>Dear Dr. Martin:
>
>Here, Here!  While I forgot, to stress the interdisciplinary aspects of the
>field, I am glad that you did get to them. You know how students are when they
>see interest in what they have found interesting and can talk about it.
>Perhaps it would be to our benefit to stress the uniquesness of Mich. Tech's &
>WVU's programs to expand the understanding of what it is we can do and have
>done.
>
>It occurs to me that perhaps we can offer something in improve the reputation
>of IA as  a whole.  What do you say?  BTW, does MT do dirt?
>
>Shelley Birdsong [log in to unmask]
 
Dirt is what we do best!  I got carried away with my response and failed to
mention that dirt archaeology is ascendant (?) in our program, balanced by
contributions of the historians and anthropologists.  We just returned from
3 weeks digging at the Norwich Mine complex, a mid-nineteenth century
copper mine in the wilderness of Ontonagon County.  The primary focus on
that site this year is the stamp mill area, but we've collected and will
excavate domestic structures, too.  We've done laborer's cabins in an iron
smelting village, Swedish miners' houses at  another copper mine, an
overview of another blast furnace complex where only one masonry furnace
stack remains above ground, and numerous other projects that combine the
archaeological and historical records.
 
By the way, did my earlier post get through to the list?  I did not receive
a confirmation, nor a copy to my own address.
 
 
 
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Patrick E. Martin, Associate Professor of Archaeology
Director of Graduate Studies in Industrial Archaeology
Editor of IA, the Journal of the Society for Industrial Archaeology
Department of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI 49931  USA
Telephone (906)487-2070   Fax  (906)487-2468   Internet  [log in to unmask]
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