Summer Island Site

About this property

The Summer Island Site, designated 20DE4, is an archaeological site located on the northwest side of Summer Island, in Delta County, Michigan. It is classified as a stratified, multi-component site with Middle Woodland (c. 100 B.C–500 A.D.), Upper Mississippian (c. 1000–1500 A. D.) and Early Historic/Protohistoric occupations (c. 1500–1700). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The site lies in a sandy meadow about 20 feet above Summer Harbor on the northwest side of the island, and about "125 feet inland from the best canoe landing area in the entire bay." At the time it was first excavated, cultural material was evident on the surface of the site. As early as 1851, this site has been recorded as an abandoned Native American village which was occupied as late as 1770. In 1931, Wilbert B. Hinsdale included it in his Archaeological atlas of Michigan. The site was first excavated by George I. Quimby in 1959. Quimby was able to collect material from the surface, and dug some test pits, finding pot sherds and animal bones. David S. Brose conducted extensive excavations in 1967-68. The site was most likely utilized by a number of different cultures. The earliest occupiers were likely Middle Woodland period peoples. Based on distinctive pottery associated with different residences, it is likely these people had patrilocal residences. A later part of the Summer Island Site included hearths, a storage pit, and waste pits, and has been ascribed Upper Mississippian culture and Late Woodland period peoples. The inhabitants of the site likely occupied it in the late summer, and ate a variety of game, including mammals (moose and beaver), fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The final occupiers had early French trade goods, indicating they likely used the site around 1620; they used the site as a late summer hunting camp. A small fishing village of European settlers, believed to be associated with the fishing fleet from St. Martin Island, was established just north of the prehistoric archeological site in the 1800s. The village was occupied by fishermen through at least the end of the 19th century, and then by loggers from Fayette in the early 20th century. The excavations yielded features, artifacts (both historic and prehistoric), animal bone, and plant remains. Numerous post molds were found in the Middle Woodland component, representing 4 house structures. Also present were 3 storage pits, 9 refuse pits, 6 hearths, 1 internal platform and 4 drying racks. Features were also present in the Upper Mississippian (3 hearths, 5 refuse pits and 2 storage pits) and Early Historic (3 refuse pits, 1 storage pit and 2 hearths) components.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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