Shawnee Lookout Archeological District Explained

Shawnee Lookout Archeological District
Nrhp Type:hd
Nocat:yes
Location:In Shawnee Lookout, southwest of Cleves[1]
Nearest City:Cleves, Ohio
Coordinates:39.1261°N -84.7994°W
Added:December 2, 1974
Refnum:74001516

The Shawnee Lookout Archeological District is a historic district in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located southwest of Cleves in Hamilton County's Miami Township, the district is composed of forty-six archaeological sites spread out over an area of . Thirty-four of these sites are located in the 1000acres Shawnee Lookout Park, which has been called one of the most beautiful parks in southwestern Ohio.[2]

The combination of river bottoms and wooded hillsides in Shawnee Lookout made it a highly attractive site for prehistoric settlement. As a result, the lands included in the district have a long record of aboriginal residency: artifacts found in the district's sites span a range of ten thousand years. These artifacts represent many cultures, including various Archaic peoples, the Hopewell tradition, and other Woodland period peoples.[3] Among the artifacts found at one of the sites are a wide range of biological remains, such as bird bones, fish bones, walnuts, turtle shells, and deer bones. In recognition of the archaeological value of the sites composing the district, Shawnee Lookout was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Notes and References

  1. Mills, William C. Archeological Atlas of Ohio. Columbus: Ohio State Archeological and Historical Society, 1914, page 31 and plate 31.
  2. Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 1. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 666-667.
  3. , Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2010-06-16.