Student News

2012 Ritzenthaler Museum Research Internship Award

Rob Ahlrichs was the 2012 Ritzenthaler Museum Research Internship Award recipient. This spring he worked on the Milwaukee Public Museum's collection of bipointed bifaces from the Riverside Cemetery Site in Menominee, MI. The site was excavated during the 1950s and 60s by the University of Michigan, the Oshkosh Public Museum and with cooperation and oversight from with the Milwaukee Public Museum's Robert Ritzenthaler. The site was a burial ground of at least 76 individuals, many buried with grave goods, such as copper and large bifaces, and red ocher and have been interpreted as part of the Transitional Archaic (1000-400 B.C.) Red Ocher burial complex of the Western Great Lakes region.

The bifaces are one of the signature artifacts of this Red Ocher burial complex. They are notable for several reasons including; the raw material, a distinctive gray stone called Wyandotte Chert which comes from the banks of the Ohio River in southern Indiana, the high level of knapping ability represented by each artifact, and that they are often found in caches as grave goods, most often with women and children. The research consisted of several parts including a records review, metric analysis, digital photography, and a use-wear research program. The use-wear research program was designed to identify use-caused patterns of wear on the artifacts which would then help to interpret these enigmatic artifacts more fully. The experiment included the help of 50 undergraduate archaeology students at UWM, microscopic examination of the experimental edges and comparison to the real artifacts.

This research is in its preliminary stages. This spring it was determined that artifacts from feature 27 had been used and probably hafted in some manner. The completion of this project will result in updated artifact data, digital records, and a use-wear results report for the museum. It also included presentations at the AIA's annual archaeology fair as well as the International Museum Day celebration event.

Student Internship Sites:

Wisconsin

Bergstrom-Mahler Museum
Black Inventors Gallery, Milwaukee
Cable Natural History Museum
Campbellsport Area Historical Society
Cedarburg Cultural Center
Charles Allis Museum
Eisner Museum of Advertising and Design
Great Lakes Archaeological Research Center
Haggerty Museum of Art
Harley-Davidson Archives and Museum
Heritage Hill State Historical Park
History Museum at the Castle, Appleton
Hmong/American Friendship Association Museum
Kenosha Public Museums
Logan Museum of Anthropology
Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee County Historical Society
Milwaukee County Zoo
Milwaukee Public Museum
Milwaukee School of Engineering, Grohmann Collection
Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservancy (Domes)
Museum of Wisconsin Art
National Railroad Museum
Neville Public Museum
Oconomowoc Area Historical Society
Oshkosh Public Museum
Outagamie Historical Society
Old World Wisconsin
Pabst Mansion
Racine Heritage Museum
Sheboygan Historical Society
St. John's Northwestern Military Academy Archives
Ten Chimneys
University of Wisconsin Zoology Museum
Urban Anthropology, Inc.
Villa Terrace Art Museum
Walker's Point Center for the Arts
Waukesha County Historical Museum and Society
Wauwatosa Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Museum
Wisconsin Veterans Museum

Institutions Beyond Wisconsin

American Museum of Natural History, New York
Anasazi State Park, Utah
Hayes Presidential Center, Ohio
Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, Illinois
History Center of Olmsted County, Minnesota
Historical Society of Cecil County, Maryland
Mackinac State Historic Parks, Michigan
Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum, Oregon
Museum of Jurassic Technology, California
National Baseball Hall of Fame, New York
National Mining Museum, Colorado
National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Iowa
Newseum, Washington, D.C.
Olmsted Historical Society, Minnesota
Polish Museum of America, IllinoisMve /> Red Cloud Indian School and Heritage Center, South Dakota
Ringling Museum of Art, Florida
Scotty's Castle, California
Spertus Museum, Illinois
Tirimbina Biological Reserve, Costa Rica
Vesterheim Norwegian Museum, Iowa
Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Washington