The Prehistory of Missouri.

The Prehistory of Missouri. Michael J. O'Brien and W. Raymond Wood. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1998. 418 pp.     

The Eureka and Comstock Mounds,Southwestern Missouri

Abstract

Two rock and earth mounds in the Stockton Reservoir area provide data on two separate burial complexes previously unknownin thewestern Ozark Highlands. The Eureka Mound contained primary inhwnations with associations similar to those innearby Woodland and Mississippian mounds, but is unique in yielding a Caddoan water bottle of the Spiro Engraved type, and is dated about A. D. 1000-1450. This trade vessel, and Caddoan sherds from other sites in southwestern Missouri, provides leads to Caddoan contacts with groups in the Ozark Highlands. The Comstock Mound contained a single primary burial in a central pit associated with White trade goods which date around A.D. 1800. The mound may be of Osage Indian origin, but this identification is open to question because of transient Indian groups pas sing through the area about A. D. 1800.     

The Middle Missouri Tradition Reappraised

Abstract

The geographic distribution of the Horizons within the Middle Missouri Tradition are now well established but temporal and cultural relationships are not entirely clear.     

Alethopteris ambigua Lesquereux, a Pennsylvanian pteridosperm from Missouri, U.S.A.

Transfers and macerations of Alethopteris ambigua Lesquereux reveal it as axeromorphio plant. The papillose lower epidermis of each pinnule is sheltered by incurved pinnule margins, a bladelike extension of the midvein and by marginal hairs. Preservation is such that cellular outlines are discernible on all but the cuticles of the lower epidermis.     

Performance of the Columbia,Missouri, treatment wetland

Constructed treatment wetlands have served the City of Columbia, MO, for fourteen years. Four free water surface wetland units in series, comprised of 23 cells, are an addition to the activated sludge wastewater treatment plant, for the purpose of added biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) control. The system operates year-round, and supplies water to the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area for wetland maintenance. The cattail wetlands processed an average of 57,000 m³/d, at a water depth of 20 cm. The resulting detention time was approximately 2 days, and the hydraulic loading was 13 cm/d. Water temperatures were warm leaving the treatment plant and in the wetlands in winter, because of the short detention. The period of record average carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD) leaving the wetlands was 5.0 mg/L, and the TSS was 14.7 mg/L. Dissolved oxygen was depressed in summer, likely because of the high sediment demand. Nutrient concentrations were only minimally reduced, total nitrogen (TN) by 22% and total phosphorus (TP) by 6%. However, load reductions were maximal, 98 t/yr for nitrogen, and 3.6 t/yr for phosphorus. Fecal coliforms were reduced by 98%, and E. coli by 95%. First order rate coefficients were high for CBOD (64 m/yr), nitrate (61 m/yr) and organic nitrogen (42 m/yr), but relatively low for ammonia (8 m/yr) and phosphorus (5.7 m/yr). Nitrogen removal was strongly affected by vegetative uptake. Sediment accretion in the wetland inlets was substantial, at 1.6 cm/yr in the inlets to the upstream wetland units. Muskrats caused vegetation damage, and waterfowl use was high in winter, causing TSS excursions.     

A Paleo-Indian Point From Henry County,Missouri

Abstract

A Paleo-Indian point, probably assignable to the Plano Tradition, was recently collected in Henry County, Missouri. Although unfluted, it otherwise compares favorably both morphologically and technologically with several published samples of PaleoIndian points. The upland location also compares . favorably with known Paleo-Indian site locations; however, geomorphic processes may have biased recording of Paleo-Indian sites.     

Post-Pleistocene Depositional Change at Rodgers Shelter,Missouri

Abstract

Investigations of the deposits in Rodgers Shelter (23BE 125), on the western periphery of the Ozark Highlands, delineated major depositional patterns at the site and determined the chronological relationship of these patterns to human activities. Twenty-five sediment samples representing a stratigraphic sequence through the 11,000 year old accumulation were subjected to 2 types of analysis: 1) particle size determinations made by a combination of the hydrometer method and wet sieving, and 2) determination of mineral and rock composition of gravel and coarse sand by visual examination

Principal components factor analysis applied to particle size and composition data yielded 3 factors representing changing upland and hillslope erosional patterns, shifting location of the nearby Pomme de Terre River channel, and variations in vertical accretion by the Pomme de Terre River.

Weighted average cluster analysis of factor scores on the 3 depositional variables delimited 7 major groups of samples, each representing distinctly different depositional conditions. Viewed stratigraphically, 10 depositional units were defined. The depositional environment of each was determined by mean factor scores. These stratigraphic units provide a more refined picture of site stratigraphy than is available from field observations alone.

Viewed chronologically, the cluster analysis provides a model of the post-Pleistocene depositional history of the site: progressing from a period of intense upland erosion and aggradation by the Pomme de Terre, to a period of severe local hillslope erosion and valley degradation, and finally to a period of combined alluvial and colluvial deposition on the T-lb terrace. When the depositional history and cultural history of the site are compared, every major hypothesized change in human adaptive strategy coincides with a major change in depositional patterns, providing a convincing example of the close interrelationship between human behavior and surrounding environmental conditions     

A Woodland Burial from Boney Spring,Missouri

Abstract

A secondary burial from a peat layer adjoining the spring feeder at Boney Spring, Benton County, southwestern Missouri, is identified as a young adult male, interred about A.D. 50. The burial, associated with Early Woodland materials in the peat bed, was less than one meter from the edge of the spring feeder in deposits once saturated with water - suggesting that the burial (and associated Woodland features) was made at a time of reduced spring discharge and, perhaps, during a period of reduced precipitation. The burial is well within the limits of characteristics recorded for eastern Archaic groups, lending support to the hypothesis of continuity between the Archaic and Early Woodland peoples in the American Midwest.     

The Middle Missouri Tradition: the Late Stage

Abstract

Two prehistoric complexes in the northern part of the Middle Missouri area, the Thomas Riggs and Huff Foci, comprise the late stage of the Middle Missouri Tradition. Although transitional sites are as yet lacking, this late stage is regarded as an outgrowth of the early stages of the same tradition, localized further south along the Missouri River in South Dakota. The Huff Focus postdates the Thomas Riggs Focus and is a direct outgrowth of Thomas Riggs, both foci being assigned to the Fire Heart Aspect. This aspect is the prehistoric antecedent for the Heart River Focus, the protohistoric express ion of Historic Mandan culture. Brief comments are offeredon the history, or1g1ns, distribution, characteristics, dating, and relationships of the Thomas Riggs and Huff Foci.     

A Petrographic Analysis Of Late Woodland Ceramics From The Sperry Site,Jackson County,Missouri

Abstract

A sample of 11 sherds from the Late Woodland component of the Sperry Site in Jackson County, Missouri was selected for petrographic analysis. The findings indicate that sherds as well as granite particles, and possibly limestone and sand served as tempering agents. It is suggested that prehistoric potters may have been utilizing till clays (available locally) which contain naturally occurring granitic particles and further tempering the clay with sherds, limestone, or sand.