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Dickson Mounds Museum Research

  • Date Posted:
    Tuesday, January 3, 2012
    Five Decades at the Scrape: Observations on Variation in Whitetail Deer Breeding Patterns in Illinois

    In the early 1960s, museum archaeologist Alan Harn began a whitetail deer observation program that has been carried out to the present.  Nearly 6,800 hours were spent in the field recording behavioral patterns of 1,379 whitetail bucks during 50 breeding seasons.  This unprecedented volume of data provides new insights into deer breeding patterns.

    Research Author:
    Alan Harn
    Research Association:
    Dickson Mounds Museum
    Research Conducted Between:
    Monday, January 1, 1962 - Saturday, December 31, 2011
  • Date Posted:
    Friday, February 18, 2011
    Myer Dickson Site Research

    The ongoing analysis of the Late Woodland component at the Myer-Dickson habitation area of the Dickson Mounds complex has produced significant new information on the Myer-Dickson phase (ca. A.D. 600-800). The 108 pit features (and 200 pits with no ceramics) over 2 ha suggests a large community or repeated reoccupation of the same general area. The homogenous ceramic assemblage is similar to those in some other regions in west-central Illinois but strikingly different from others, such as the Sugar Creek locality and the Sny Bottom in the Mississippi Valley. These results and aspects of settlement and mortuary systems suggest a mosaic of cultural differentiation and interaction in the post-Weaver, pre-Mississippian period.

    Research Author:
    Dr. Michael Conner
    Research Association:
    Dickson Mounds Museum
    Research Conducted Between:
    Sunday, February 1, 2009 - Friday, June 1, 2012
  • Date Posted:
    Friday, January 28, 2011
    Emiquon Science Conference

    A large number of scientists are engaged in study of the restoration of Thompson Lake and the terrestrial landscape that encompasses it. On January 28, over 30 researchers will convene at Dickson Mounds Museum to report on the status of their research, addressing topics ranging from the history of the Illinois River to microorganisms that now team in lake water.

    Research Author:
    Dr. Michael Conner
    Research Association:
    Dickson Mounds Museum
    Research Conducted Between:
    Wednesday, January 26, 2011