserve and Northern Ohio
Historical Society, Tracts (Cleveland), no.5
(1871), 11.
17 E. F. Greenman, "Seven
Prehistoric Sites in Northern Ohio," O. S. A. H.
Quart., XLIV (1935), 220-7.
FAIRPORT HARBOR VILLAGE SITE 59
Sites of the Whittlesey Focus have been
attributed to the
Erie Indians by some writers because the
Erie are known to have
lived in the area and due to the
similarity of the remains to
Iroquoian remains in the East.18 In
the Jesuit Relations of
1647-48 it is recorded that the Erie
lived along the southern
shores of Lake Erie, that they tilled
the soil, and that they spoke
the same language as the Huron.l9 Available evidence indi-
cates that the Erie were,
linguistically, an Iroquoian people.20
It is also recorded that the Erie made
use of palisades.21 While
there is no direct evidence that the
Erie were the occupants of
the various sites of the Whittlesey
Focus, the archaeological
material and the historical records seem
to bear out that con-
clusion. Greenman has pointed out the
similarities between the
northern Ohio sites and the Ripley site
of New York which
Parker assigned to the Erie.22
In attempting to establish the time of
occupation of the Fair-
port Harbor site there are several
factors to be considered. In
the first place, the historic material
found in the site must be
evaluated. The clay tobacco pipes,
judging from the number
of fragments and their distribution in
the site, are assumed to
belong to the period of occupancy. The
gun fragment and the
knife blade may or may not belong to the
Indian occupation.
Clay tobacco pipes were common articles
of trade and were
among the first objects to be introduced
by the white man.
According to McGuire, clay pipes
decorated with shields and
branches of the tobacco plant were
apparently made in England
at the beginning of the seventeenth
century.23
If one attributes the site to the Erie,
the probabilities are
that it was occupied before the middle
of the seventeenth cen-
tury for the Erie are reported to have
been defeated and their
18 H. C. Shetrone, The Mound Builders (New York, 1931), 277-8;
Greenman,
"Reeve Village Site," 9.
19 Reuben Gold Thwaites, ed., Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents (Cleveland,
1896-1901), XXXIII, 63.
20 A.
C. Parker, "Excavations in an Erie Indian Village and Burial Site at
Ripley,
Chautauqua Co., N. Y.," New York
State Museum Bulletin (Albany, N. Y.), no. 117
(1907), 528.
21 Jesuit Relations, XLII, 179,
181.
22 Greenman, "Two Prehistoric
Villages," 350.
23 J. D. McGuire, "Pipes and
Smoking Customs of the American Aborigines,
Based on Material in the U. S. National
Museum," U. S. National Museum Report,
1897
(Washington, D. C.), part I (1899), 452-3.
60
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
villages destroyed by the Iroquois in
1654.24 The scarcity of
trade material at the site also favors
this conclusion, for if the
site was later, one would expect more
trade objects and a greater
variety of types. In their earlier
conflicts with the Iroquois the
Erie did not have fire-arms,25 but
by the time of their final
defeat they apparently had acquired a
few guns.26 Hence, the
rifle at the site could have belonged to
the inhabitants and need
not be attributed necessarily to a later
period. No historic ma-
terial has been reported found at other
sites of the Whittlesey
Focus. This fact would also support the
idea that the Fairport
Harbor site was occupied early in the
seventeenth century. In
this connection it should be noted that
at the South Park site
a pottery vessel was found that has been
termed a trade piece
from
the Oneota culture of Iowa and adjacent states.27 The
Oneota Aspect has been attributed by
Griffin to the Chiwere
Sioux who are known to have lived in
that area in the seven-
teenth century.28 Historic trade material has also been
found
with this culture in Iowa. In other
words, both of these cultures
were transitional from the prehistoric
to the historic period.
In summary, the Fairport Harbor site has
been classified as
a component of the Whittlesey Focus of
the Iroquois Aspect of the
Upper Mississippi Phase. The occupants
of the site are thought
to have been members of the Erie tribe,
a group related to the
Iroquois peoples of New York. The
village was probably estab-
lished toward the close of the sixteenth
century and perhaps oc-
cupied up to the middle of the
seventeenth century.
