The Zimmerman site in La Salle County, Illinois, was the home of the Kaskaskia tribe of the Illinois Confederation during the 1600s. In 1673, Father Jacques Marquette arrived at the Grand Village of the Kaskaskia, building a mission there and thus initiating what we know as the period of European history in Illinois.
Archaeological excavations, funded by the La Salle County Historical Society, were conducted at the site during the early 1970s.
The artifacts from those excavations have been stored away and largely inaccessible for over 20 years. In 2010, Robert Mazrim of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey worked with historical society board members to relocate and stabilize the collection.
The project also afforded an opportunity to reanalyze the artifacts, to better understand the character of the Illinois Confederacy presence at this important site.
In January of 2011, Mazrim returned the collection to La Salle County, and gave an informal talk to historical society board members.
