Pillager Point: Past, Present & Future
7/18/2024
At the confluence of Pillager Creek and the Crow Wing River in Central Minnesota sits a site rich in history and brimming with ecological potential. This site, known as Pillager Point, has been used for many activities, including fishing, hiking, ATV recreation, and at one point, even a trash dump. In 2021, the City of Pillager asked Great River Greening to restore this city-owned parcel known as Pillager Point and help recognize its cultural and historical significance. Since historical sites had been previously identified nearby, Great River Greening knew an archeological survey was first needed at Pillager Point to uncover the site’s history before they could begin their land restoration efforts.
Archaeological Significance
Great River Greening partnered with Nienow Cultural Consultants LLC (Nienow), an archaeological services firm with a focus on historical settings, to conduct a Phase I archaeological survey at Pillager Point. In October 2021, archeologists, Great River Greening staff, volunteers, and members of the public gathered for this introductory field survey where they got to dig small test holes, sift through soil and artifacts, and enjoy a beautiful autumn day overlooking the Crow Wing River. With their efforts, they completed 18 shovel tests and uncovered 83 artifacts that help to tell the story of the site.
Pillager Point is located on traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous peoples, and rests on Tribal lands ceded by the Mississippi, Pillager, and Winnibigoshish bands of Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) in 1855. Recognizing the significance of this land, the findings and details about the dig and known site history were shared with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO), the Mille Lacs Band THPO and Cultural Resources Representative, as well as several staff and student contacts at Leech Lake Tribal College.
According to the archeological survey, artifacts included an arrowhead, lithic fragments (rock pieces chipped off from making stone tools), and Native American pottery shards telling us that Pillager Point was first a Woodland Tradition Native American site dating back to approximately 900 to 1700 AD.
Archeologists were also able to look at what the materials were made of (for example: the type of rock) and determined that while most of the materials were sourced locally, some of the materials indicated long-distance trade from as far as North Dakota and Wisconsin. According to Nienow, “It is a safe interpretation to say peoples have been using the resources available along the Crow Wing River in central Minnesota for thousands of years right up to the present day.”
Restoration Results and Efforts
Starting in May of 2022, Great River Greening kicked off the first ever public ecological restoration event at Pillager Point with help from local volunteers and Pillager High School students. Volunteers stacked brush piles to clear out areas of non-native species and to make room for sowing seeds and planting plugs. After clearing the area of brush, volunteers sowed a hardy seed mix and planted native grasses and flowers along the river slope. These efforts help to increase biodiversity at the site and provide better pollinator habitat.
In addition to improving the spectacular views of the Crow Wing River, the long-term restoration work at Pillager Point will also help stabilize the soil along the riverbank, which will reduce runoff and ultimately improve water quality.
Looking to the Future
Understanding the historical and cultural significance of Pillager Point was critical to guiding our steps forward. The survey, for example, documented sensitive areas which help guide restoration efforts and ensure we do not disturb critical soil and the 1,000 years’ worth of history it holds. Also, the site's historical significance underscores the importance of restoring native vegetation, including fire-dependent oak savanna habitat. Great River Greening ecologist and central Minnesota program manager, Wiley Buck, indicated that planting native grass and forb plugs followed by a prescribed burn in the spring is the best way to convert the river slope at the site to native prairie plants. Great River Greening will look to burn the river slope again in the spring of 2025.
Since the initial restoration started, much of the site debris has been cleared and seeded to prairie after incorporating site produced biochar into the soil. Biochar is made by heating waste wood material in a high-temperature, low-oxygen environment in unique biochar kilns. Great River Greening is at the forefront of expanding the practice of burning waste materials in biochar kilns as part of natural systems management. Sometimes described as “supercharged charcoal,” biochar effectively stores carbon for hundreds if not thousands of years and is much better for the climate than traditional open pile burning. Biochar has received increasing attention in recent years as a beneficial soil amendment for crop cultivation. Great River Greening is leading efforts to explore its potential for land restoration, including enhancing drought resistance, improving soil nutrients, and adjusting soil pH levels.
This was followed by volunteers planting more than 500 pollinator wildflowers and 50 pollinator shrubs. As with all seeded prairies, Great River Greening will continue established mowings to maintain the prairie and control non-native invasive species, until the prairie plants become established, and the project is complete (estimated to be in 2025).
Acknowledgement
Great River Greening acknowledges this site has a complex, layered and important history. Acknowledging this history is one of the ways in which we can work to educate the community about this land and our relationships with it and each other.
The native peoples, plants, and ecosystems have faced a long history of violent displacement – including genocide, stolen land, and bad faith treaties – altering the connection and care that sustained the land and waterways for centuries. By restoring this land and rekindling our connection with the earth, we honor the legacy, livelihood, and futures of the Dakota and Anishinaabe people who continue to live and lead as powerful protectors of the land and water on which we all depend.
We honor the ecosystems that surround and sustain us, and we commit to pairing words with actions that honor Indigenous rights, environmental equity, and stewardship of the lands and water on which we depend.
Photo Credits: View through the trees at Pillager Point (Amy Kilgore), three archeological survey participants digging and sifting (Amy Kilgore), Archeological report findings - depression era glass (from report), Archeological report findings - prehistoric materials (from report), Pillager High School students digging to plant native plugs (Bruce Nimmer), Volunteer group of Pillager High School students and Great River Greening staff (Bruce Nimmer)