In studying the Iroquois culture, as it
is represented in Ohio
by the Whittlesey Focus, it is well to
see it in relation to the
other archaeological cultures which have
been recognized for
the Ohio area. The relations to be
considered are those of cul-
tural connection, chronological position
and geographical dis-
tribution. In presenting this
generalized outline no attempt is
24 Jesuit Relations, XLII,
177-83.
25 Ibid., XLI, 83.
26 Ibid., XLII, 181.
27 Greenman, "Two Prehistoric
Villages," 346.
28 J. B. Griffin, "The
Archaeological Remains of the Chiwere Sioux." American
Antiquity, II, no. 3 (1937), 180-1.
FAIRPORT HARBOR VILLAGE SITE 61
made to present all the evidence which
has been considered in
arriving at the various
conclusions. The interpretations seem
to be the most logical ones on the basis
of the present evidence
and are subject to revision as new facts
come to light.
The more recent cultures will be
considered first--those
which bridge the gap between prehistoric
and historic times. The
year 1600 A. D. has been chosen
arbitrarily as marking the be-
ginning of historic times. Two cultures
have been established
as extending up into the historic
period, the Iroquois and the
Fort Ancient. The evidence concerning the Iroquois (Erie)
has already been discussed. The remains
of the Fort Ancient
peoples are found distributed through
southern Ohio and portions
of the adjacent states. The material comes largely from village
sites and burial grounds. Culturally, the material traits of this
group show a basic resemblance to those
of the Iroquois, hence
these two cultures have been placed
together in a larger division
known as the Upper Mississippi Phase.29
The Fort Ancient peo-
ples were evidently contemporaneous, at
least in part, with the
Iroquois, for trade objects secured from
the white man have
been found at several of their sites.30
The length of time these
two cultures existed as distinct
entities cannot be determined,
but they must have been functioning
through most of the six-
teenth century.
Leaving behind the Iroquois and the Fort
Ancient cultures,
which are transitional from prehistoric
to historic times, and
entering the purely prehistoric period,
the chronological prob-
lems become more difficult. The time
sequence that has been set
up for the older cultures is entirely
relative. It is not known
how far back the oldest of these
cultures began or how close to
the historic period the youngest of
them existed. Hence, the
chronology is not only relative but the
total amount of elapsed
time is also unknown. The time sequence
is based on stratigraph-
29 J. B. Griffin, in National Research Council, Division of
Anthropology and
Psychology, Committee on State
Archaeological Surveys, The Indianapolis Archaeo-
logical Conference (Washington), 1935, p. 48.
30 E. A. Hooton and C. C. Willoughby, "Indian Village Site and
Cemetery near
Madisonville, Ohio," Peabody Museum
of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Har-
vard University, Papers (Cambridge),
VIII, no. 1 (1920), 135. Reported also from a
Kentucky site.
62
OHIO ARCHEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
ical and typological evidence that has
been discovered in Ohio and
other areas. There are four cultures in
Ohio which are com-
pletely prehistoric, i. e., no
evidence has come to light showing
that the peoples of these groups had any
contact with the culture
of the white man. These cultures, known
as "Intrusive Mound,"
Hopewell, Adena, and "Gravel
Kame," had apparently reached
their climax and had passed out of
existence as functioning units
before the discovery of the New World.
The "Intrusive Mound" culture
is represented by several
mounds in Scioto County and by burials
and artifacts intrusive in
mounds of the Hopewell culture at Mound
City in Ross County.31
Culturally, it is apparently the equivalent
of the Point Peninsula
culture of New York.32 Since
burials of this culture were found
intrusive in Hopewell mounds it is
considered to be post-Hope-
wellian in age.
The Hopewell culture is known from many
sites distributed
throughout the Mississippi Valley and
its tributaries, but one of
its most important centers is located in
southern Ohio. The
peoples of this culture were good
craftsmen and made fine tools
and ornaments. They possessed an
elaborate burial cult which in-
cluded the building of complicated
earthworks and mounds and
the practice of placing large ceremonial
offerings with their bur-
ials. Many of the Hopewell sites in Ohio
were contemporaneous
with sites of the same culture in the
Illinois River Valley and of
certain other areas.33 Likewise the Copena culture of
Alabama
and Tennessee evidently dates from the
same time period.34
Certain Copena-type artifacts,
apparently representing trade pieces,
have been found in Ohio sites.35 As
has been indicated, the Hope-
well culture antedates the
"Intrusive Mound" culture.
