Near Turtle River in Beltrami County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Native American Fishing on the Turtle River

A Fishing Camp

Photographed by McGhiever, September 25, 2013

1. Native American Fishing on the Turtle River marker

Inscription. Near this spot, archaeologists found evidence for a Native American fishing camp. Pottery from the camp indicates that people lived here at various times between 3,000 and 600 years ago during what is known as the Woodland Period.

Harvested fish were preserved for future use through drying and smoking, or boiled to obtain fish oil used to treat and soften hides.

Caption: A broken Blackduck "fish pot" containing a layer of preserved fish bone shows that the site's inhabitants caught white sucker and northern pike/muskellunge. These types of fish are still plentiful in the Turtle River and Three Island Lake.

Caption: An archaeologist carefully unearths artifacts (far left). Fish vertebrae found within the "fish pot" (middle). A Woodland Period arrowhead (left).

Caption: Among the artifacts that archaeologists discovered were tips for fishing spears carved from bone.

Erected by Beltrami County.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Location. 47° 37.504′ N, 94° 46.949′ W. Marker is near Turtle River,

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Minnesota, in Beltrami County. It can be reached from Three Island Access. Marker is in Three Island Lake County Park, on the paved path a short distance west of the parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7015 Three Island Road NE, Bemidji MN 56601, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Minnesota’s Northland. It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pottery Types of the Turtle River and Three Island Lake (a few steps from this marker); Historic Beltrami Camp (approx. 6.4 miles away); Beltrami County History (approx. 11.4 miles away); Beltrami County (approx. 11½ miles away); Carnegie Library (approx. 11½ miles away); First Reserve Unit in the United States Called into Active Service in World War I

Marker in picnic area of Three Island Lake County Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, September 25, 2013

2. Marker in picnic area of Three Island Lake County Park

(approx. 11½ miles away); Shaynowishkung (approx. 11½ miles away); Promises Made, Promises Broken (approx. 11½ miles away).

Credits. This page was last revised on July 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 508 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 28, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.