Schmidt Site

Near Bridgeport, Michigan, the Schmidt Site occupies a rise south of the Cass River above a marshy floodplain that once lay along prehistoric Lake Nippissing or glacial Lake Algonquin. Archaeological evidence shows people lived there during the Archaic period, roughly 6000 to 4000 years before the present, and suggests sustained, year-round occupation rather than a temporary camp. Artifacts and middens spread across more than 40 acres, with excavations recovering stone, tools, charcoal, and animal bones, mainly deer along with fish remains. Because much of the site was never farmed, important parts of its archaeological record survived, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Michigan · United States