The Not-A-Pe-Ka-Gon Site or Notipekago Site, also known as the Quick Site, is a multi-component

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

located near where South Custer Road crosses the

Pere Marquette River The Pere Marquette River is a river in Michigan in the United States. The main stream of this river is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 21, 2011 running fro ...

in Mason County, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1993 and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1973.

History

The oral tradition of the

Odawa people The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They ha ...

holds that the Not-A-Pe-Ka-Gon Site was the site of an important 17th century battle between the Odawa and

Mascouten The Mascouten (also ''Mascoutin'', ''Mathkoutench'', ''Muscoden,'' or ''Musketoon'') were a tribe of Algonquian-speaking Native Americans located in the Midwest. They are believed to have dwelt on both sides of the Mississippi River, adjacent to ...

peoples. Many men from both sides of the conflict died in the battle, and their skulls were placed on sticks along the riverbank; the site became known as "Notipekago" or "Notipekagon" - literally, "heads on sticks." Years later, erosion exposed the previously buried remains of the warriors, leading to the modern archaeological discovery of the site.

Description

The Not-A-Pe-Ka-Gon Site is located on two river terraces along the Pere Marquette River. The site contains three small mounds, and pottery and French trade goods were found.

History

Description

References

Further reading