Page 12 - RAGBRAI2008

day 6 - north liberty to tipton

“How did they get around? Transportation through time in
Cedar County and beyond”

We think nothing of changing seasons. used multiple way of
the variety of But what about getting around. This
modern travel prehistoric peoples? presentation will
options when we From hunting, to examine the variety
wish to go trading, to seasonal of transportation
somewhere. We are camps, or yearly methods used by
likely familiar with relocation, both historic and
the various modes of prehistoric peoples prehistoric peoples in
transportation
from our time Cedar County
and that of our and beyond.
grand parents
and even earlier Presenter: Mark
forebearers. Anderson, Office
Whether for fun of the State
or necessity, we Archaeologist
all need to be
able to move When: 4:00pm,
about our world, Friday, July 25th
in different
weather Mark Anderson, teaching Where: Old
conditions and student how to use an Cedar County
atlatl. Jail, corner of
Lynn and 4th
Street, Tipton

On the Road. . .
About four miles from Tipton, along a small creek, is archaeological site
13CD2. Here, the Meskwakis returned every spring from about the 1840s
until the 1870s, camping along the creek and making maple sugar.
Today, only a few artifacts can still be found at this site. Artifacts found
there have included broken pieces of glass, fire-cracked rocks (hearth or
campfire rocks), a spile (tree-tapper) holder, and a trap part. This site is
located in a farm field. No maple trees remain.
Moving south from the maple sugaring site about 15 miles was an 1830s
Meskwaki village (site 13CD14). This village was fortified to protect the
villagers from a possible attack by the Sioux. No such attack ever
occurred at this particular village. Directly across the Cedar River from
the village was a trading post, archaeological site 13CD13. The village is
within a cultivated field today. The trading post is in timber and
protected by two landowners who are thrilled to have such an
interesting site on their property.