Thursday, April 24, 2008

Wyandotte Nation Preserves Part of the Site


In case you have not heard, Lots 3, 4, and 5 at the Danbury site were recently sold to the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma. A news report on the acquisition and the upcoming dedication ceremony was published last Sunday in the Toledo Blade. The reporter for The Blade, as well as several other people, have asked what I think of this. I am all for it.

When we began our excavations in 2004, I assumed that such an acquisition would not be possible due to relatively high cost of the lots and the original requirement that houses must occupy all lots that are purchased in the development. Thanks to Greg Spatz, the developer of The Cove on the Bay, that restriction was changed and, as a result, what remains of the heart of the Danbury site will be preserved forever.

We have been fortunate to have had access to this important archaeological site for four summers and have gained a great deal of information about the life ways of the prehistoric inhabitants. Now begins the task of in-depth analysis of the large collection of artifacts, field records, and images that were recovered since 2004. Once this body of information is 'digested,' I think we will all be amazed at the richness of the societies that came to this place overlooking Sandusky Bay for nearly 5,000 years before the arrival of Europeans. Thanks to Greg Spatz and the Wyandotte Nation, a small part of this settlement will endure forever.

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