Latest news, weather, high school sports for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

GRAND ISLAND -- Chips of chert, quartz, and quartzite may seem like meaningless findings to some.  But to 13 students from Illinois State University, they're integral to piecing together the story of the prehistoric Native American.

"The most common thing we find here are remnants of making stone tools,” said ISU Archeology Professor Dr. James Skibo.  “People often think of arrowheads and knives and things, but to make those things, you have to chip the stone."

Group leaders say about 99 percent of their findings have been those chips of stone.  They've helped the students determine what tools the tribes were making and where they were getting their resources. 

But this trip, the group also uncovered a historic campfire site dating back to 1500 BC, the earliest recorded occupation time on Grand Island.  The field school found their site about a week ago.  They've also uncovered French glass trading beads, a quartz projectile head, and the handle of a French trading knife.

“It's kind of like Christmas morning,” said graduate assistant Thomas Collins.  “You know, it's kind of like you open up a present you're really hoping for, you know, that one particular thing and when it's that, I mean you just light up and it's just amazing.”

The group is uncovering more than 3,000 years of history underneath their feet.  After the excavation, the findings will be brought back to a lab for further analysis.

"Right now we're just piece potting them, so we get the x,y, and z coordinates so you know how far deep they are and exactly where they were in the unit," said graduate student Jess Haglund.

The trip has taught the students valuable lessons about the archeology, lessons that can only be learned in the field like digging, searching, soil compositions, and of course, a firsthand look at the artifacts as they are extracted from the ground.