Michigan Archaeology

This weekend marked the end of the fourth week of field school for students meaning we only have 4 days left of ANTHRARCH 487 here at UMBS. As tradition would have it, the archeology family made a trip up to Sugar Island for an overnight making some stops along the way. First stop was White Fish Point, the site of many famous shipwrecks including the Edmund Fitzgerald. For some of us, it was the first time laying eyes on Lake Superior.

Next up a quick stop at the largest waterfall in Michigan, Tahquamenon Falls. Despite its beauty the falls were home to an infinite amount of misquotes and lunch quickly became the first priority on this stop.

After eating our next destination was the Soo Locks of Sault Ste. Marie. Though most of us had a seen a ship go through the locks, we were forced to stay and watch (by a certain someone) a ship named Montrealais go through the 800 foot McArthur Lock. In the end, everyone enjoyed watching the ship rise up in the lock and make its way into Lake Superior.

Finally we headed to the ferry that would take us to our ultimate destination, Sugar Island. We enjoyed a night of grilling and relaxation in a cabin provided by UMBS. On the way, Professor Howey showed us Native American spirit houses that are built on some of the graves in a local cemetery. Also, on our way across the Mackinaw Bridge earlier that day we learned about the Juntunen site on Bois Blanc, an island close to Mackinaw Island.

-Katy

%%09:50 PM"> | | (0) | (0)

We have been quite successful so far at the Carp Creek site at Burt Lake over the past two working days. In addition to our daily loon family sighting, we also saw a bald eagle fly by over the lake.

The site is full of pottery, lithics, and some people have found tools, fish bones and beaver teeth. Alex found a post hole in her unit today, which is exciting. I have unearthed an unusually dense variety of sherds, lithics, animal bone, and fire cracked rock in the unit I am working in. As a result of the numerous findings, we have spent some time in the lab washing artifacts in order to catalog them.

As of right now, most excavators have only dug less than 20 cm, so we are excited to continue going deeper into the soil to find more artifacts.

-Gretchen

%%10:04 PM"> | | (0) | (0)

This Tuesday we received an archeological behind-the-scenes tour of Fort Michilimackinac. The archeological work at the fort contrasts our work here at UMBS. Historic archeologists have documents, like tax records, to work with as they search their sites, whereas prehistoric archeologists do not have the luxury of a "known history." The Fort exhibits the actual archeological finds ranging from spoons and gun pieces to the original foundation of the Fort's powder magazine!

%%09:23 PM"> | | (0) | (0)

Over halfway through this year’s field camp we finally found a site! Excavation began on Burt Lake this past Tuesday with little result, despite initial success with the finding of a beautiful pot sherd in a tree-fall on the shore of the lake.

After two days of excavation, in an act of desperation (that rhymes) Professor Howey and GSI Alice Wright began shovel testing along the shore of the lake. Much to our relief and surprise they found 6 positive shovel tests less than 30 feet away. The rest of the day was spent laying in a new grid and hatching plans to have epic excavation the next day-The West Edge crew would join and the entire company would be together again.

Friday, we all came together and began a checker board of excavation at the new Burt Lake site. So far, every open unit has produced artifacts. The most exciting of these being fish bones, red ochre, and shaped stone. The students from UNH and Delaware are getting good practice at excavation and everyone is happy to be a family again working at the same site.

-Natalie

%%09:24 PM"> | | (0) | (0)

We have been bouncing around for two weeks looking for a site without any real success. We have found some flakes and very little pottery sherds; however, to our frustration nothing significant has surfaced in our shovel test probes.

Here are Natalie and Gretchen, last week, next to our first excavation spot.

Today we started a new week. Sadly, Frank and his wife, Nicole, left today, and Dr. Horsley left yesterday. In contrast to these sorrows, Dr. Howey received a promising premonition (via a fortune cookie) last night that suggests our luck will change. So far, it seems to be true. Today a small group of us began to set up a grid close to the shore at Burt Lake. We found a few beautiful pieces of pottery that give us hope that we will find more artifacts (or even a site) once we start excavating tomorrow. In addition, the rest of our group did some more shovel testing at a different site (west edge) and were also successful in finding pottery, and also some lithics. We are all very excited to begin work tomorrow and hope to find both sites to be positive. We miss our absent archaeological comrades, but we look forward to their return in the next couple of weeks.

-Gretchen

%%11:35 PM"> | | (0) | (0)

One rainy day, us students of archeology traded in our dirt covered field clothes for more public-friendly attire. To St. Ignace we went for our first field trip! We entered the Museum of Ojibwa Culture having read Rites of Conquest by Charles E. Cleland. The book is a detailed description of the livelihood and relationships of Michigan's Indians before and during European contact, under the new American government, and during the 20th century. Nothing tugs at a student's heart strings more to see before their very eyes what they spent so much time studying. It was inspiring to see the very artifacts we ourselves could be uncovering out in the field. After the trip, we had an intense discussion with Dr. Howey about the challenge of constructing a Native American identity today in America.

---Alex

%%11:00 PM"> | | (0) | (0)

Only four girls fill out the student portion of this year’s ANTHARC 487 class. Six other people make up our Archeological family for the season of 2009, at least until our new additions arrive. This is the ending sentence of a not well thought out introduction. Welcome to Field School 2009.

This season guest stars Dr. Tim Horsley, a geophysical archeologist from across the pond currently affiliated with the University of Michigan’s Museum of Anthropology. Dr. Tim has been wowing us with non-invasive archeological techniques and his witty British humor. Michigan has proved difficult ground for these new methods, trees being one of the major obstacles for Dr. Tim’s tools. However, he has had success working with the Burt Lake Band of Native Americans identifying lost graves in the St. Mary’s Cemetery just outside of Pellston. An entire day was spent with members of the Burt Lake Band which proved to be very informational and a great step towards building lasting relationships.

Currently our attempts at finding a site on Pine Point have proved fruitless. Seven days of shovel testing have left us with a handful of artifacts and confusion. The other three students and I have started excavation on a small plot that might be promising according to Dr. Tim. The large amount of cache pits present leave us baffled at the absence of a site and in all honestly I think we would all be happy never to go back to Pine Point again. However, there is still hope that something substantial might be found. Driven on by our fearless leader, Dr. Howey, we will continue testing on Pine Point after we take a break from its unrewarding atmosphere.

An exciting moment came at the rescue of small salamander…pretty much the highlight of field work so far.

-Katy

%%07:20 PM"> | | (0) | (0)

The 2009 Season of the Cultural Landscapes of Douglas Lake Archaeological Research has officially begun!

We will begin posting regular updates on our field work and other activites this week as well as weekly summaries (this week's wrap up is forthcoming very shortly). Stay tuned for updates from what hopefully will prove a productive and exciting season.

%%04:46 PM"> | | (0) | (0)