Along the Rock River from Byron to Rockford: Results of Recent Fieldwork

The Rock River in Illinois has long served as a corridor between the Mississippi River and the uplands of central Wisconsin. The Northern Illinois Field Station of the Illinois State Archaeological survey has conducted a series of systematic Phase I surveys along the Rock between Sterling and Rockford, most recently between Byron and Rockford. A recent survey of sections of IL Rt 2 between Byron and Rockford resulted in relocation of 9 known sites and the identification of 12 new sites including mound groups; Early Archaic, Late Archaic, Late Woodland, Late Woodland/Upper Mississippian village sites; and shell middens. We report on these results and discuss possible implications for interactions between the prehistoric inhabitants of north-central Illinois and areas to the north and south.