Old Fort - Van Meter State Park - Missouri
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 39° 16.363 W 093° 15.823
15S E 477252 N 4347074
Quick Description: Historic Indian fort located at Van Meter State Park near Marshall, Missouri.
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 4/15/2007 7:33:03 PM
Waymark Code: WM1DYQ
Views: 47
Long Description:"The Old Fort has been known to archaeologists for more than a
century. It was first described by G.C. Broadhead on a visit in
1872. The earthwork was built 300-500 years ago by the prehistoric
Missouri Indians, whose village was located on the next ridge to
the east.
The scale of the Old Fort is hard to see today. It measures
1,000 feet long and 420 feet wide and is built around the slopes of
the crest of this narrow ridge. The ditches and embankments enclose
6.2 acres. There are 3,990 feet of ditches, 2,660 feet of
embankment, and 3,120 feet of terraced slopes. It would have taken
many years for people to build such a complex structure using only
bison scapula tools.
The Old Fort was built at the edge of a large prairie area
stretching far to the east. The soils indicate that the area had
been prairie for a long time, and that the trees that we see today
have grown within the last two centuries.
The Old Fort was originally believed to date to the Middle
Woodland period (A.D.100-400), based on its similarity to other
earthworks in the eastern United Sates. In 1970, W. Raymond Wood,
Ph.D. of the University of Missouri, dug a trench across the
northern ditches and embankments to determine the sequence of
prehistoric events on the site. These excavations produced
surprising results. They discovered that the Old Fort was built
much later by the Oneota (A.D. 1400-1670), the prehistoric Missouri
Indians. The sequence of events was now clear. A Middle Woodland
occupation occurred in the area. Two ditches were later cut into
the hilltop by Oneota construction workers. The inner ditch was
originally narrower and was enlarged after the initial
construction. Dirt from the excavation was thrown inward resulting
in inner and outer embankments. In the centuries since the Oneota
left the area, nature began to smooth the slopes. This was
accelerated in the last century by plowing.
Archaeologists still do not know why the Old Fort was built. The
ditches were six feet deep and the embankments three to four feet
high. While it is tempting to say that it was built for defense, no
post palisade was discovered in the excavations, and most defensive
structures have palisades. The Old Fort still retains its
mysteries."
~ markers on site