Icehouse Bottom - Archaeological Work at Icehouse Bottom

Archaeological Work At Icehouse Bottom

In 1967, the Tennessee Valley Authority began construction on Tellico Dam at the mouth of the Little Tennessee, and purchased some 22,000 acres (89 km2) along the river's shoreline. That same year, the University of Tennessee Department of Anthropology, under contract with the National Park Service, began a survey of the valley to determine its archaeological resources and to select sites for pre-inundation excavation. Although project members initially had just two years before the dam became operational, litigation over environmental concerns pushed the dam's operational date to 1979, allowing for much more extensive archaeological work at the Little Tennessee Valley sites. Excavations were carried out at Icehouse Bottom in 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1977. The site's situation along the river's flood plain meant that each heavy rain added a fresh layer to the site, making it easy to stratify.