Archaeology groups conclude research

The University of Arkansas Archaeological Survey Team and the Arkansas Archaeological Society have completed archaeology research in two locations in Sevier County.

The groups used UA Cossatot’s De Queen campus as a work station and have now taken the newly discovered artifacts to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

The archaeologists and volunteers who worked on the assignment chose Sevier County, as the locations were gathering places for the Caddo Indians that lived in the region. In 1985, artifacts from these Native Americans were discovered and found at burial mounds in Lockesburg and De Queen.

The artifacts were taken to Fayetteville, where they have remained for more than three decades. The Archaeology Survey Team and Society brought the artifacts back to Sevier County and displayed them at the college for the public to view.

More than 70 people participated in the summer research project and additional artifacts were discovered. The group members for this project spent two weeks studying the site locations. Members said they hope these artifacts will help them to complete the puzzle of the ancient Caddo tribes and how they survived while they were living in Southwest Arkansas.

On June 21, University of Arkansas Station Archaeologist Dr. Carl Drexler held an evening presentation at UA Cossatot about what they discovered and learned during their time in Sevier County. At the end of the evening talk, door prizes were given out.

The artifacts from the 1980s and the recently discovered artifacts mostly include pottery. The materials were boxed up and sent back to Fayetteville, where more research will be conducted.