Orientation: Getting Ready to Excavate

Hi Fort Followers,

    My name is Mady. I’m a recent graduate of the University of Michigan- Dearborn (am I allowed to say “Go Blue” here?) where I double-majored in Anthropology and French. I am now preparing to apply for graduate school where I will focus on French historical archaeology. This is my second field school in this subject, and I am beyond excited to get started! This past week, we began our field season here at FSJ! A two-day orientation was held on Western Michigan University’s campus on July 1 and 2.

     During orientation, we gathered in Moore Hall to learn about the history of the fort, fur trading, past excavations at FSJ, and everything we need to get started soon. My favorite activity was when we went outside to practice field methods. We worked in groups to determine our pace (how many steps you take in 15 meters- mine was 23), to map objects in situ, and to set up units. Setting up units is always tricky because you need to take very exact measurements, but working in groups makes it a lot easier. This was both a good way to refresh my memory from my last field school and to get me excited about doing it in the field!

    The picture above is from us sitting together in Moore Hall. This was taken near the end of the second day when we were talking about our plans for getting to FSJ on Tuesday. I am sitting the furthest to the right!

Thanks for reading- see you in the field soon!