Abrader from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This abrader was recovered from the Minneapolis archeological site in Ottawa County during excavation in 1934 and was donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1987. Archeologists call these groundstone tools as they are shaped by grinding. Sandstone abraders could be used as pairs, one on each side, to smooth a wood shaft. The Minneapolis site was a Smoky Hill aspect village occupied during the Middle Ceramic time period.

Arrow Points from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
These arrow points were recovered from the Minneapolis archeological site in Ottawa County and were donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2020. All are made of local Flint Hills region chert. The side-notches aided in hafting the point to the arrow shaft. The Minneapolis site was a Smoky Hill aspect village occupied during the Middle Ceramic time period.

Bone Knives from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
These bone knives were recovered from the Minneapolis archeological site in Ottawa County during excavation in 1934 and were donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1987. They have also been called squash knives, cleavers, or spatulas. They were crafted from a bison scapula (shoulder blade) and would have been used to slice soft plant materials. The Minneapolis site was a Smoky Hill aspect village occupied during the Middle Ceramic time period.

Brass Button from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: Unknown
This brass button was found at the Minneapolis site, a Smoky Hill aspect village occupied around 1232 C.E to 1409 C.E. However, this button comes from a much more modern time period and was intrusive on the site. It was donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1972. The decorated front of the button depicts the Dutch royal sheild topped by a crown and supported by two lions, likely a modern reproduction. Archeologists have to take into account all artifacts from a site, not just those that seem appropriate for the time period or group being researched.

Ceramic Pipe from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This ceramic pipe was recovered from excavations during the 1973 Kansas Archeology Program at the Minneapolis site in Ottawa County. The Minneapolis site was a Smoky Hill aspect village site, with this pipe being recovered from one of the many house mounds. The plain pipe was fashioned from clay. Traces of dottle (tobacco residue) remain within the pipe bowl's interior. Pipes were used during trade negotiations and to mark special occasions.

Ceramic Pot Sherd from the Minneapolis site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
These two reconstructed pot sherds were recovered from House 1 at the Minneapolis site in Ottawa County in 1934 by the University of Nebraska. They and others from the collection were donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1987. The Minneapolis site is a Smoky Hill phase occupation during the Middle Ceramic Period. In addition to cord marking, the sherds retain evidence of fire clouding, the blackened area that indicates uneven firing temperatures.

Crinoid Beads from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
These beads were recovered from the Minneapolis archeological site in Ottawa County and was donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2020. They were made out of a crinoid fossil sections, perhaps found locally. The Minneapolis site was a Smoky Hill aspect village occupied during the Middle Ceramic time period.

Decorated Ceramic Pot Sherds from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
These partially reconstructed pot sherds were recovered from excavations in 1934 by the University of Nebraska and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1987. The Majors Diagonal Incised jar was decorated with alternating zones of oblique lines. This type of pottery is found at Central Plains tradition sites of the Late Prehistoric period. It was recovered from different features in House 8 of the Minneapolis site in Ottawa County, a Smoky Hill phase site occupied during the Middle Ceramic Period.

Decorated Ceramic Pot Sherds from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
These four sherds from the Minneapolis site in Ottawa County were excavated in 1934 by the University of Nebraska and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1987. They were excavated from House 8 and later refit into one rim, handle and body portion of a wide-mouthed jar. The Majors Diagonal Incised type pottery is decorated with four sets of opposed diagonals and is shell tempered. The Minneapolis site was a Smoky Hill phase site occupied during the Middle Ceramic Period.

Decorated Ceramic Rim Sherd from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This ceramic rim sherd was one of many that was excavated at the Minneapolis Site by the University of Nebraska in 1934. The decorations below the lip were created when the potter pinched the still wet clay between their thumb and finger, creating a ridge and leaving a fingernail impression. The collection was donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1987. The Minneapolis site is a Smoky Hill phase Middle Ceramic Period site that had several houses excavated. This rim sherd came from House 1.

Decorated Pottery from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This body sherd was collected from the Minneapolis site in Ottawa County, a Smoky Hill phase site occupied during the Middle Ceramic Period and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2020. A cord-wrapped paddle was used to make the roughened surface treatment on this pot before it was fired.

Deer Bone Digging Stick Tip from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This digging stick tip was recovered from the Minneapolis archeological site in Ottawa County during excavation in 1973 by Kansas Historical Society archeologists and volunteers. It was made from a deer leg bone and was used to dig holes and plants seeds. The tool has a beveled bottom for working in the soil and was attached to a handle at the top. The Minneapolis site was a Smoky Hill aspect village occupied during the Middle Ceramic time period.

