American Bottom Field Station (ABFS)
ABFS field crew completed pedestrian, shovel, and auger test surveys in Fayette, St. Clair, Bond, and Williamson Counties for a number of IDOT projects. These investigations resulted in the identification of one new archaeological site and a revisit to one earlier recorded site. A previously reported Middle Woodland burial site in Williamson County was also revisited. In addition, Dr. Mike Kolb of Strata Morph Geoexploration Inc. conducted geomorphological testing along the Interstate 270 corridor from the Mitchell site to the Mississippi River bluff. Upcoming field work includes testing and survey for small bridge projects in Washington, Marion, Monroe, and Johnson Counties.
Central Illinois Field Station (CIFS)
CIFS staff submitted an ASSR to IDOT for the ca. 356-acre Wolf’s Crossing Road project. One report is currently in progress for the FAP/IL 7/East 9thStreet project in the Village of Lockport, Will County. CIFS completed investigations for the 3.4-acre bridge over the Hennepin feeder canal project in Bureau County. One historic period site was identified. CIFS received four new projects in July for work in Will, Clark, Clay, and Coles counties. Emilie Land (Historic Architectural Compliance Specialist) submitted the draft report for the architectural survey conducted for the Chester Bridge project (Randolph County) to IDOT and continued work on the Quincy bridge project (Adams County). Mike Smith (Cultural Resource Specialist) submitted the draft Historic Resources Survey Forms for structures in Pinckneyville (Perry County) to IDOT and is assisting with the Quincy bridge project.
Northern Illinois Field Station (NIFS)
Throughout the month of July, NIFS completed a number of small surveys in Cook, Kane, and Winnebago Counties. For the last few weeks, the crew from CIFS has been working with NIFS on a large shovel testing project along IL Rte 22/Lake Zurich Road in Lake County. NIFS staff have started preparing an artifacts/books exhibit, and a related presentation series, for Brookfield Library on the Prehistory and Early History of Cook County. NIFS also welcomes Jessie Ackerman to our office space! Jessie is a wetlands geologist with ISGS who will be working on several water monitoring projects in the Chicagoland area over the next year or so.
Western Illinois Field Station (WIFS)
Staff from WIFS began working on a batch of new IDOT road improvement projects this month, including surveys in Calhoun, Greene, Fulton, Knox, and Peoria counties, as well as borrow pit surveys in Brown and Schuyler counties. They are continuing to monitor railroad construction activities in downtown Springfield as part of the 3rd Street HSR intersection crossing upgrades. In addition, they completed draft reports for several older excavation projects, including Mary Craig (11PK1567), an Early Late Woodland La Crosse phase habitation in the Sny Bottoms, and several Macomb Bypass sites in McDonough County, that were sent to SWS for review. Some of our staff also participated in several public outreach events this past month, including a prehistoric pottery workshop for children at The Budding Artist in Quincy and Arky Day at the Center for American Archeology in Kampsville, Illinois.
