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Western Michigan University invites applications for their 31st annual
archaeological field school to be held June 18-August 29, 2006. The
program will continue investigations begun in 1998 under the auspices of
the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project in Niles, Michigan. Fort St.
Joseph was a mission-garrison-trading post established by the French in
1691 and occupied for nearly a century. After we discovered the
location of the fort site, we conducted systematic excavations in 2002
and 2004 and demonstrated that the site contains undisturbed
architectural remains, cultural deposits, and other features that have
the potential to help us rewrite the history of southwest Michigan. We
invite you to become a part of the archaeological team as we explore one
of the earliest European settlements in Michigan and the Native American
cultures with whom they lived and traded.
Students will receive instruction in research design and the importance
of historical archaeology in the examination of the fur trade, culture
contact, and the development of the modern world. Training will include
standard techniques of site survey and excavation, as well as the
processing, cataloging, and preliminary analysis of artifacts and
feature data. We will also be working closely with members of the Fort
St. Joseph Museum, Support the Fort, and the City of Niles as a
service-learning component of the work. Students will participate in
our annual community day when we invite the public visit the site and
learn about archaeology and life in the 18th century. Students will also
be given the opportunity to reflect on their experience and develop
expertise in some aspect of historical archaeology (e.g., metallurgy,
ceramic analysis, cartography, archival research, National Register
nomination, public interpretation) to enhance the learning process.
To learn more about the project, you may wish to consult the following
publications:
Nassaney, Michael (editor)
1999 An Archaeological Reconnaissance Survey to Locate Remains of Fort
St. Joseph (20BE23), in Niles, Michigan, edited by M. S. Nassaney.
Archaeological Report No. 22. Department of Anthropology, Western
Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Nassaney, M. S., and W. M. Cremin
2002 Fort St. Joseph is Found! Michigan History 86(5):18-27.
Nassaney, M. S., and W. M. Cremin
2002 Realizing the Potential of the Contact Period in Southwest
Michigan Through the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project. The
Wisconsin Archaeologist 83(2):123-134.
Nassaney, M. S., W. M. Cremin, and D. Lynch
2002-2004 The Identification of Colonial Fort St. Joseph, Michigan.
Journal of Field Archaeology 29(3 and 4):309-321.
Nassaney, M. S., W. M. Cremin, R. Kurtzweil, and J. Brandão
2003 The Search for Fort St. Joseph (1691-1781) in Niles, Michigan.
Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology 28(2):1-38.
Registration Information: Admission to the field school is limited and
is by consent of the director. Credits are earned by enrolling in
Anthropology 490 (6 hours of undergraduate credit) or ANTH 690 (3-6
hours of graduate credit). Applicable tuition and fees are published in
the Summer II schedule of classes, with the addition of a $350 field
school fee to cover travel to and from the project each day and all
equipment and supplies issued to participants for their use. Should we
not be able to secure housing in Niles, room and board (either in a WMU
residence hall or off-campus) will be the responsibility of the student.
A short reading package will also be made available to students for use
during field school orientation.
For further information or to receive an application form, contact: Dr.
Michael Nassaney, Department of Anthropology, 1014 Moore Hall, Western
Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5306. Phone: (269)387-3981;
e-mail: [log in to unmask] or visit
http://www.wmich.edu/anthropology/archy.html
DEADLINE for receipt of the completed application is April 15, 2006.
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