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4. Archeological Excavations at the Manitou Fish Camp,
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
Richner,Jeffrey J.
This report documents archeological investigations at the Manitou Fish Camp
near the southwest tip of Manitou Island, within Apostle Islands National
Lakeshore. This historic Euro-American fishing camp was constructed in
stages beginning about 1895. Most of the structures date to the early
decades of the twentieth century. The camp has had essentially continuous
use throughout its history, both as a fishing camp and as a weekend
retreat. The historic importance of the camp is underscored by its listing
on the National Register of Historic Places. The rapidly deteriorating
condition of the camp led to the need for extensive structural renovation
beginning in 1983. Since restoration activities would impact soil deposits
around and under several of the structures, archeological excavations were
initiated to collect data which might otherwise be lost. Although a large
number of artifacts was collected through these excavations, archeological
research has not added extensively to the previously available historic
record for the camp. However, the archeological research has provided some
data for evaluating the accuracy of the historic record with regard to the
age and function of several of the camp structures. The evaluation of that
data forms the core of this report.
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