1. Sebasticook Lake Fish Weir Complex
Weir – A small dam or fence set in a stream or stream channel.

2. The north end of Lake Sebasticook is the site of the fish weir complex.

3. The Fall draw down puts the lake closer to its prehistoric levels.
Aerial photo of Sebasticook Lake after the Fall draw down. The Alder Brook channel is clearly visible, giving us an idea of water levels during prehistoric times.

4. Luke Wheeler 4’10” tall / Eels are catadromous
Luke Wheeler 4’10” tall / Eels are catadromous. Atlantic Salmon are anadromonous.
With a caloric value six times that of any other freshwater fish, the eel was a prized catch, tasting somewhat like chicken, though quite bony. (home.gwi.net/~fks/listingpetition.html)

5. 1991 draw down revealed some of the remaining stakes of the weir.
The 1991 draw down exposed a series of stakes driven into the stream bed. Upon further investigation 142 stakes where identified and mapped.

6. Stake cut with a stone tool.
The first indication that the site dated back to the late archaic period was the presence of stakes cut with stone tools.

7. 1992 Draw down determined it was a complex not a site.
The 1992 draw down revealed a more elaborate site then previously suspected. The lower water levels of 1992 revealed a total of 630 stakes and archaeologists concluded this to be a fish weir complex not merely a fish weir site.

8. 142 stakes mapped after 1991 draw done
142 stakes mapped after 1991 draw done draw down revealed more stakes with a total of 630 mapped with GPS coordinates.

9. The contrast between stone cut stakes and steel cut stakes is evident.
Stake cut with a steel tool.
The contrast between stone cut stakes and steel cut stakes is evident.

10. A stake removed from the stream bed for inspection and study.
Fish weir stake
A stake removed from the stream bed for inspection and study.

11. Mapping of the 630 stakes, the channel as it appeared during the Woodland and Archaic periods and rock emplacements.

12. Carbon cycle

13. (Petersen & Robinson p.14, 1993)
Carbon dating chip
Specimen No.
Material
Radiocarbon Years B.P.
Years B.C./A.D.
Sample No. 1 86 90
116
142
Wooden Stake
Horizontal Log Bark
1760 +/- 70
1780 +/- 80
2940 +/- 70
4150 +/- 70
5080 +/- 90
A.D. 190
A.D. 170
990 B.C.
2200 B.C.
3130 B.C.
Beta-52536
Beta-54918
Beta-60099
Beta-60101
Beta-60100

14. Fish weir stakes collected at the site.
Samples from the fish weir complex for study. Some of the stakes have carbon dating chips removed, to be used in the carbon dating process.

15. Core samples taken from the stream bed to investigate stratigraphy and the sedimentology of the shoreline.
Investigation into the stratigraphy and sedimentology of the shoreline. Organic material found in the core sample can be used in the dating process.

16. Bangor Daily News article on the Sebasticook Lake fish weir complex.
Bangor Daily News article on the fish weir.

17. A stone gouge located at the fish weir complex.
Gouge found at the site of the fish weir
A stone gouge located at the fish weir complex.

18. Artifacts located at the Sebasticook Lake fish weir site.
Artifacts found at the fish weir site.
Artifacts located at the Sebasticook Lake fish weir site.

19. Think like and archaeologist!!
What can we determine about this family?
What items would last several hundred years or more?
What might an interrupted trend tell us?
Get a notebook or piece of paper. The picture on the right is the garbage from 502 South Main Street. Carefully observe the artifacts deposited in the trash. What do they tell you about the residents of this house?
Suppose you have been examining this family’s garbage bag each week for a year and it always contained an average of eight soda cans a week. Suddenly one week, the cans stop appearing in the garbage. What reasons can you think of to explain this change?
How many of the items shown would survive if they were buried in the ground for two hundred years? If you analyzed only those artifacts that still remained, would you change your conclusions about the residents of 502 South Main Street?