blog navigation

News from ISAS

The Illinois State Archaeological Survey protects, preserves, and interprets irreplaceable and non-renewable cultural resources within the context of Illinois’ need to encourage and promote sustainable development. ISAS is a division of the Prairie Research Institute (PRI).

blog posts

  • Illinois' first submerged cultural resource: the Solon Johnson wreck of 1887

    Apr 26, 2024 1:45 pm

  • Heavenly history and the moon

    Mar 19, 2024 9:30 am

  • ISAS to lead “Field to Lab” summer program

    Feb 28, 2024 9:15 am

  • ISAS awarded grant for "Homelands and Harvests" project

    Feb 22, 2024 2:15 pm

  • Dr. Joseph Galloy (IL Dept. of Transportation), Robert White III (Historical Society of Brooklyn, IL), and Miranda Yancey (Illinois State Museum)

    Feb 14, 2024 1:00 pm

  • Marvin Defoe (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) and Dr. Heather Walder (University of Wisconsin-La Crosse)

    Feb 14, 2024 1:00 pm

  • Dr. Brooke Morgan (Illinois State Museum) and Logan Pappenfort (Dickson Mounds Museum)

    Feb 14, 2024 1:00 pm

  • Remembering Andrew Fortier

    Feb 2, 2024 3:15 pm

    Dr. Andrew C. Fortier, a stalwart figure in the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) and the broader Midwest archaeological community, departed on November 6, 2023, leaving behind a legacy of profound contributions and fond memories.

  • Remembering James “Jimmy” Burns

    Nov 10, 2023 3:45 pm

    It is with profound sadness that we share the news that James “Jimmy” Burns passed away on November 7, 2023. Jimmy was a consummate field archaeologist who worked extensively across the Midwest, Far West, and Southeast over a 40-year career in both cultural resource management and academic settings. Above all, Jimmy was the best friend a person could be and he will be missed forever across ISAS, PRI, and beyond. 

  • Flotation for the Future

    Aug 25, 2023 1:30 pm

    A massive archaeological site in St. Clair County, Illinois, was excavated by ISAS for the Illinois Department of Transportation between 1998 and 2007 to make way for a new bridge over the Mississippi River. ISAS archaeologists excavated some 7,000 discrete “features,” locations of trash-filled storage pits and houses, among other things, near the banks of the Mississippi River.