Ridge Pine 3: A Late Archaic site in the southern Lake Huron Basin
Abstract
The Ridge Pine 3 site is about 1.3 km inland from Lake Huron on the eastern edge of the Grand Bend community in the Ausable Valley. The site was originally dated to the Late Archaic Small Point complex (ca. 4100 cal BP [3800 RCYBP] to 3200 cal BP [3000 RCYBP]), but a reassessment of the projectile point typology and radiocarbon dating have led to a different conclusion. The primary occupation of Ridge Pine 3 occurred during the Late Archaic Narrow Point complex (ca. 5000 cal BP [4500 RCYBP] to 4100 cal BP [3800 RCYBP]), but there is evidence of multiple occupations throughout the Archaic. The site provides insight into the poorly understood Late Archaic Narrow Point complex in Ontario. To understand the functions of the site and the seasons of occupation, an in-depth analysis of the assemblage, totalling 19788 artifacts, was conducted. Most of the assemblage contains lithic tools and chipped stone debris (debitage). The debitage makes up 96.16% of the assemblage, most of which is Kettle Point and Onondaga chert. Lithic analysis also focused on understanding flintknapping skill levels and the possibility of craft learning. A reconstruction of the paleoenvironment was completed to understand what resources were available to people at Ridge Pine 3 and what environmental constraints they may have faced in that location.