Cantonment Wilkinson Site
Cantonment Wilkinson was excavated by SIUC archaeologists in 2003-2005 where they recovered a large artifact assemblage associated with the U.S. frontier army.[2] The establishment of the Cantonment Wilkinson base was ordered in September 1800 as a safety measure against resuming hostilities with France.Hostilities between France the United States began in 1797 with the XYZ Affair which exposed French diplomats for demanding bribes from American officials.Subsequently, the SIU team plowed the field of the site which revealed a 37,000 square meter of brick buildings along with ceramic, glass, metal, and other artifacts.[1] Hand excavation revealed the discovery of early nineteenth-century military uniform buttons, ceramics, glassware, and other artifacts at the site.