North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics
North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics
Abstract/Summary:
Project Name: Fort Atkinson (25WN9), NE;
Reference: Carlson, G. F. (1998). Archeological Surveying, Testing, and Remote Sensing at Fort Atkinson. Nebraska State Historical Society, Lincoln, Nebraska. Prepared for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
During the period late April to early June of 1997 a Nebraska State Historical Society crew spent about four and one-half weeks conducting archeological fieldwork at Fort Atkinson (25WN9), located about 10 miles north of Omaha, Nebraska in southeastern Washington County. Funding for this research project was provided by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, which administers the fort property as a State Historical Park. The magnetometer surveying portion of the fieldwork was conducted by Dr. John Weymouth of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The main thrust of the 1997 investigations consisted of a pedestrian surface survey of the major part (outside of the barracks quadrangle) of the portion of the park property that is situated on the bluff top, following a controlled burn of the tall grass cover. This was followed by limited pedestrian surface survey where burning had not taken place, southeast, east, and northeast of the barracks quadrangle, on the bluff top and just below the bluff edge. A third phase of the field research consisted of two types of remote sensing investigations (magnetometer surveying and conductivity surveying) of certain locations selected during the initial phase of fieldwork. The final phase, consisting of metal detector surveying and archeological testing, took place on the bluff slope and adjacent Missouri River bottomland directly southeast, east, and northeast of the barracks quadrangle, where various support facilities related to the fort occupation had been located.
As a result of the several phases of archeological fieldwork recently completed, 54 previously undocumented features were recorded and 7 previously known ones were reexamined. Magnetometer and conductivity surveys were carried out at five of these locations, and archeological testing was conducted at four others. These new findings, in addition to being a valuable resource management tool, have provided information that will be extremely useful in formulating new avenues of research for many years to come.