Meat me in St. Louis: an analysis of 19th century historic faunal remains from Cochran Gardens (23SL2229), St. Louis, Missouri

Diane E. Wallman

In 2005 an opportunity arose for a look into the lives of, immigrant families in 19th century urban-America, with the exposure of archaeological features dating to the mid to late nineteenth century within the city of St. Louis, specifically within the Old North St. Louis neighborhood. The excavations of the Cochran Gardens Hope VI Housing Development Tract (Cochran Gardens) were undertaken by the Archaeological Research Center of St. Louis. Investigations exposed 37 yard and building features dating from the mid-late 19th century. Beginning around 1840, this area contained various tenements and flats, occupied by immigrants of variable nationalities. This thesis reports the results of the analysis of a sample of the faunal remains recovered from Cochran Gardens, including four yard features, which were utilized as privies. All of the animal remains were deposited from approximately 1850 to 1900, allowing the examination of changes in the material record over a time. The goal of my study is to analyze food bone remains to address the complex interactions between the residents of this neighborhood and the social and economic environment in which they lived. My principal objectives are to determine if there are any apparent socioeconomic differences among the 'slum-dwellers' associated with the deposits, and also to assess the influence of other forces that affected the consumer choices of the households. To address these larger theoretical issues, I examined different aspects of assemblage composition, including taxonomic and anatomical part representation, and the ages of animals. I also evaluated the natural and cultural processes to assess what factors influenced the formation of the deposits. Results show that consumption patterns differ between households, specifically with regard to the diversity of taxa consumed. Additionally, the results indicate a change over time in consumption patterns in the last half of the 19th Century. Differences among the faunal assemblages are due to shifts in the meatpacking industry, as well as economic and ethnic influences on consumer behavior. The results of this analysis demonstrate that the material record, faunal remains in particular, can help elucidate the effect of social, environmental and cultural factors on consumer behavior.

Meat me in St. Louis: an analysis of 19th century historic faunal remains from Cochran Gardens (23SL2229), St. Louis, Missouri

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