At the Wilford site, the summer houses appear to have been traditional Dakota bark lodges like those at the Cooper site, while the winter houses excavated there were smaller rectangular structures with floors dug about two feet into the ground, a central fire pit, and elevated benches along the interior walls, similar to houses in the neighboring village. Artifacts recovered from the excavations included stone tools, bone tools, pottery pieces, and European trade goods such as glass beads, metal knives, cookware, and Jesuit rings. Archaeologist Elden Johnson said these metal finger rings, given by French missionaries in the late 1600s to people living in the villages, are important because their signet inscriptions vary and can be accurately dated. Tim Blue of the Mdewakanton Dakota Community said the rings are more valuable for what they represent: the relationship and alliance between the Dakota people of Mille Lacs and the French people. Archaeology at the site also raised questions, because one excavated house differed markedly from the others and appeared more like houses of late prehistoric farming people along the Mississippi River to the south than a typical Dakota bark lodge, a mystery that comparison with other sites and further research in the Mille Lacs region may someday clarify.