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Lac de Gras (Gloria Fedirchuk, Permit #99-891)
 4.
Wendy Unfreed recording artifacts found by Leroy Bloomstrand and Edith
Basil in controlled surface collection of site LcNs-133. |
Gloria Fedirchuk and Wendy Unfreed (Fedirchuk McCullough & Associates Ltd., Calgary, Alberta) and assistants Edith Basil (Lutsel k'e First Nation) and Leroy Bloomstrand, (North Slave Metis Association) |
conducted a survey of potential borrow sources on the eastern shore of Lac de Gras on behalf of Diavik Diamond Mine Inc.
The potential borrow sources were on a prominent esker, on which the road to the airstrip associated with the Lac de Gras camp is located. Lac de Gras lies to the west of the study area.
Four sites were found during the field survey. One (LcNs-136) consists of an isolated flake of basalt, two are artifact scatters (LcNs-134, LcNs-135), and one is a large campsite (LcNs-133).
The isolated find occurred on a narrow bench on the north slope of the prominent esker whereas one of the artifact scatters (LcNs-134) was found along the access road on top of the esker. Although the isolated find was exposed by natural processes, LcNs-134 has been disturbed through construction and maintenance of the access road.
The remaining two sites are associated with the low esker knoll to the north. On the north side was another artifact scatter. This site, LcNs-135, had been exposed in an old bulldozer cut. Although testing on the site did not reveal any artifacts, it is likely that more intact areas of the site remain. The large campsite, LcNs-133, is situated on an low esker bench extending south from the esker knoll and overlooks an unnamed lake on the east. It has also been exposed as a result of either winter road construction or maintenance, perhaps both. Although not large, this site contains a quantity of material (predominantly artifacts of white quartz). Based on tentative identification of the style of projectile points recovered from LcNs-133 and LcNs-134, the remains appear to relate to occupations as early as 2500 years ago.
Because potential borrow activities may occur during the winter of 1999-2000, controlled surface collection was conducted at each of the sites. In addition to the single flake collected from LcNs-136, 126 artifacts were collected from LcNs-135, 155 artifacts were collected from LcNs-134, and over 6000 were collected from LcNs-133. Limited shovel testing was also carried out to determine whether subsurface remains were present, the extent of such remains, and the depth at which they occurred. Intact remains were found only at site LcNs-133.
