Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (February 6, 2022) – The Door County Historical Society will host a luncheon program on Saturday February 25, 2023 at Stone Harbor Restaurant in Sturgeon Bay. The program is entitled Ida Bay Site: 1000 Years of Indigenous Life in Sturgeon Bay.
Dr. Robert Jeske and Coggin Heeringa will discuss the exciting discoveries made at the archaeological dig at the Ida Bay Preserve, including a sampling of artifacts they’ve unearthed. The doors will open at 11:30am, lunch will be served at noon, and the program will follow. Everyone is invited. Cost is $35 for DCHS members and $40 for non-members. Participants can register online at www.doorcountyhistoricalsociety.org or by calling 920-421-2332. The deadline to register is February 17, 2023.
For nearly a decade, archaeology professionals have been digging into the past at the Ida Bay Preserve in Sturgeon Bay. They have found flintknapping residue from tool making, intact arrowheads and clay-pot fragments believed to have been made and used by people who lived during the Middle Woodland (300 BCE – 400 CE) and Late Woodland (400-1200 CE) eras, between 1,200 and 2,000 years ago.
Archaeologists also found the dark stains that are cultural features indicative of past human activity, including a semi-subterranean, keyhole-shaped, wigwam type of construction. Archaeologists found arrowheads and pottery shards in quantities that indicated a settlement of some kind.
The archaeological dig at Ida Bay Preserve combines research and education by allowing school groups, as well as adults to participate. People of all ages are learning about First Peoples’ way of life and finding artifacts such as projectile points, pottery, scrapers, recracked rocks and stone tools.
Dr. Jeske’s research interests include archaeological method and theory, particularly how economics and population interactions foster group identity and ethnicity. He also actively investigates stone tool production and use, survey methods and settlement models, mortuary studies, canine activities, site formation processes, and experimental archaeology. He received a Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
Coggin Heeringa is the Program Director and Naturalist at Crossroads at Big Creek Learning Center/Nature Preserve in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where she served as Executive Director for twenty years. Heeringa has ten years of classroom teaching experience and was an adjunct instructor for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She also served as the naturalist at Newport State Park in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin. She is a frequent contributor to print and broadcast media and public speaker.
Founded in 1926, the Door County Historical Society strives to collect, maintain, and share the history and heritage of Door County through preservation, education and programming. The Society operates two interpretive sites: Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in Peninsula State Park and the Heritage Village at Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay. For information, contact the Door County Historical Society at (920) 421-2332 or email office@doorcountyhistoricalsociety.org
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