The Birds at Fort St. Joseph

Rolling up on site in the morning, one of the first sounds you are likely to be greeted by (given good weather) is the shrill cry of the many killdeer that gather along the St. Joseph river. Often their ruckus will continue throughout the day and even into the afternoon--becoming a sort of white noise in itself (or, perhaps more accurately: a white, black, and brown noise.)

The river in itself provides a great setting to see many birds. You might stroll over to the water screen, heavy bucket of plow zone in hand, and look over to see a flock of Canadian geese chilling out on the sandbar. I have also seen mallards hanging around, heard the chattering of many a belted kingfisher, and the shriek of a gull. One day we spotted a swan pair with their young cruising out on the water!

Now, you might say, “hey, you’re out there digging. Is there really time to be looking around at birds?” And yes, I have spent plenty of time scraping diligently away, hardly daring to look up too much as the hot afternoon rays beat down upon the earth. But that does not stop one from hearing the birds. And oh my, there are a lot of them. I have already discussed the cry of the killdeer. But there are plenty of other birds that makeup the background noise on site (or foreground noise, if you are a blue jay with plenty to say). On several days I have heard what is either a hairy or downy woodpecker--or both. Funnily, these two woodpeckers look similar to each other, too, though when you see them side-by-side you realize the harry is much larger. Speaking of larger woodpeckers, THE largest woodpecker (the pileated) has also been heard on site. I hope to see one flitting about one day when I am taking a water break!

There have also been the more gentle chips of the northern cardinal. I would not be surprised if some of these chips are those of the rose-breasted grosbeak--the two sound very similar at times. One afternoon, we saw a hawk (probably a redtail) circling over, calling. We have heard hawk calls on other days too but it’s also very likely that some of the noises we have heard are actually imitation calls done by blue jays! Chickadees have also made their presence known, usually earlier in the day. 

I hope that maybe one morning there will be a great blue heron along the bank--or maybe an osprey soaring above the water one afternoon. It is interesting to think about what same birds those who resided in the fort may have heard, what species may no longer be in the area or, in some cases--like that of the passenger pigeon--no longer exist. Did the French also get irritated with the call of the clever jays? While our excavations will likely not provide an answer to that question, it is good food for thought while I trowel away.

Abbey Churney

From Classroom to Field

        The 2023 excavation season at the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project has begun and marks 25 years of WMU excavations at the site. Ten students and one student leader started the field school with two days of introduction materials at Western Michigan University. I joined the field school to further my knowledge in archaeology and to get hands-on experience using excavation techniques. During the first two days, we were introduced to the history and excavation of Fort St. Joseph. We also practiced laying out our units and mapping so we were prepared when we visited the site. Erika Hartley, the director of the Project, took the time to present the material and methods in a way that provided the students with the skills needed to set up our dig units and lay the groundwork for our expanding knowledge of the site. Our goal is to be able to interpret and discuss our findings in the unit. 

The first day on site proved to be very challenging. The site had to be prepared for all the operations we would use to search for knowledge. We do not just dig holes in the dirt; we have to methodically measure and lay out units in such a way that future researchers can look at our paperwork and artifacts and be able to make inferences using that data. It requires careful planning and set up. 

       We do actually dig in the dirt, which we began shortly after setting up. The excitement has been palpable as each unit has found artifacts which makes for a promising season. In addition to troweling and gathering artifacts by hand, we also get to wet screen the material. Wet screening is a process where we take material from the unit and sift it through screens using water. The water breaks up the soil, allowing us to pick out small items that we would otherwise miss. Wet screening is essential at Fort St. Joseph because there are a lot of little artifacts. So far, we have found small bone fragments, seed beads, animal teeth, lead shots, and more. It is important for us to find these things so that we can try to piece together what life was like during the Fort’s occupational period. The students are striving hard to make their mark on the legacy at Fort St. Joseph and answer important questions about the site and the activities of those who used the fort. 

See you all at the Archaeology Open House on August 5 and 6!

- John Simmons

Indiana Jones and Archaeology

 Hey Gang! It’s me, Ian

Last weekend, Nick and I went to go see the new Indiana Jones movie in theaters. In between the handfuls of popcorn being shoved into my mouth and the sips of my drink I thought to myself, “This Indiana Jones guy isn’t doing real archeology.” I went back and re-examined some of the other movies and came to one conclusion. Indiana Jones is kind of a "treasure seeker" and does less archeology than a kid playing in a sandbox. 

In Raiders of The Lost Ark, for example, Indy gets contracted by the American government to go find the Ark of the Covenant. Contractual work is something most archaeologists come across in their career, but that is one of the only similarities between archeologists and Dr. Jones. He proceeds to go on an action packed adventure tearing up the desert and dig sites near Cairo. Believe it or not, many archaeologists get upset when their dig site is ruined or even walked over. But one of the biggest things I noticed in Raiders was the fact that Indy never once sat down to write out some paperwork. There was a scene of Indy with a pencil in his hand, but he was unable to write legibly because he forgot his clipboard. Field notes would have made this movie ten times more believable. In one of the final acts of the film, Jones threatens to blow up the Ark of the Covenant. BLOW IT UP! As an archaeologist in training, I would have cut my losses at that point. Even though the Ark got away, valuable knowledge was uncovered such as: where it was recovered from and some of its' importance.

