Holcombe Site
Holcombe Site | |
![]() The historic marker is placed "near" the Holcombe Site | |
42°34′7″N 83°0′34″W / 42.56861°N 83.00944°W / 42.56861; -83.00944 | |
Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
---|---|
NRHP reference No. | 71001023[1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | April 16, 1971 |
Designated MSHS | July 17, 1970[3] |
The Holcombe Site, also known as Holcombe Beach,[3] is a Paleo-Indian archaeological site located near the intersection of Metropolitan Parkway and Dodge Park Road[2][3] in Sterling Heights, Michigan, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971[1] and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1970.[3]
Site discovery
In 1961, amateur archaeologists Jerome DeVisscher and Edward J. Wahla[4] discovered evidence of an ancient settlement at this site.[3] Later radiocarbon dating of hearth elements determined the site to be an 11,000-year-old Paleo-Indian settlement.[3][5] A five-year dig by archaeologists from the University of Michigan uncovered numerous artifacts.[4] The distinctive small, thin, fluted arrowheads found at the site were dubbed "Holcombe points;" similar flint arrowheads have been found at other sites in Michigan and southern Ontario, with scatterings in northern Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.[5]
Historical description of the site
The Holcombe site was situated on what was, at the time it was occupied, the strandline of a small glacial lake that probably drained into nearby Lake Algonquin.[6] Arrowheads, flint chips, and bone fragments were recovered, indicating that these Paleo-Indians hunted Barren-ground Caribou, a species particularly adapted to the tundra-like conditions that existed at the time. The site yielded evidence of the Indigenous people's change in culture and subsistence as the climate in the area changed.[3]
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b The NRHP lists the location of this site as "address restricted." The Michigan State Housing Development Authority gives the location as noted, and has erected a marker at the site. The marker text states the actual location is "near this site." Geocoordinates reflect the location of the marker.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Holcombe Site (20MB30)". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ a b "Prehistoric History". City of Serling Heights. Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ a b Dan Higginbottom; Guy Gibbon (March 2009). "Holcombe". University of Minnesota Department of Anthropology. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- ^ Peter L. Storck; Royal Ontario Museum (2004), Journey to the Ice Age: discovering an ancient world, UBC Press, p. 219, ISBN 0-7748-1028-9
Further reading
- James Edward Fitting; Jerry De Visscher; Edward J. Wahla (1966), Jerry De Visscher; Edward J. Wahla (eds.), The Paleo-Indian occupation of the Holcombe beach, University of Michigan
External links
- Images of Holcombe site excavations
- v
- t
- e
- Alcona
- Alger
- Allegan
- Alpena
- Antrim
- Arenac
- Baraga
- Barry
- Bay
- Benzie
- Berrien
- Branch
- Calhoun
- Cass
- Charlevoix
- Cheboygan
- Chippewa
- Clare
- Clinton
- Crawford
- Delta
- Dickinson
- Eaton
- Emmet
- Genesee
- Gladwin
- Gogebic
- Grand Traverse
- Gratiot
- Hillsdale
- Houghton
- Huron
- Ingham
- Ionia
- Iosco
- Iron
- Isabella
- Jackson
- Kalamazoo
- Kalkaska
- Kent
- Keweenaw
- Lake
- Lapeer
- Leelanau
- Lenawee
- Livingston
- Luce
- Mackinac
- Macomb
- Manistee
- Marquette
- Mason
- Mecosta
- Menominee
- Midland
- Missaukee
- Monroe
- Montcalm
- Montmorency
- Muskegon
- Newaygo
- Oakland
- Oceana
- Ogemaw
- Ontonagon
- Osceola
- Oscoda
- Otsego
- Ottawa
- Presque Isle
- Roscommon
- Saginaw
- Sanilac
- Schoolcraft
- Shiawassee
- St. Clair
- St. Joseph
- Tuscola
- Van Buren
- Washtenaw
- Wayne
- Wexford
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Logo_of_the_United_States_National_Park_Service.svg/50px-Logo_of_the_United_States_National_Park_Service.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Map_of_USA_MI.svg/100px-Map_of_USA_MI.svg.png)
- Bridges
- Historic districts
- Houses
- Michigan State Historic Sites (listings)
- National Historic Landmarks
- Properties of religious function
- Railway stations