The Belson Site: A Paleoindian Campsite on the Outwash Plains of the Central Great Lakes

Clovis organizational dynamics at a Late Glacial campsite in the central Great Lakes: Belson site excavations 2020–2021

“…During the Holocene, however, the site was situated between rich marsh and pond areas and upland Oak-Beech-Hickory Carolinian forests, and not surprisingly has Archaic and Woodland occupations. In 2008 Talbot found a concentration of Late Glacial fluted bifaces and flake tools, all on the distinctive Attica chert from West-central Indiana [ 23 ]. A few tools might be from lost tool kit or cache, but a visit to the site by Talbot and Wright in 2017 yielded not only finished formal tools, but small flakes of Attica chert indicated that there had been occupation here.…”

“…[ 14 ]. A text illustrating the material and initial theoretical implications was published in PaleoAmeric a [ 23 ].…”

“…The initial study of Talbot’s surface collections [ 23 ] was focused on a series of fluted bifaces and a few other items. We argued that the shallow basal concavities, small multiple flutes, and over-face bifacial thinning, indicate that the fluted bifaces at Belson shared technology with Clovis as described by Bradley et al .…”

“…This site rests on an outwash plain which drained the Early Algonquin stage of the central Great Lakes southwest across Lower Michigan and into Indiana tributaries of the Ohio River during the Older Dryas stadial period (ca.14,000 Cal B.P). By 13,000 Cal B.P the St. Joseph River had incised multiple channels into this plain which periodically flooded interfluvial areas covered by open meadows with scatters of spruce, fir and other trees and bushes, and traversed by mastodon, mammoth, bison, caribou and other animals [ 23 ]. On a terrace just north of a now-abandoned channel, there are several clusters of fluted points and fragments, scrapers, gravers and other tools, largely of Attica chert procured 235 km southwest of Belson [ 23 ].…”

“…Technological assessment of the surface sample indicates that the points were made with the Clovis technological pattern very similar to that described by Bradley et al . [ 14 , 23 ]. Excavation in 2020–21 revealed buried artifacts in the terrace sediment below the plow zone, which was largely undisturbed except for limited bioturbation from trees and rodents.…”