In the Dial of Destiny, Indy is back to his old habits. It seems as though he is more interested in going on an adventure than finding out the historical and cultural significance of the Dial. At one point, Indy is tossing around some Clovis points just to get to a piece of the Dial. I know that the projectile points don’t possess magical properties, but they should still be treated with care. What if someone wanted to study the Clovis points only to realize that Indy had destroyed them by throwing them on the ground. It would be a tragedy! Going back to the magical properties of the items that Jones finds, I would like to point out that not every artifact is cursed or imbued with some crazy power. I may not have recovered the most artifacts at Fort St. Joseph, but I promise I have encountered no magical items. No bones that grant immortality. No tinkling cones that make the wearer invisible. Not even a single piece of clinker that makes the person that eats it have rock powers. If only!

If I were to make the next Indiana Jones movie more “realistic,” I would make a movie where Indy gets called out to a corn field and spends a few days clearing out the corn, laying out a 1 x 2 meter unit, and getting the depth measurements wrong a few times (happens to the best of us). Then, instead of fighting off Nazis or other extremist groups, he would be talking to interested passersby and wrestling with one of his toughest enemies yet--trying to obtain a grant from private investors. After making a convincing argument about hoping to find one simple artifact to the grant holders, he would shovel skim for a few hours and trowel. Jones would receive his fortune and glory by being the 34th person to find a stone tool in the area and figuring out where the edges of a certain site were located. It wouldn’t be much, but in the end, it wouldn't matter what he found, it is all about what he would find out.

Looking Back on Orientation

            On June 29th and June 30th, I started orientation for Western Michigan University’s Archaeological Field School. The field school is to take place in Niles, Michigan at Fort St. Joseph, but our orientation took place on Western’s main campus. I was joined by nine other students, our lab coordinator, and the instructor. 

            Our first day started off with introductions between ourselves, and then an introduction to the program. We each had been provided binders that included our class syllabus. We went through the syllabus that’s first section was the background of the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Program. The syllabus also included our schedule which showed the days we’d be in Niles, and what we’d be doing. I was glad to go over the syllabus, as I had been nervous about the program. I haven’t done a field school before so I had no clue what to expect. Reading through the syllabus in class was helpful to ease my anxiety. 

            On the second day, we started out by learning the field procedures. Our field procedures include record keeping (catalog numbers), starting excavation units, bag tags, etc. By having these procedures we are ensuring that we can get our work done in a way that everyone understands. Something else we covered was the “excavation unit level sheet” which is used to mark where artifacts are found in our excavation units. After learning about the procedures in the classroom we headed outside to practice these sheets, as well as practicing measuring out a unit. I really enjoyed being outside and doing this, because it was hands-on and I learn better by doing things hands-on. 

            Later in the day, we watched videos that taught us about the history of Fort St. Joseph and the area surrounding it. The fort was established in the late 1600s by the French and the residents fur traded with the Neshnabe. After watching the videos, we went over slides that taught us more about the fort, and about WMU’s involvement. Some of the slides included maps that showed where the 2022 field school’s students had excavated. This led to our last activity, where I conversed with other students about where we thought we should excavate this year.

            The rest of the day included us watching videos on Fort St Joseph and its involvement with the community. We watched videos about the yearly summer camp that is open to elementary through high school kids, as well as the open house we are to help put on later this summer. I think it’s really awesome that the fort, WMU, and the community of Niles are willing to come together to preserve this history. As much as I am nervous about the field school, I am much more excited to see what’s to come. I am excited that I was given the opportunity to join this program and be involved with the community.

Korrin Lovett

Clues From The Past

 Hey everybody, Carson again!

Today I want to share an intriguing artifact with you that was found at Fort St. Joseph. The artifact is made of copper alloy, about 5 cm long and 1 cm wide. It was folded together by whoever created this piece  about halfway through to form its tallest part at 1.5 cm tall. Otherwise, the artifact is pretty flat except for in the center where it is slightly shaped into a "U" and the tallest part has a hole drilled through both sides. The artifact does not appear to be complete as it seems to have been attached to something on the thicker end and broke in half on the other end. 

Due to the strange shape and structure of the artifact and the lack of the other missing pieces of this artifact, we are uncertain as to what exactly this item is. However, I have begun hypothesizing on what the possible artifact could have been when it was used over 200 years ago at Fort St. Joseph. My first hypothesis is that it could be an eighteenth-century kettle lug piece. I thought this may be possible because of the holes located at one end where a handle may have been attached. My second hypothesis is that it is a broken priming pan from an eighteenth-century flintlock. We originally tossed around the idea that it may be a gun part after we recovered it through excavation, but we weren't sure exactly what it was. During the Archaeology Open House, one living history reenactor suggested a priming pan and after performing some research I also believe that may be what this artifact is. My third and final hypothesis is that the artifact is a broken eighteenth-century ramrod guide due to the shape, size, and overall weight of the object. If you have any other leads on what this artifact may be, please reach out. Otherwise, the research continues. 

