NBC’s Ron Mott re­ports.

nativeamericannews:

FEMA Archaeologists Discover Native Artifacts in New Orleans

Pottery sherds, animal bones and pieces of clay tobacco pipes weren’t what they were expecting to find, but it’s what a team of archaeologists contracted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency found while surveying land near Bayou St. John in New Orleans, Louisiana this month.

“It was a bit of a surprise to find this,” said FEMA Louisiana Recovery Office Deputy Director of Programs Andre Cadogan, referencing a small, broken pottery fragment. “We clearly discovered pottery from the late Marksville period, which dates to 300-400 A.D. The pottery was nice, easily dateable, and much earlier than we expected. This is exciting news for historians and tribal communities as it represents some of the only intact prehistoric remains of its kind south of Lake Pontchartrain.”

According to The Woodland Southeast (University of Alabama Press, 2002), edited by David G. Anderson and Robert C. Mainfort Jr., “Early Marksville pottery include birds, curvilinear designs, stamping and deep U-shaped incisions. These motifs, as well as specific rim modes and vessel shapes, may indicate close ties with Havana-Hopewell groups in the Illinois Valley.”

Other sources also suggest the Marksville were influenced in their mound building by the Hopewell culture. The Hopewell flourished in Ohio and Illinois at about the same time the Marskville were in Louisiana. “By at least the first century A.D., groups of Louisiana Indians had met Hopewell travelers and had learned about their culture,” states Louisiana Prehistory (Louisiana Geological Survey, 1969) by Robert W. Neuman and Nancy W. Hawkins. “Marksville burial mounds, pottery, pipes, and ornaments resembled those of the Hopewell Culture.”

Bayou St. John has, since the time of the Marksville Indians, seen a French fort, a Spanish fort, an American fort, a resort hotel and an amusement park. FEMA archaeologists have found evidence of the Marksville, the colonial period and the hotel.

“The historical record tells us that the shell midden (or mound) created by the Native American occupation was destroyed by the French when they built their fort here,” said Cadogan in a FEMA press release. “However, we’ve discovered, through archaeology, that rather than destroy the midden, the French cut off the top of it and used it as a foundation for their fort.”

The work FEMA is conducting in New Orleans is part of an agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office, Native American tribes and the state to do archaeological surveys of parks and public lands in the city.

When FEMA funding was used to reconstruct homes throughout Louisiana, the release states it would have been nearly impossible to evaluate every property for archaeological remains, so FEMA and various other agencies agreed to conduct alternate archaeological surveys.

“The surveys not only offset potential destruction of archaeological resources on private property from the home mitigations but also give us a leg up on any future storms. We are helping the state of Louisiana learn about its history as well as provide information that leads to preparedness for the next event,” said Cadogan.

nativeamericannews:

FEMA Archaeologists Discover Native Artifacts in New Orleans

Pottery sherds, animal bones and pieces of clay tobacco pipes weren’t what they were expecting to find, but it’s what a team of archaeologists contracted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency found while surveying land near Bayou St. John in New Orleans, Louisiana this month.

“It was a bit of a surprise to find this,” said FEMA Louisiana Recovery Office Deputy Director of Programs Andre Cadogan, referencing a small, broken pottery fragment. “We clearly discovered pottery from the late Marksville period, which dates to 300-400 A.D. The pottery was nice, easily dateable, and much earlier than we expected. This is exciting news for historians and tribal communities as it represents some of the only intact prehistoric remains of its kind south of Lake Pontchartrain.”

According toThe Woodland Southeast(University of Alabama Press, 2002), edited by David G. Anderson and Robert C. Mainfort Jr., “Early Marksville pottery include birds, curvilinear designs, stamping and deep U-shaped incisions. These motifs, as well as specific rim modes and vessel shapes, may indicate close ties with Havana-Hopewell groups in the Illinois Valley.”

Other sources also suggest the Marksville were influenced in their mound building by the Hopewell culture. The Hopewell flourished in Ohio and Illinois at about the same time the Marskville were in Louisiana. “By at least the first century A.D., groups of Louisiana Indians had met Hopewell travelers and had learned about their culture,” statesLouisiana Prehistory(Louisiana Geological Survey, 1969) by Robert W. Neuman and Nancy W. Hawkins. “Marksville burial mounds, pottery, pipes, and ornaments resembled those of the Hopewell Culture.”

