Early occupations in the confluence region

Early Occupations in the Midwestern Confluence Region This paper explores new evidence for the Late Paleoindian/ Early Archaic transition in southwestern Illinois. Excavated sites pertaining to the late Pleistocene and Early Holocene occupation of the American Bottom are rare because of the dynamic nature of the terrain in this major confluence area of the Mississippi, Illinois, and Missouri rivers. Four recently excavated sites in the northern American Bottom underlain by Savannah or Kingston terrace remnants, however, have yielded significant Paleoindian and Early Archaic materials. This paper will examine the CB North, Ringering, Nochta, and Cass sites and discuss their relevance to regional chronology and settlement models.