31 W. C. Mills, "Exploration of the
Mound City Group," O. S. A. H. Quart.,
XXXI (1922), 563-84.
32 W. A. Ritchie, "Culture Influences from Ohio in New
York Archaeology,"
American Antiquity, II, no. 3 (1937), 188-93. See also, "A Perspective of North-
eastern Archaeology," ibid., IV,
no. 2 (1938), 100-2.
33 J. B. Griffin and R. G. Morgan, eds.,
"Contributions to the Archaeology of
the Illinois River Valley,"
American Philosophical Society, Transactions (Philadel-
phia), New Series, XXXII, part I (1941),
47-9.
34 W. S. Webb, "An Archaeological Survey of Wheeler Basin on the
Tennessee
River in Northern Alabama,"
Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology,
Bulletin (Washington),
no. 122 (1939), 188-99.
35 H. C. Shetrone and E. F.
Greenman, "Exploration of the Seip Group of Pre-
historic Earthworks," O. S. A.
H. Quart. XL (1931), 416-24.
FAIRPORT HARBOR VILLAGE SITE 63
The Adena culture is represented by many
mounds in the
southern half of the State. Mounds of
this culture are present
in greater abundance than those of any
other. Adena mounds
are also common in Indiana, Kentucky and
West Virginia. It
has been recognized that almost all of
the Adena traits have their
counterparts in the Hopewell culture.36
Furthermore, Hope-
wellian-type artifacts have been found
in some of the Adena
mounds of Kentucky.37 Evidence
of this nature has supported
the view that the Adena culture may have
preceded the Hopewell
culture and that it may have evolved
into the Hopewell culture.38
In any case, it is apparent that they
are definitely related to each
other and that they belong to the same
general time period.
The "Gravel Kame" culture is
known from burials in gravel
deposits in northwestern Ohio, southern
Michigan and north-
eastern Indiana. The culture has not
been well-defined but there
is a recurring complex including such
objects as mocassin-shaped
shell gorgets, circular shell gorgets,
shell beads, birdstones and
massive copper beads.39 Chronological
evidence is almost en-
tirely lacking but on typological
grounds the "Gravel Kame"
culture has been placed tentatively in
the general Adena-Hope-
well time period.
In addition to these four prehistoric
cultures which have
been definitely delineated, there
remains a large mass of archaeo-
logical material which has not been
classified culturally. In the
main, the material in this category
consists of surface finds,
although some of it is from the
rock-shelters of eastern Ohio. The
rock-shelter material does not represent
a distinct cultural unit
for it is evident that the shelters were
occupied at various times
by different groups. A part of the
shelter material can be as-
signed to several of the established
cultures.
There are hundreds of specimens in Ohio
collections which
fall into the so-called Bannerstone
class. This type of material
is usually thought to belong to an early
Woodland horizon. Some
38 E. F. Greenman, "Excavation of
the Coon Mound and an Analysis of the
Adena Culture," loc. cit. XLI
(1932), 493.
37 W. S. Webb, "The Wright
Mounds," University of Kentucky, Reports in An.
thropology (Lexington), V, no. 1 (1940), 53-74.
38 Greenman, "Excavation of the
Coon Mound," 487-502.
39 Field Notes, Department of
Archaeology, Ohio State Museum.
64
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
of it may belong to the Adena-Hopewell
time period but it is
probable that part of it may date from
still earlier times. The
fluted-blades or Folsom-like points
found in Ohio may be very
old, but it has not been demonstrated
that they tie in with the
Folsom culture of the High Plains. No
evidence is available to
classify the fluted-blades either
culturally or chronologically.40
Archaeological explorations in the Ohio
area over a period
of years have added much to the
archaeologist's knowledge of
the prehistoric Indian groups of the
region. A number of dis-
tinct cultures have been recognized and
characterized and a gen-
eral time sequence has been established
for them. Investigations
in other areas have shown that some of
these cultures had a wide
distribution. It is now possible for the
archaeologist to make
larger comparisons and to view the Ohio
cultures in relation
to the general prehistory of the eastern
portion of the United
States.
40 H. C. Shetrone, "The Folsom
Phenomena as Seen from Ohio," O. S. A. H.
Quart., XLV
(1936), 240-56.