Courtesy Photo | This illustration shows some of the types of artifacts that are tobacco-related found...... read more read more
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Archaeologists working at Fort McCoy have found numerous tobacco-related artifacts over the years. Items of this type found in the field during archaeological investigations include clay tobacco pipe fragments of stems and bowls, and tobacco tins.
Tobacco use was nearly universal amongst the residents of Wisconsin prior to the 1940s. Historic clay tobacco pipes found at Fort McCoy are often made of pipeclay also known as “kaolin” which resulted in the clay turning white once fired.
It is very rare to find a complete clay tobacco pipe at an archaeological site because the pipeclay is not very strong resulting in clay tobacco pipes easily breaking into pieces. A plus for tobacco consumers was that clay pipes were relatively cheap to replace.
Most of these tobacco-related artifacts are associated with the 1850-1940’s historic farms and homesteads found on the installation. Smoking a pipe was a common practice during the homestead era, as cigarettes became popular mainly after World War I (1918).
Smoking tobacco has a long history in North America with archaeological evidence dating back as far as 12,300 years ago at a site in northwestern Utah. Various indigenous groups used smoking tobacco for spiritual, ceremonial, and medicinal purposes. Indigenous peoples were also known to offer tobacco as a gift or use it like currency and/or as a trade item.
Tobacco was introduced to Europeans in the Americas in the 15th century. Christopher Columbus observed indigenous peoples using tobacco in 1492. At this time, indigenous groups either chewed or smoked tobacco.
Indigenous peoples made their smoking tobacco pipes out of clay or stone, such as Catlinite (also known as red pipestone). Catlinite is found at Pipestone National Monument in southwestern Minnesota. Just like tobacco, Catlinite is often considered sacred by many indigenous groups. To date, no Catlinite or other smoking tobacco pipes associated with Native Americans have been recovered from Fort McCoy lands.
Christopher Columbus introduced tobacco to Europe where it was initially used for medicinal purposes. The widespread transfer of plants, animals, diseases, cultures, technology, and ideas by Christopher Columbus is commonly referred to as the Columbian exchange. Commercialization of tobacco began around 1612 in the English Colonies such as Jamestown.
By the homestead era in Wisconsin, which dates to the second half of the 19th century, clay pipes were in common use and often came from England. So-called TD pipes were manufactured in England and imported to America, with the initials TD present on the bowl of the pipe.
It is not confirmed, but the TD initials are generally attributed to 18th century British pipe maker Thomas Dormer. Interestingly, the initials were printed on pipes made in North America as well to capitalize on the popularity of the branding.
Archaeologists can sometimes use pipe fragments to date archaeological sites, particularly on Colonial-era sites prior to 1800. A tobacco pipe is comprised primarily of a bowl (holds packed tobacco) and a stem which delivers smoke from the bowl to the consumer’s mouth.
In the 1950s, American archaeologist J.C. Harrington determined that the bore hole diameter (opening in the stem of the pipe in which the tobacco smoke is delivered to the smoker) could be used to date a pipe.
He noticed that the bore hole diameter decreased over time. Therefore, the larger the bore hole diameter, the older the pipe was. Other useful means to date a pipe include the pipe bowl size (increased over time) and pipe bowl decoration (later tobacco pipes were generally more decorated).
Smoking tobacco has a history in the military as well, with cigarettes included in rations for soldiers during World War I and World War II. The military has since been aggressive in their efforts to curtail smoking among service personnel, including a Department of Defense directive in 1986 which banned the use of tobacco during basic training.
While today the harmful nature of tobacco use to health is well known, this data was not available to the men, women and children who took up smoking a pipe during the homestead and early 20th century eras in Wisconsin.
All archaeological work conducted at Fort McCoy was sponsored by the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.
Visitors and employees are reminded they should not collect artifacts on Fort McCoy or other government lands and leave the digging to the professionals. Any individual who excavates, removes, damages, or otherwise alters or defaces any post-contact or pre-contact site, artifact, or object of antiquity on Fort McCoy is in violation of federal law.
The discovery of any archaeological artifact should be reported to the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch at 502-898-8214.
(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Archaeology Team that includes the Colorado State University’s Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands and the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.)
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2025 15:20 |
| Story ID: | 548319 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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