Fall Updates from the Archaeology Lab

Hi Fort Followers,

I hope you have been enjoying these warmer fall temperatures! I must admit that this unusual weather is a bit tempting and has me thinking that maybe we should grab our crew, head back to Fort St. Joseph, and excavate for a few more weeks. 😉 I know, I know, archaeology is not all about digging! And, in fact, I really like analyzing the artifacts we recover from the site each summer. The warm temps just have me longing for the quiet, relaxing days of excavation on the floodplain... 

While our work at the site is closed for the year, our lab activities and outreach efforts are just beginning! For instance, did you notice our blog's fresh new look? The idea of updating our Project's blog site has been discussed for sometime now. We needed a new layout, color scheme, and some additional features to keep it current. Unfortunately, to accomplish this goal, we had to make a new Project blog site. Please do not worry though, the past blogs are still available and you can access the old blog site from this one. Phewww! We are still working on a few more adjustments, but we are very happy with how it is coming along. 

In other exciting news, I am happy to share that the archaeology field school students from this past summer are joining me in the lab this fall on campus. Due to their strong interest in the Project, a new anthropology topics course, Archaeological Analysis, was approved. Through hands-on work with the Fort St. Joseph collection, selected readings, and individual research, the students are gaining additional experience in artifact identification, performing an inventory of our finds, and researching artifacts in our collection. More updates will be posted shortly as we are eager to tell you what the students have been up to and what they are learning already from their research.

In September, I picked back up with my work as the Fort St. Joseph Curatorial Fellow. Over the past year, I have been working on inventorying and reorganizing the materials in the Fort St. Joseph collection. You may remember that in the past, the artifacts in the collection were organized and stored by material (bone, copper, iron, etc.). After careful consideration, it was decided to reorganize the items based on type (beads, buttons, nails, pipe fragments, rings, etc.). We tested this new strategy and love it! Many of our research requests focus on a certain artifact type instead of material so the new organization makes it much easier to gather the items for examination. 

Lastly, I would like to invite you to attend Michigan's Archaeology Day on Saturday, Oct. 7 at the Michigan History Museum in Lansing! The free family-friendly event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please stop by our Project's table on the second floor and say hello. There will also be a special presentation, "Archaeology and Outreach at Fort St. Joseph," at 1 p.m. where you can learn more about the fort and its residents, how the Project trains future archaeologists, and how we partner to promote local cultural heritage. This is easily one of my favorite outreach events of the year because of the many archaeology displays, fun activities, and informational items to take with you. This year, our Project was selected by the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office to be featured on the archaeology poster. 🤩 Make sure to grab one at the front door after you have tried your hand at the atlatl. 

I believe that is all for now. Keep an eye out for more information by visiting our website, checking out this new blog, and following us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok) for updates!

Erika Hartley