Kansas City Hopewell
Encyclopedia
The Kansas City Hopewell were the farthest west regional variation of the Hopewell tradition of the Middle Woodland period
(100 BCE – 700 CE). Sites were located in Kansas
and Missouri
around the mouth of the Kansas River
where it enters the Missouri River
. There are 30 recorded Kansas City Hopewell sites.
and Illinois
river valleys about 300 BCE. The culture is referred to more as a system of interaction among a variety of societies than as a single society or culture. Hopewell trading networks were quite extensive, as has been found by the evidence of goods such as obsidian
from the Yellowstone
area, copper
from Lake Superior
, and shells from the Gulf Coast
in locations distant from their origins.
point styles and ceramic
decoration.
The Kansas City Hopewell peoples grew a variety of domesticated plants, including squash and marshelder. The majority of their diet seems to have come from wild resources such as seeds, nuts, deer, raccoon, and turkey. Their exploitation of the resources of the oak-hickory forest allowed them to establish permanent villages.
The Renner Village Archeological Site
in Riverside, Missouri
is one of several sites near the junction of Line Creek and the Missouri River
. The site contains Hopewell and Middle Mississippian
remains. The Trowbridge site near Kansas City is close to the western limit of the Hopewell. "Hopewell"-style pottery and stone tools, typical of the Illinois and Ohio river valleys, are abundant at the Trowbridge site
, and decorated Hopewell style pottery rarely appears further west.
The Cloverdale archaeological site
is situated at the mouth of a small valley that opens into the Missouri River
Valley, near St.Joseph, Missouri
. It is a multi-component site with Kansas City Hopewell (ca. 100 to 500 CE) and Steed Kisker (ca. 1200 CE) occupation. After 500 CE until about 1000 CE, the (Late Woodland period), the Kansas City Hopewell culture changed and evolved into different cultures. The people of this period started to live in small hamlets with two to three families and began to rely on more on agriculture. These groups are the Central Plains Village culture known as the Steed-Kisker
Phase.
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
(100 BCE – 700 CE). Sites were located in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
around the mouth of the Kansas River
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
where it enters the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. There are 30 recorded Kansas City Hopewell sites.
Hopewell Interaction Sphere
The Hopewell Exchange system began in the OhioOhio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
and Illinois
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
river valleys about 300 BCE. The culture is referred to more as a system of interaction among a variety of societies than as a single society or culture. Hopewell trading networks were quite extensive, as has been found by the evidence of goods such as obsidian
Obsidian
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock.It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth...
from the Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
area, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
from Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
, and shells from the Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
in locations distant from their origins.
Kansas City Hopewell
The Kansas City Hopewell period is divided by archaeologists into three phases based on radiocarbon dates and changes in projectileProjectile
A projectile is any object projected into space by the exertion of a force. Although a thrown baseball is technically a projectile too, the term more commonly refers to a weapon....
point styles and ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
decoration.
| Phase | Dates |
|---|---|
| Trowbridge | 1 - 250 CE |
| Kansas City | 250 - 500 CE |
| Edwardsville | 500 - 750 CE |
The Kansas City Hopewell peoples grew a variety of domesticated plants, including squash and marshelder. The majority of their diet seems to have come from wild resources such as seeds, nuts, deer, raccoon, and turkey. Their exploitation of the resources of the oak-hickory forest allowed them to establish permanent villages.
The Renner Village Archeological Site
Renner Village Archeological Site
The Renner Village Archeological Site is a significant prehistoric Kansas City Hopewell culture archaeological site located in the municipality of Riverside, Missouri....
in Riverside, Missouri
Riverside, Missouri
Riverside is a city in Platte County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,979 at the 2000 census.The town on the edge of the Missouri River has a long history of racing and gambling. It formally incorporated in 1951....
is one of several sites near the junction of Line Creek and the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. The site contains Hopewell and Middle Mississippian
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
remains. The Trowbridge site near Kansas City is close to the western limit of the Hopewell. "Hopewell"-style pottery and stone tools, typical of the Illinois and Ohio river valleys, are abundant at the Trowbridge site
Trowbridge Archeological Site
The Trowbridge Archaeological Site is located in the vicinity of North 61st Street and Leavenworth Road in Kansas City, Kansas. Discovered in 1939 by amateur archaeologist Harry Trowbridge in the back yard of his property, it was inhabited c...
, and decorated Hopewell style pottery rarely appears further west.
The Cloverdale archaeological site
Cloverdale archaeological site
The Cloverdale archaeological site is an important archaeological site near St. Joseph, Missouri. It is located at the mouth of a small valley that opens into the Missouri River....
is situated at the mouth of a small valley that opens into the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
Valley, near St.Joseph, Missouri
Saint Joseph, Missouri
Saint Joseph is the second largest city in northwest Missouri, only second to Kansas City in size, serving as the county seat for Buchanan County. As of the 2010 census, Saint Joseph had a total population of 76,780, making it the eighth largest city in the state. The St...
. It is a multi-component site with Kansas City Hopewell (ca. 100 to 500 CE) and Steed Kisker (ca. 1200 CE) occupation. After 500 CE until about 1000 CE, the (Late Woodland period), the Kansas City Hopewell culture changed and evolved into different cultures. The people of this period started to live in small hamlets with two to three families and began to rely on more on agriculture. These groups are the Central Plains Village culture known as the Steed-Kisker
Steed-Kisker
The Steed-Kisker culture is a cultural phase that is part of the larger Central Plains Tradition of prehistoric people who occupied the Great Plains region of the United States in prehistoric times. This group lived primarily around the Kansas City, Missouri area from about 900 to 1400 CE...
Phase.
See also
- Hopewell tradition
- List of Hopewell sites
- Nebo Hill Archeological SiteNebo Hill Archeological SiteNebo Hill Archeological Site is a large hill a few miles southwest of Excelsior Springs, Missouri. It has the highest elevation in Clay County and is named after the family who owned the property in the 1900s.-Archaeological findings:...