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Title
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Archeological Sites in the Powell Creek Watershed, Marengo County, Alabama
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Date
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1981
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Bibliographic Citation
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Chase, David W. 1981. Archaeological Sites in the Powell Creek Watershed, Marengo County, Alabama. Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. Office of Archaeological Research, University of Alabama, Moundville.
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annotates
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• This report documents a reconnaissance-level archaeological survey of six proposed flood control dam basins.
• Employed surface inspection and shovel testing across planned impoundment zones and adjacent terraces.
• A total of 10 archaeological sites were identified (labeled A–K in the report), assigned later as trinomials 1MO71–1MO79 and 1MO82.
• Artifacts were generally "sparse" and recovered from eroded fields or shallow soils, interpreted as “small, short-term campsites” or “low-density artifact scatters.”
• Site J (1MO71), was the only one recommended for further investigation based on its artifact diversity and size.
Choctaw / Ancestral Choctaw Relevance
• Choctaw are explicitly mentioned in both the ethnohistorical background and the site-specific artifact interpretation:
o The report traces Choctaw presence in western Alabama from early Spanish contact (1540) through French and English colonial alliances, highlighting their historical prominence along the Tombigbee River.
o At sites 1MO79 and 1MO76, the author specifically suggests that shell-tempered pottery closely resembles Chickachae Plain and Brushed types, based on Penman's (1977) Choctaw material traditions.
o Although definitive cultural attribution is cautious, the presence of these ceramic types in the Black Prairie uplands is viewed as potentially diagnostic of Choctaw or closely affiliated groups.
• 1MO79:
o Small shell-tempered ceramic scatter on a second terrace near Dam #1. Choctaw ceramic association is proposed, no lithics found. Considered too small and sparse for mitigation; likely impacted by cultivation.
• 1MO76: On a long terrace near the Hale-Marengo County line. Produced sand-tempered sherds (classified as Miller) and shell tempered pottery, interpreted as a possible Choctaw campsite. Above flood pool level; no mitigation recommended due to limited content and past disturbance.
• 1MO71: The most "significant" site in the survey, located near Dam #5. Artifact assemblage includes: 12 shell-tempered sherds, Tallahatta sandstone and chert flakes, a “chert perforator,” a pitted stone, and other tool types. Its diversity, location, and ceramics make it a strong candidate for ancestral Choctaw significance. Recommended for further testing and evaluation to assess cultural affiliation and NRHP eligibility.
Data Presentation / Decolonizing Commentary
• The report does an uncommon thing for its time: it explicitly mentions Choctaw presence, considers historical ethnography, and discusses Indigenous affiliations for multiple sites.
• However, it still frames Indigenous occupation in culture-historical terms (e.g., “Miller,” “prehistoric,” “aboriginal”) and does not engage descendant communities.
• A decolonizing approach would:
o Recognize the Black Prairie farmsteads and seasonal sites documented here as part of a Choctaw cultural landscape, not marginal camps.
o Emphasize the ceramic variability as part of Indigenous adaptability and continuity, especially across precontact–postcontact transitions.
o Recommend consultation with Choctaw Nation to reassess significance of sites like 1MO71 (Site J).
CRM Utility Assessment: Highly valuable for CRM in Choctaw-affiliated areas of Marengo and Hale counties. One of the earliest reports to name Choctaw ceramics as potential identifiers in rural upland contexts. 1MO71 provides a concrete reference for NRHP-eligible sites with Choctaw-era material, even outside mound centers.
• Limitations: Surface-only survey; minimal excavation.
• Recommendation: Use to support regional predictive modeling for Choctaw-era sites in the Black Prairie, especially farmsteads and non-mounded habitations.
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owner
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sprice@wiregrassarchaeology.com