Chapter 8. Isotopic evidence for protohistoric field locations in northeastern Illinois

Abstract

In the western Great Lakes region of the United States, late prehistoric and early historic Indigenous fields are often difficult to investigate because their archaeological signatures are faint and easily destroyed. They have been identified largely via rare remnants of raised fields and historical records. With the majority of Indigenous fields destroyed, important aspects of cultivation remain ambiguous, especially the ecology of cultivated areas. In addition to archaeological indicators of field location, the choice of specific environmental settings (prairie, wetland, upland forest, etc.) can be encoded in the stable isotope ratios of cultigens. Stable carbon- and nitrogen-isotope ratios of maize kernels and wood charcoal from the Middle Grant Creek site (11WI2739), an early 17th century village in northeastern Illinois, are used to better understand agricultural practices during one of the coldest periods of the Little Ice Age.