Historic American Indian Maple Sugar and Syrup Production: Boiling Arches in Michigan and Wisconsin

The archaeological remains of boiling arches associated with historic American Indian maple sugar and syrup making activities are a distinct, but often overlooked, feature of Western Great Lakes forests. Occurring as single features or in multiple localities in close proximity to both current and abandoned Indian settlements, boiling arches are important components in the cultural landscape of Indian people, marking the transition from boiling maple sap in kettles to boiling sap in large metal flat pans. This paper describes the archaeological remains, context, and distribution of American Indian maple production boiling arches along with in-depth descriptions of two significant concentrations of arches at the Upper Peninsula Ojibwe community of Lac Vieux Desert in Michigan, and the Potawatomi/Ojibwe community of McCord in northern Wisconsin. Lastly this paper examines the historical significance of boiling arches and what they represent within American Indian communities in the Upper Peninsula and adjacent northern Wisconsin.