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Archaeological investigations on sandy, well-drained terraces of the Grand River in southwestern Michigan revealed a large number of shallow surface depressions, marking the locations of former cache pits, i.e., subterranean storage features. Our paper documents these pits, one of the largest arrays of cache pits reported for the Upper Great Lakes. Excavations into 29 cache pits revealed that they had been backfilled with generally artifact-poor sands. Prior to backfilling, the cache pits had been burned, leaving behind a black, charcoal-rich, charred horizon at their base, below the fill. This type of intentional burning has not previously been reported. Intentional re-use of cache pits was rare, if it occurred at all. Subsequently, pedogenesis has formed tongue-like soil horizons below the surface depressions. Radiocarbon dates from the cache pits, along with diagnostic artifacts, place the use of these features to the Late Precontact period, particularly the mid- to late 15th century a.d. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including a collection of prehistoric artifacts from Southwestern Lower Michigan, chipped stone from a beach lake site of the Huron River Watershed, and the history of technological innovations.

An introduction is presented in which the co-editors discuss various reports within the issue on archaeological topics including the Paleoindian period, Michigan prehistory, and archaeological work at Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, Michigan.

The article discusses various published reports within the issue, including one by April Beisaw that examines the archaeology of Michigan's one room schoolhouses, one by Andrew White that explores the changes in Late Woodland period point types and one by Michael Nassaney and William Cremin that provides the initial results of a botanical analysis from Fort St. Joseph.

The Rockies Express Pipeline-East project traversed approximately 268 kilometers across the State of Illinois as part of their larger 1,026-kilometer pipeline project. Archaeological investigations for Illinois were conducted as part of the Section 106 process from 2006 through early 2009. In total, there were 483 sites either identified or revisited in Illinois. Sites identified can be dated from the Early Archaic period through Historic period farmsteads. Of these sites, 31 were determined to be potentially eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Rockies Express and its consultants developed several strategies to mitigate potential adverse effects to historic sites, including avoidance, data recovery, and necking the corridor. The present volume of Illinois Archaeology represents the culmination of the Rockies Express Pipeline-East project in Illinois. Many of these papers were presented at a special symposium during the 2010 Society for American Archaeology meetings in St. Louis, Missouri. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]