Hello everyone!
My name is Rebecca Miller, although you may remember me as Rebecca Stoddard. I participated, along with my now husband, Stephan, in the 2015 Fort St. Joseph field season. Afterwards I worked in the FSJAP lab at WMU the following academic year, before graduating with a BA in Anthropology in December of 2016.
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| Becca and Stephan at the 2015 Fort St. Joseph Open House. Photo Credit: Unknown |
I’ve always had a passion for history, so naturally archaeology was the next step for me. I loved to study and read about archaeology, but I believe my passion was not ignited until my trowel hit the soil at Fort St. Joseph. I learned so much during my short time in the field and in the lab with the Project, and I knew then that I wanted to pursue archaeology after I graduated. I got my first job in Cultural Resource Management as a field archaeologist the summer of 2016. The following year Stephan graduated from WMU, also with a BA in Anthropology, so we began to work in the field together. Since then, we have been working as field archeologists every field season (spring-fall). We typically return to Michigan during the winter to spend time with our families and take a much needed break. Field survey can be very physically demanding!
We have been on so many adventures since our careers as archaeologist have begun! Collectively we have worked in Louisiana, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, West Virginia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and at home here in Michigan! We have been stalked by mountain lions, run into black bears, gotten lost after dark in the mountains of West Virginia, got caught in a bush fire in Colorado, fallen on cacti, gotten stung by bees, bitten by ticks, had too many close calls with venomous snakes, drove across the country more times than we can count, and we even got married!
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| Becca and Stephan's wedding day, June 2nd, 2018. Photo Credit: Unknown |
Despite all the craziness that accompanies field survey, I would not change a thing. I love every second of it. I have been able to see so much of our beautiful country that I’m afraid I would have never seen otherwise! Mountains, valleys, forests, plains, you name it, I’ve worked there. I have completely geeked out over more artifacts than I can count, every time I find a projectile point, its like the first time! This job is so rewarding in so many ways and I am forever thankful to be able to have a career doing what I love. Looking back, I didn’t realize that my time at FSJ, learning in the field and in the classroom from Dr. Nassaney and my peers, would be so influential, and ultimately shape my life into what it is today.
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| Becca working in the field alongside beautiful scenery. Photo Credit: Unknown |
Unfortunately, this year looks a little different than usual as we are still dealing with the effects of COVID-19. Typically, we would be in the field already, however, while some CRM companies are getting back to work, others are not, and the number of available projects is limited. For now, Stephan and I are content on waiting for the field season to really begin. Although we are eager to be digging again, working in our garden will have to do for now!
Wishing you all a safe and healthy summer,
Rebecca Miller
