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Native American site in N.W. Iowa gets historic designation

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January 12th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

WESTFIELD, Iowa (AP) – A site in northwest Iowa inhabited by Native Americans roughly 800 years ago is now designated a National Historic Landmark. The designation announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of the Interior highlights the location’s significance and offers some protection against development.

The Sioux City Journal reports that historians believe the 1.9-acre Kimball Village Site near Westfield was inhabited between 1100 and 1250 by Prairie-Plains tribes living along the Big Sioux River. The site remains about 97 percent untouched despite several archaeological field investigations.

State archaeologist John Doershuk says the exact location of the site, which is in the middle of a farm field, will be kept confidential under the new designation due to private property rights. The site is marked by a mound that rises several feet above ground.