Bayou St. John has, since the time of the Marksville Indians, seen a French fort, a Spanish fort, an American fort, a resort hotel and an amusement park. FEMA archaeologists have found evidence of the Marksville, the colonial period and the hotel.

“The historical record tells us that the shell midden (or mound) created by the Native American occupation was destroyed by the French when they built their fort here,” said Cadogan in a FEMA press release. “However, we’ve discovered, through archaeology, that rather than destroy the midden, the French cut off the top of it and used it as a foundation for their fort.”

The work FEMA is conducting in New Orleans is part of an agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office, Native American tribes and the state to do archaeological surveys of parks and public lands in the city.

When FEMA funding was used to reconstruct homes throughout Louisiana, the release states it would have been nearly impossible to evaluate every property for archaeological remains, so FEMA and various other agencies agreed to conduct alternate archaeological surveys.

“The surveys not only offset potential destruction of archaeological resources on private property from the home mitigations but also give us a leg up on any future storms. We are helping the state of Louisiana learn about its history as well as provide information that leads to preparedness for the next event,” said Cadogan.

New Orleans sees revival of historic streetcars

New Orleans, once crisscrossed by sprawling streetcar lines, is embracing anew the rumbling reminder of the city’s storied and elegant past by restoring old lines and seeking to build new ones.

In January, a mile-long (1.6 km) streetcar line connecting the tourist area of the French Quarter to the city’s Amtrak terminal is scheduled to open, becoming the fourth streetcar corridor in the city. Two more are proposed, the first of those anticipated to break ground in early 2014. For a city where daily life was changed by the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago, the new streetcars are a way to connect to history.

The more than 150-year-old line that sails down St. Charles Avenue is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world, according to the city. Revitalizing the New Orleans streetcar system has been a slow, arduous process. The city’s two other existing lines were built in 1988 and 2004.

“New Orleans has not had an incredibly extensive network of streetcars for decades,” said Rachel Heiligman, executive director of Ride New Orleans, an advocacy organization that has been pushing for more streetcars in the city. “This is the first time in almost a decade we’ve seen an investment in public transit, so it’s a very exciting time for New Orleans,” she said.

As cities across the country explore ways to break gridlock or rejuvenate deadened commercial corridors, streetcars have become an attractive alternative to buses or subways for their affordability to build and maintain. In 2013, inaugural streetcar lines are scheduled to launch in Atlanta; Dallas; Salt Lake City; Tucson, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. Cities considering or planning streetcar lines include Cincinnati; El Paso, Texas; Honolulu; Kansas City, Missouri; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; and Sacramento, California, according to the American Public Transit Association APTA.L.

Streetcars already operate in cities including: Boston; Denver; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Tampa, Florida; San Francisco; and Savannah, Georgia. Besides their charm, streetcars are being embraced because of the availability since 2009 of grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation meant for long-term projects. The funds helped make streetcars “a growing movement,” said Mantill Williams, a spokesman for APTA, a research group in Washington.

“For cities that had plans for streetcars on the books for years, this helped lead it to fruition,” Williams said.

New Orleans received a $45 million grant for its new line and is seeking a second grant to build another line, which would cost $98 million. The city sold $75 million in sales tax revenue bonds to pay for a third new line. The majority of these lines will run along historic streetcar routes that were uprooted in the 1960s, leaving only the St. Charles Avenue line in place by 1973, the year it was awarded a listing on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.

Williams said cities with streetcars are finding that they help strengthen property values and spur economic development.

“What it shows to your potential business customers is there is a sense of permanency there,” he said.

For the line set to open next year, that is already happening: A $90 million apartment and retail complex that received city approval in late August and is expected to be built along the streetcar line in the next two years.

mothernaturenetwork:

Disaster-resilient prototype home completed in New Orleans

Sunshower SSIP House, an eye-catching, dual-roofed prefab abode that’s designed to withstand the gnarliest of weather events, is completed in the Lakewood section of New Orleans.

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GE To Open New Technology Center in New Orleans; will hire 300 information technologists focused on driving innovation, speed, and commercialization of financial solutions at GE Capital

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New Orleans celebrates 200th anniversary of steamboat

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Silicon Valley in the bayou? New Orleans hopes so

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Cruises lead strong revival of New Orleans tourism

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