Last Summer Lecture is tonight!

Hi everyone!

It certainly has been a busy week but tonight we all have our calendars marked for the last lecture of our Summer Speaker Series and you should too!

We  find a lot of bone at the site...what can it tell us?

Tonight we have the pleasure of hearing Dr. Terrance Martin, curator at the Illinois State Museum, speak about animals at Fort St. