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J J J J II 11 J ! 11 ! I I The project area is located approximately 1 to 1% miles north of the MissiSsippi River and 3/4 to 2 miles west of the Rum River, on level ~o gently rolling uplands that incorporate parts of two geomorphi~ regions: the Mississippi Valley Outwash area (western portion df project route) and the Anoka Sand Plain (eastern portion of same). Both areas owe their geomorphological characteristics to processes that occurred during the later stages of the Wisconsin glaciation. Low areas are marsh), - isolated ~epressions as well as larger wetlands that are linked by poorly, developed drainages. Uplands feature well drained sandy soils over a substratum of sand and/or gravel -- along the project ~oute primarily Nymore and Hubbard sands (USDA Soil Conservation Service 1977; University of Minnesota !980). Pollen cores from the region suggest that it was rather dry for much of : the postglacial period, with a predominance of grassland~ and dry oak woods (Harrison 1978). At the time of initial ~uro-American settlement, oak openings and barrens predominated on the uplands, while narrow belts of river bottom forest was ~ound along the Rum and Mississippi Rivers (Marschner 1974). While a number of archaeological sites have been identified in the northern, central and ~astern parts of Anoka County (Harrison !978), the western portion is still relatively poorly known in this respect -- mainly, we can assume, because of the lack of c~mprehensive archaeological survey in this area rather than actual lack of such evidence. So far, only one Native American ~ite has been recorded close...to the survey area: 21 AN 6, a group of more than a dozen mounds described in the late 1800s as~ located on the northwestern shore of Round Lake. Another D~ssible site, 2! AN 101, yielded a concentration of bison bones from a marsh located between the southeastern shore of Round Lake and the Coon Creek drainage, However, there were no artifacts in association that could link the bones, in a positive ~anner, with early Native American cultural activity. A few sites have also been recorded to the southwest, on the Hennepin County side of the Mississippi River: 21 HE S5, a single mound, and 21 HE ~9, a group of .16 mounds, both sites near Cha~plin, as well as 21 HE 88, a group of 23 mounds overlooking Elm Creek near its confluence with the Mississippi. Although ~here is no evidence on record, as yet, of habitation sites in ~his area, the presence of burial sites, as well as the ~opograph~c configuration of well drained uplands along lakes and major~ waterways like the Mississippi and Rum Rivers, would suggest that a number of such sites dq.exist. 3.0 SURVEY PROCEDURE AND RESULTS Although the proposed alignment is 80 ft wide, survey coverage was widened to encompass approximately 150 ft. The corridor was walked along transects spaced at 10 meter intervals. The following descriptions are keyed to survey segments on Figure 1.