Abstract

Since 1984 the University of Maine Archaeology Research Center has completed nearly 30 Cultural Resource Management assessments in the state of Maine. These projects have been mandated by state and federal statutes and have been completed for both private and public concerns primarily in previously understudied interior settings of Maine. This work is not simply "rescue' or "salvage" archaeology but is research-oriented. As a result of these investigations, data from more than 500 archaeological sites (prehistoric aboriginal, historic aboriginal, and Euroamerican) or at least one-fifth of all of the recorded sites in Maine has been recovered and is undergoing assessment. This data will permit us to clarify and expand existing models of aboriginal occupation and utilization of the interior of Maine as well as allow us to pose new ones. An example of the wealth of information recovered during Archaeology Research Center investigations is drawn from the Androscoggin River valley located in western Maine and will be discussed in this presentation.