A Taphonomic Evaluation of Three Intact Pork Barrels from the Steamboat Heroine (1838) Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • This study focuses on three pork barrels from the cargo of the Heroine, a steamboat that wrecked on the Red River in 1838 while carrying provisions to the U.S. Army garrison at Fort Towson, Oklahoma. The quantity and quality of the meat, as evidenced by the bones in the barrels, are examined to establish whether the meat matched the military contract, to ascertain the pork butchery and packaging procedures, and to determine any standardization in the types and quantities of pieces in the barrels. The results suggest that the meat represents a midgrade pork and generally agree with the quality expected by the military. Analyses reveal that processing was similar to modern-day practices. Finally, a comparison of the bones illustrates a lack of standardization among the barrels. This research provides important information about pig processing and military-contract compliance, two areas that have not been extensively studied previously.

published proceedings

  • Historical Archaeology

author list (cited authors)

  • Brophy, J. K., & Crisman, K.

citation count

  • 4

complete list of authors

  • Brophy, Juliet K||Crisman, Kevin

publication date

  • January 2013