Published October 11, 2023
CAPTION: Featured speaker Erlend Johnson will discuss recent findings from excavations in Kisatchie
National Forest, located in western Louisiana.
MONROE, LA – October is Louisiana Archaeology Month and to celebrate, the ULM Museum of Natural
History will host featured speaker Erlend Johnson on Thursday, October 19 at 6:00
p.m. The talk is entitled “Hurricane Salvage and Public Archaeology” and will be hosted
at the museum on the first floor of Hanna Hall, 708 University Ave. on the ULM campus.
The public is invited to attend.
“The ULM Museum of Natural History looks forward to promoting Archaeology Month and
this year is no exception,” said museum director Dr. Kim Marie Tolson. “We have a
great speaker and a great subject from a site here in Louisiana,” she added.
Johnson’s presentation will feature preliminary results from data recovery excavations
in Kisatchie National Forest, located in western Louisiana. It is based on research
co-authored by Mark Rees and Matthew Helmer.
Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020 caused extensive tree-fall damage to more than
100 sites throughout Kisatchie National Forest, including two large Pre-Contact sites.
These multi-component sites measure more than 100 acres and are eligible for listing
on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to storm damage, they have
been heavily impacted by looting. Excavations were conducted at these sites last spring
through an agreement between the U.S. Forest Service and the University of Louisiana
at Lafayette, Louisiana Public Archaeology Lab.
The excavation of 55 cubic meters documented high densities of artifacts and cultural
features, including a large number of projectile points, at least three post molds,
and activity surfaces, with cultural material extending down more than two meters
in depth. Diagnostic artifacts indicate intermittent occupation of the Pleistocene
terrace overlooking Drakes Creek from the Paleoindian period (ca. 13,500-10,000 years
before present) through the early twentieth century.
“Mitigating historic properties damaged by hurricanes and looting also presents an
opportunity for advancing public archaeology and education,” said Johnson.
