The Duck Lake Site and Implications for Late Archaic Copper Procurement and Production in the Southern Lake Superior Basin

Abstract

Few sites relating to Archaic procurement of copper have been archaeologically investigated in the southern part of the Lake Superior basin. The Duck Lake site, located in the Ontonagon River watershed of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is within the source area for native copper. Investigations at this site reveal a field camp consisting of one or more occupations by Late Archaic groups. Lithic analysis demonstrates a strong reliance on non-local raw materials, and suggests a degree of residential mobility within a region known to the occupants. Lithic material was obtained through embedded procurement and exchange with more distant groups. Copper likely entered the early Late Archaic exchange system in the Midwest through frequent interactions and trade between groups, and appears consistent with a down-the-line model of exchange.