Fresh Finds from Trench 1: A Musket Ball

 Hi friends! Chloe here to give you an update from Trench #1. My pit partner Ashley and I have been working very hard on our unit S5 E16. We have slowly made progress amidst the rain and mud that our unit loves to collect. These past weeks have proven to be challenging as we learned the ropes and techniques all while trying to do our best with public outreach through blogs and lunches. A massive part of what makes this program so special is the public involvement and our reciprocity to their generosity. It really is a team effort, us and you guys!

Mine and Ashley's Unit: S5E16

The biggest question all of us field school students are going to be asked is, “What did you find?”. Well, lucky for you guys that is what I’ll be talking about in this blog post. Our unit S5 E16 has proven to be busy. There have been many types of artifacts found like bone, calcine bone, 18^th century glass, seed beads, and lead shot. Two of the most exciting finds have been a large piece of lead, which we are currently discussing what it could be, and a musket ball!

Musket balls are super cool to find because you have to reflect on the fact that these are a massive part of the history of Fort St. Joseph. Fort St. Joseph was a garrison during most of its occupation. The French garrison was in operation from 1691-1761. Our current hypothesis is that this musket ball is from the French occupation because of the artifact's diameter, but there is also a possibility that it’s British. We believe that it is a .54 caliber and it may have been used in a trade gun. 

If you haven’t joined us for our lecture series, I would highly recommend it. We had a great lecture by Bob Myers on July 21^st where he talked about the military activity of Fort St. Joseph. Specifically, he talked about members of the garrison, musket balls and other military gear, and the political aspects of having a garrison in Fort St. Joseph. The relationships between the Europeans and Native Americans in the area were also discussed in regards to how they were affected by the military presence. The people of the post could have very easily picked up this musket ball and fired it out of their own weapon in hopes that it is a sufficient size. 

The musket ball found in our unit!

Out of all of the things we have found in S5 E16 this musket ball really reinforced the feeling of being an archaeologist for me. This opportunity to be a part of history and discover what life was like for people way back when is something I never thought I’d get to experience. At Fort St. Joseph we learn something new every single day. That kind of knowledge can’t be bought. If you’re interested in all the knowledge we have to share here at Fort St. Joseph, visit our open house August 7^th and 8^th which takes place from 10 am to 4 pm. We would love to share the incredible things we found and the hard work we have put in. 

Well, that’s all for this blog post. Hope to see you for our open house! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you can follow our journey here. Thanks for reading and stay safe everyone!

-Chloe Trinka