Since 2002, students in Western Michigan University’s annual archaeological field school, now in its 44th year, have been hard at work investigating material traces of Fort St. Joseph. This year’s theme is “Curation: Preserving the Past for the Future.” We are emphasizing how we conserve the artifacts we collected, archive the associated documentation, and make them all accessible to future generations of researchers and the public. Now in excess of some 300,000 objects and records, we have lots of information to curate for years to come.
The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project is a long-term,
multidisciplinary, community-based research program that aims to investigate
and interpret the history and archaeology of the fur trade and colonialism in
the St. Joseph River valley. Public participation in the Project has been
central since 1998 when community members asked WMU to help them find their
long lost Fort. The public remains involved through our summer camp program,
lecture series, community meals, historical walking tours, social media, and,
of course, the open house where visitors can witness life in the 18th century
and learn how archaeologists work to reconstruct the past.
This year we have gone where no archaeologists have ever
gone before—beneath a 20th-century landfill adjacent to an area
where we previously identified at least six French colonial buildings. The hope
is to determine if the fort continues to the south. Initial investigations have
identified some 18th-century artifacts under the dump and we expect
that undisturbed evidence may be even more deeply buried.
Take this opportunity to think about the materials in your
life that you want to pass along to future generations. How will you ensure
that they are properly cared for? Can
you even access photos on old CDs and other obsolete media? Curation is indeed
a challenge and one that all of us must be concerned about if we hope to
preserve the past for the future.
At this year's Open House, please introduce yourself to a staff member and join in the
conversation about curation, Fort St. Joseph, and archaeology in the past, the
present, and the future. In the end, our Project is designed to bring people
together. Please use our survey to tell us what you like and how we can improve
the program. We hope you enjoy the history and archaeology of Fort St. Joseph
and seize the opportunity to learn about our latest finds and what we have
found out.
Cordially,
Michael S. Nassaney
Principal Investigator, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological
Project
Professor of Anthropology, Western Michigan University
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