Digging Stick Tip from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This digging stick tip was recovered from the Minneapolis archeological site in Ottawa County during excavation in 1973 by Kansas Historical Society archeologists and volunteers. It was made from a bison leg bone and was used to dig holes and plant seeds. The tool has a beveled bottom for working in the soil and was attached to a handle at the top. The Minneapolis site was a Smoky Hill aspect village occupied during the Middle Ceramic period.

Digging Stick Tip from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This digging stick tip was recovered from the Minneapolis archeological site in Ottawa County during excavation in 1973 by Kansas Historical Society archeologists and volunteers. It was made from a bison leg bone and was used to dig holes and plants seeds. The tool has a beveled bottom for working in the soil and was attached to a handle at the top. The Minneapolis site was a Smoky Hill aspect village occupied during the Middle Ceramic time period.

Effigy Pipe Fragment from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This broken fragment of a possible pipestone effigy pipe was recovered from the Minneapolis site in Ottawa County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1993. The soft, fine-grained material of the pipestone enabled the carver to shape and smooth the pipe. This pipe, broken near the bowl portion, has a series of curved carved lines across the bottom and onto the side. Pipes were used during trade negotiations and to mark special occasions. In Kansas, pipes like this generally were carved by American Indians between 1350 to 1850, though they continue to be made today. The village site was occupied during the Middle Ceramic period and had several Smoky Hill aspect house mounds.

Elbow Pipe from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This pipestone pipe bowl was collected from the Minneapolis Village site and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2020. The soft, fine grained material enabled the carver to shape and smooth the piece and incise a line around the bowl's rim. Pipes were used during trade negotiations and to mark special occasions. In Kansas, these pipes are generally made by American Indian people between 1650 to 1850. The Minneapolis site is a Middle Ceramic period Smoky Hill aspect village that contained several house mounds.

Flywheels from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
These two flywheels were likely used for either spinning yarn or to help in drilling holes. Both flywheels were made from broken pottery sherds, reshaped and repurposed for a new function. They were recovered from House 3 at the Minneapolis site, a Smoky Hill phase site occupied during the Middle Ceramic Period, in 1934 by the University of Nebraska and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1987.

Flywheels from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
These flywheel fragments were likely used for either spinning yarn or to help drill holes. Both were made from broken pottery sherds, reshaped and repurposed for a new function. They were collected from the Minneapolis site, a Smoky Hill phase site occupied during the Middle Ceramic Period, and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2020.

Platform Pipe from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This pipe was recovered from excavations at the Minneapolis site in Ottawa County by University of Nebraska archeologists. The soft fine grained material of pipestone enabled the pipe's maker to carve it into its platform-like shape. It was broken near the base of the bowl and along one side. Pipes were used during trade negotiations and to mark special occasions. In 1987 the pipe was donated to the Kansas Historical Society. The Minneapolis site is a Middle Ceramic period Smoky Hill aspect village that contained several house mounds.

Rim Sherds from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
These three rim sherds were recovered from the Minneapolis site in Ottawa County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2017. Each rim sherds represents a different vessel. One rim sherd has cord marking with a collared rim and tool impressing on the lip edge. A second rim sherd has cord marking with horizontal lines. The final rim sherd has diagonal incised lines and finger pinching below the lip. The Minneapolis site represents a village site from the Smoky Hill Aspect peoples during the Middle Ceramic time period.

Scapula Hoe Fragment from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This bison scapula hoe fragment was recovered from the Minneapolis archeological site in Ottawa County during excavation in 1934. It was donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1987. The hoe's maker removed the long spine that runs the length of the scapula (shoulder blade), beveled and sharpened the edge, and hafted it to a handle. Later the hoe began to split and holes were drilled to lace the hoe together so that it might continue to be used. One such hole remains. The Minneapolis site represents a village of the Smoky Hill aspect peoples during the Middle Ceramic time period.

Small Ceramic Vessel from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This small ceramic pot or cup was recovered from the Minneapolis archeological site in Ottawa County during excavation in 1973 by Kansas Historical Society archeologists and volunteers. The plaster portion was added at a later date. The Minneapolis site was a Smoky Hill phase site occupied during the Middle Ceramic period.

Smoky Hill Phase Middle Ceramic Vessel from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This Smoky Hill Phase vessel was found at the Minneapolis Archeological Site in Ottawa County. A cord-wrapped paddle was used to make the roughened surface treatment of this otherwise undecorated pot. The globular or round shape of the vessel was efficient for cooking and storage.

Stone Bead from the Minneapolis Site, 14OT5
Date: 1232-1409 CE
This unusual stone bead was recovered from House 8 at the Minneapolis site in Ottawa County. The bead, made of an unknown stone material, was shaped and drilled for use as an ornament. The Minneapolis site is a Smoky Hill aspect village occupied during the Middle Ceramic period.