Marquette Mission Site - St. Ignace, Michigan

2001 – Jodie O’Gorman

Jodie O’Gorman excavated a small portion of the eastern side of the probable longhouse, hoping to more clearly demonstrate that this is a longhouse by locating the other wall of the building. O'Gorman also hoped to sample the interior of the longhouse in order to gain further insight into the Huron economy, lifestyle, and material culture at the site.

During the 2001 excavation we observed a total of 124 postmolds with 90% of these in the generally expected position. The postmold pattern observed in 2001 could be part of a longhouse wall related to the previously identified wall. The pattern is not as clear-cut and linear as was had hoped for. However, this may be related to the relatively small area sampled. Within the 2001 excavation block, in the units that would cover the house interior, several patterns that may be consistent with a house interior were observed: 1) areas of midden with decayed wood and household debris; 2) a relative abundance of small artifacts that may have been lost rather than discarded; and perhaps 3) interior storage.