Holcombe Site
Archaeological site in Michigan, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Holcombe Site, also known as Holcombe Beach,[3] is a Paleo-Indian archaeological site located near the intersection of Metropolitan Parkway and Dodge Park Road[1][3] in Sterling Heights, Michigan, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971[2] and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1970.[3]
Holcombe Site | |
The historic marker is placed "near" the Holcombe Site | |
   | |
| Location | Intersection of Metropolitan Parkway and Dodge Park Road, Sterling Heights, Michigan[1] |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°34′7″N 83°0′34″W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 71001023[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 16, 1971 |
| Designated MSHS | July 17, 1970[3] |
Site discovery
In 1961, amateur archaeologists Jerome DeVisscher and Edward J. Wahla[4] discovered evidence of an ancient settlement at this site.[3] Later radiocarbon dating of hearth elements determined the site to be an 11,000-year-old Paleo-Indian settlement.[3][5] A five-year dig by archaeologists from the University of Michigan uncovered numerous artifacts.[4] The distinctive small, thin, fluted arrowheads found at the site were dubbed "Holcombe points;" similar flint arrowheads have been found at other sites in Michigan and southern Ontario, with scatterings in northern Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.[5]
Historical description of the site
The Holcombe site was situated on what was, at the time it was occupied, the strandline of a small glacial lake that probably drained into nearby Lake Algonquin.[6] Arrowheads, flint chips, and bone fragments were recovered, indicating that these Paleo-Indians hunted Barren-ground Caribou, a species particularly adapted to the tundra-like conditions that existed at the time. The site yielded evidence of the Indigenous people's change in culture and subsistence as the climate in the area changed.[3]