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Archeology investigations at Red Indian Lake

1922 Frank Speck

He wrote ?At Red Indian Point, several miles south of Millertown at the the point of land near where Mary March Brook flows into the lake, is a notable site, said by the Mismac-Montagnais to have been the headquarters of the Red Indians a hundred years or so ago. Directly at the point here are a number of wigwam-pits, at least seven, although it was rather hard to discern them all at the time of my visit on account of the logs that had drifted in and filled the pits at high water.

1967 Don Locke

Mr. Locke from Grand Falls took an interest in the Beothuck. He worked many years and found a number of sites that proved to be around one days foot travel apart. These twelve sites are:

  • Red Indian Lake
  • Noel Paul’s Brook
  • Red Indian Falls
  • Two Mile Island
  • Pope’s Point
  • Slaughter Island
  • North Angle
  • Nimrod’s Pool
  • Aspen Island
  • South Exploits
  • Bishops Falls
  • Rattling Brook

He located many Housepits and Longhouse features in the area. The excavations uncovered a large number of artifacts over the years.

1969 Helen Devereux

The work was done under contract from the National Museum of Canada in Ottawa. Archaeological evidence found included both features and artifacts. Other kinds of information was collected on such things as general soils, plant life, climate and other natural resources. These assist in obtaining a fuller understanding of the world of the Beothuck.

At the end of the work in 1970 they held an information session to inform the residents of their findings. They gave details of the Housepit and garbage heaps they had found. They had also found a line of red orchre stained earth about 30 feet long and they thought it may have been from an upturned canoe.

The artifacts they found were an iron spear, chipped stone tools, and a iron fish hook.