That's all for now!

    Carson

Sources:

Baez, Kevin. “Weapons of War (1600-1800).” Smithsonian Learning Lab, https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/weapons-of-war-1600-1800/HUoHq60eaAj1UKyz

Fuhring, John. Shooting and Maintaining a Flintlock, www.geojohn.org/BlackPowder/Musketoon/ShootingTheFlintlock.html.

Nassaney, Michael S., et al. “Archaeological Evidence of Economic Activities at an Eighteenth-Century Frontier Outpost in the Western Great Lakes.” Historical Archaeology, vol. 41, no. 4, 2007, pp. 3–19., doi:10.1007/bf03377292.

If You Like It You Should Have Put a (Trade) Ring on It

Hello! 

It’s Kylie again! During our last week of excavation, I found a “Jesuit” trade ring in my unit S5 W18 while wet screening. These types of rings are typically made of copper alloy and the bezels can be found in numerous shapes such as round, oval, octagonal, etc (Hulse 1977: 396). Other popular rings, included glass insets made to look like precious stones instead of the bezel. The ring I recovered is made out of copper alloy and has a heart-shaped bezel on the band (see below). 

In New France, these iconographic "Jesuit" rings were used for trade and were likely an inexpensive form of jewelry. They were decorated with a variety of motifs that had religious and/or sentimental meanings (Mercier 2011). Mercier (2011) examined several "Jesuit" rings and categorized their chronological and geographical distribution across New France based on a technological typology: cast rings, cut and soldered rings, and stamped and soldered rings. She recognized three main phases for the rings use: introductory (1575-1650), peak (1650-1715), and decline phase (1715-1780) (2011: 33). The introductory phase is when rings, specifically the cast rings, were first appearing in the St. Lawrence River Valley (Mercier 2011:34). The peak of the trade rings was shown through the increased volume and varieties available in New France (Mercier 2011:35). For instance, Mercier (2011) recognized that cast rings, cut and soldered rings, and stamped and soldered rings have been recovered archaeologically the peak phase and their distribution extends beyond the St. Lawrence Valley into the western and southern regions of New France. There were several changes in the economy during this time that likely contributed to the peak phase. For instance, the creation of the royal government during the second half of the seventeenth century led to new governing over the colony and increased trade. The number of expeditions also grew, stimulating trade throughout New France. In the early eighteenth century, the use of "Jesuit" rings began to decline slowly, disappearing almost completely in the 1780s (Mercier 35-36). 

Overall, "Jesuit" rings have been recovered from seventeenth- and eighteenth-century sites like Fort St. Joseph throughout New France. They appear to have been used during both the French and British occupation, with a higher concentration during the French period (Stone 1974: 131). All three of the iconographic ring technological types (cast rings, cut and soldered rings, and stamped and soldered rings) are present in our Fort St. Joseph collection. Some have been recovered archaeologically at the site, while others were donated in the early twentieth century. Examples of each type can be found on display at the Niles History Center for those who have a chance to visit.

This has been my favorite find this season and I am so excited I got to share it with you! Look out for more updates.

Sincerely, 

            Kylie

Sources: 

Hulse, Charles 

1977 An Archaeological Evaluation of Fort St. Joseph: An Eighteenth Century Military Post and Settlement in Berrien County, Michigan. Unpublished M.A. thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing.

Mercier, Caroline 

2011 "'Jesuit' Rings in Trade Exchanges Between France and New France: Contribution of a Technological Typology to Identifying Supply and Distribution Networks," Northeast Historical Archaeology: Vol. 40, Article 2. https://doi.org/10.22191/neha/vol40/iss1/2

Stone, Lyle 

1974 Fort Michilimackinac 1715–1781: An Archaeological Perspective on the Revolutionary Frontier. The Musuem, Michigan State University, East Lansing.

Open House 2022!

 Hello everyone! 

     I wanted to pop in to tell everyone about the 2022 Fort St. Joseph Archeology Open House! Saturday, August 6th was a busy day at the open house. Many people walk around the site learning about wet screening, recently found artifacts, unit tours, and interacting with the reenactors! One of my favorite parts was seeing how so many people from the area have been coming to these open house events for many years. I truly felt supported by the community and praised for my hard work. I was able to expand my public archeology knowledge throughout this event as well. Saturday night my team celebrated with a great meal, axe throwing, and musket shooting! Sunday was sadly cut short because of the rain but we still made the best of the day! Many people were able to make it out before the rain hit! After the rain stopped my team got to celebrate yet again with a canoe ride with the French voyageurs! Many of my duties throughout both Saturday and Sunday revolved around unit tours and sitting at the artifact case station! It was great to have conversation with the community about the units and the artifacts in the case. Overall, it was a great weekend, and thank you to everyone that was able to make it out! The support we felt this weekend does not go unnoticed. We appreciate all of you and we hope you enjoyed our open house event!

Sincerely,

            Olivia Crandall