An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Proposed Reroutes to ANR Pipeline Company's East of St. John Loop, near the towns of Merrillville and Wheeler, Lake and Porter Counties, Indiana

Abstract

At the request of Dames and Moore, Inc., the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology at Indiana University (GBL-IU) conducted an archaeological reconnaissance survey of 5.8 miles of proposed gas pipeline corridor reroutes near the town of Merrillville in central Lake County, and 2.4 miles of corridor near the town of Wheeler in central Porter County, Indiana. The archaeological reconnaissance (field survey) of the project areas was conducted by Mr. Eric Sipes, Mr. Andrew White, and Mr. Chuck Bair during the week of March 30, 1998. A total of approximately 198 acres was investigated during the survey. The purpose of the reconnaissance was to locate archaeological cultural resources within the proposed pipeline corridor and to assess the potential of those resources for inclusion on the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures (IRHSS) and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This report describes the nature of the project and project area, the reconnaissance techniques employed, the findings, and the recommendations based upon these findings. No archaeological sites were discovered within the project area in Lake County. However, three previously undocumented archaeological sites (12 Pr 523- 525) were discovered within the reroute corridor in Porter County. None of these sites appear to have the potential for significant intact buried deposits of cultural or to be eligible for inclusion on the IRHSS and NRHP. No further archaeological investigations have been recommended for these sites.