DIGGING UP THE PAST: ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OFFERS GLIMPSE OF MISSISSIPPIAN INDIANS

University students from across the nation spend there summers in the field school at the park getting hands-on experience .

The visitor's center houses a museum and the lab where artifacts are sorted. Visitors can watch the work in the lab through a viewing window.

PARKIN, Ark. -- Although it combines the best of archaeological scholarship, family fun and historical intrigue, the Parkin Archaeological State Park in Cross County in Arkansas is a sleeper today.

The relative anonymity of the Mississippian Indian archaeological site to the public could change quickly, however, if more direct proof is unearthed, linking the ancient village to its most famous alleged visitor -- Hernando De Soto.

The Spanish explorer, whose men left behind four lengthy, but incomplete travel journals, was received warmly in late 1541 by a great Indian chief named Casqui in present-day eastern Arkansas. The chief and the explorer exchanged gifts and pleasantries in the huge village, from which Casqui ruled his province. De Soto, whose expedition was undertaken partially to convert natives to Christianity, preached to the villagers and erected a giant cross -- made of two huge pine trees -- on top of a large mound in the village.

Today many scholars think the village of Casqui was at the Parkin Archaeological site. It was definitely the site of a teeming village of some sort.

"You can't stick a shovel without hitting artifacts," said John Peukert, assistant archaeologist at the park. "It was a compact society, with people living all over each other."

The Parkin site, where a sawmill operated from 1906 into the 1940s and where a low-income community known as Sawdust Hill sprang up, was much better preserved than the rich agricultural lands in much of Arkansas. Where relics and human remains have been plowed into oblivion in many areas, the artifacts at Parkin came through much more intact.

Those artifacts make a persuasive -- if not definite -- case for De Soto having been there. A seven-layer glass bead and a small brass bell were both found on the site. These were items the Spanish used to trade and, or win favor with local populations. Lead shot was also found here in 1998.

"There's controversy over whether this was where De Soto visited or not," Peukert said, "whether the Spanish artifacts were traded in or whether De Soto was actually here."

Another big piece of the puzzle involves the charred remains of a giant post atop the Parkin mound, discovered during the mid-1960s. This, many think, is the remains of the cross De Soto had hoisted above Casqui village.

"It's a huge charred post, possibly of cypress," Peukert said. "Carbon dating put it at the mid-16th century. We want to get a dendrochronology (tree ring) date."

Bit by bit, pieces of the puzzle are fitting together to give an indication not only of De Soto's likely visit, but also of the Mississippian Indians' daily lives.

The settlement appears to have been there from about 1330 A.D. until about 1550. Casqui was reported to live in a huge village, which was the capital of his province. It was surrounded by a moat and palisaded walls. On one edge was a large mound. All this fits the Parkin site where the moat was filled with sawdust during the sawmill days, offering extra protection to the still-evident moat.

While the Casqui villagers appeared ready and willing to defend themselves, they seemed to be peaceful, concentrating their energies into agricultural work. By the Mississippian Period, permanent, agricultural villages were the norm.

As the state park prepared to open in 1991 on the 450th anniversary of De Soto's visit, probably the biggest find of all was made. Rosie Lee Patterson had lived in a house on the park site since 1956. When the Department of Natural Resources purchased the land, Patterson's house was moved into the Parkin city limits. A previous house had stood on the site before Patterson's was built.

This allowed the spot of land to be protected throughout the 20th century. Students and archaeologists took advantage and began digging at the site. There they discovered an extremely rare intact head pot. Located directly beneath Patterson's bed, the head pot apparently was buried along with the Indian whose likeness the pot bears. Local residents insist Patterson and visitors frequently saw the ghost of a Casqui Indian walking the hallway of her house throughout the years it stood on that site.

Today visitors can learn about the Casqui and other Mississippian Indians, select from a large assortment of books and gift items, take a tour led by a park interpreter and peek through a window as lab workers analyze findings. Peukert said it takes four hours of lab work to equal one hour of fieldwork. For this reason, the archaeological dig will take a three-year hiatus beginning in 2000. This will allow the finds of the late 1990s to be properly analyzed and interpreted.

The summer field school offers six semester hours for undergraduate or graduate students. Volunteers are welcome to dig. This summer's field school consisted of only about half a dozen students, down from 17 the previous year. The work is hot, tedious and slow. Digging squares two meters by two meters, Peukert said a good excavator can go down 10 centimeters (4.5 inches) in a week. Students come from all over, though, to take advantage of the hands-on archaeological experience.

The summer field school ends Friday. From Sept. 14 through Oct. 16, volunteers will remain at the dig site. Visitors will again be able to tour the site as digs go on. Other special events such as Archaeology Day Camp, Native American Cultures Day Camp and Artifact Identification Day are held annually at the park.

The park is reached by taking Interstate 55 south, to U.S. Highway 42 at Haefner, Ark., then west to U.S. 149, south to U.S. 64 near Earle, and west to U.S. 184 at Parkin.

For information of upcoming events, call (870) 755-2500 or send an e-mail to parkin@arkansas.net or go to www.arkansas.com.