A course offered by the UND Department of Anthropology, in cooperation with the North Dakota Army National Guard.

Field Techniques in Archaeology Anthropology 380, 6 credits Dates: June 6 - July 15, 2005 Instructors: Dr. Dennis Toom, Michael A. Jackson, and Cynthia Kordecki

The Department of Anthropology at the University of North Dakota invites students to attend its Archaeological Field School in June and July, 2005. The course is being offered in cooperation with the North Dakota Army National Guard. Current plans are for the field school to be conducted at archeological sites located within two National Guard training areas in North Dakota: (1) Camp Grafton North in Ramsey County, and (2) Williston Local Training Area in Williams County.

Field school students will learn standard archeological field techniques through their participation in test excavations at multiple sites in the two project area. This work will include learning proper excavation techniques, record keeping, site mapping via digital means (GPS, total station) and by paper, profiling and soil descriptions, photography, and so on.

Miscellaneous Photographs from the 2003 Archeological Field School

Testing at Camp Grafton North

Test excavations will be carried out at three sites (32RY386, 32RY388, and 32RY390) within Camp Grafton North. Previous testing work by UND in 2002 and 2003 identified ceramic period campsite occupations at sites 32RY388 and 32RY390. Additional test excavations will be conducted at these sites in 2005 to recover additional artifacts, and possibly identify features, that will help to better interpret these sites. Previous work at site 32RY386 revealed at least two components: a historic component and an ephemeral prehistoric ceramic component. The goal of the 2005 work will be excavate select areas in the site to recover additional historic artifacts to aid in site interpretation. Currently, it appears the site was occupied two or more times between A.D. 1860-1918. These occupations most likely relate to (1) U.S. military use of the area when it was part of a timber reserve within the Fort Totten Military Reserve, and (2) early use of the camp by North Dakota guard personnel. Other possible scenarios are also possible. The excavations at all three sites will be used to formally evaluate each site in terms of its eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

Camp Grafton North is located on Devils Lake in northeastern North Dakota. The lake is the largest natural lake in the state, and it was formed by glacial and glacio-lacustrine processes during the late Pleistocene, over 10,000 years ago. Oak savanna habitat dominates Camp Grafton North. The dense stands of timber along the lake provided important fuel to prehistoric inhabitants, and to early European settlers. The lake provides a reliable supply of water, which in turn attracts game animals to the area. The abundance of these animals, various wild plant foods, and timber resources along the lake were important factors enabling settlement in prehistoric times.

Miscellaneous Photographs of Archeological Work at Camp Grafton North

Testing at the Williston Local Training Area

Four sites (32WI121, 32WI122, 32WI123, and 32WI399) are slated for test excavation in the Williston Local Training Area. All of the sites are stone feature sites, consisting of various alignments or clusters of stones. Stone circles are present at 32WI121, 32WI122, and 32WI399, and a stone alignment is present at site 32WI123. In 2005, we intend to excavate test units and auger probes at each site. This results of this work will be (1) to define site boundaries, both horizontal and vertical, and (2) to recover sufficient numbers of artifacts to accurately interpret each site. The goal of the testing work is to acquire sufficient information to formally evaluate the eligibility of each site for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Williston Local Training Area is located in the northwestern part of North Dakota, about 20 miles east of the city of Williston. It is in the semi-arid portion of the station where short-grass prairie abounds. The actual training area consists of rugged and eroded badlands terrain along the north shore of Lake Sakakawea, a man-made reservoir within the Missouri River valley. A large portion of the WLTA is situated along a dissected and eroded valley formed by headward erosion of an intermittent stream that flows into the lake.

Miscellaneous Photographs of the Williston Local Training Area

Credits and Cost:

This year, we are offering archaeological field school participation as part of a new student intern program. A pilot student intern program was tried last year with great success. The intern program was developed to offset one of the main problems students have while enrolled in a field school: the loss of income for an extended time period. The new student intern program, which pays students minimum wage for their participation on our research projects, was developed in response to this need.

Internships on the archaeological field school will be offered to students accepted into the class over a period of six weeks from June 6 to July 15, 2005. Students will receive up to six semester hours of undergraduate credit in Anthropology 380, Field Techniques in Archaeology. One hour of class credit will be earned for each week of participation, with minimum participation of two weeks required. Student interns will be paid at a rate of $5.15 per hour for each hour of participation, up to a maximum of 40 hours per week. Only a limited number of student interns can be accommodated under this program. Preference will be given to those students who can attend the full six-week session. Application deadline is April 15, 2004.

Costs of the field school include a $25.00 admission fee (only applies to students new to UND), and standard tuition and fees (see table below). Tuition and fee rates are subject to change without notice. Lodging and camping equipment (if needed), transportation, and all field equipment are provided. Food for basic meals is also provided. Additional information regarding UND tuition and fees is available from the UND Business Office.

There are usually opportunities for paid summer employment in archaeology after the field school for individuals who have successfully completed the course. We should be able to offer students paid positions on other research projects immediately after the field school concludes.

Application and Contact Information:

For application forms and more information, contact Dr. Dennis L. Toom at 701-777-2437; or by e-mail (dennis_toom@und.nodak.edu). The application is available online, which you can print out, fill out, and mail to the Archaeological Field School, Anthropology Research, University of North Dakota, PO Box 7094, Grand Forks, ND 58202-7094. You may request an application by writing to the above address; application forms are also available for general distribution in the Anthropology Department main office in Room 104 of Babcock Hall, on the UND campus in Grand Forks.

created 17 February 2005