Schwerdt Site

The Schwerdt Site, on Michigan’s Kalamazoo River, preserves a late prehistoric Berrien Phase camp dating mainly to about 1445 to 1450 A.D. Excavations found no houses or farming evidence, indicating a seasonal encampment rather than a permanent village. Its forty-six features included thirty-five deep roasting pits, many containing American lotus roots and lake sturgeon remains, showing spring to early summer use focused on fishing and plant gathering. Pottery and stone tools place the site largely in the Late Woodland tradition with some Upper Mississippian influence. Bear crania and distinctive ceramics also suggest ceremonial activity and broader cultural connections across the southern Lake Michigan region.

Michigan · United States