Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center logo

at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center / Educators

Archaeology Terms

Back to all terms

Mussels in the Upper Midwest - Video

Mussels in the Upper Midwest: An Archaeologist’s Perspective

Dr. James L. Theler, MVAC Senior Research Associate and Professor Emeritus, UWL Department of Archaeology & Anthropology, shares his wealth of knowledge on the fascinating biology of freshwater mussels and their dynamic relationship with people in the Upper Midwest, from Indigenous uses of mussels for food, tools, and clay temper to the historic pearl button industry and more recent threats from human activity.

MVAC wordmark logo

at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Contact us

Get involved

Back to top

MVAC Educational Programs are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these programs do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. This project was supported in part by the National Science Foundation. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.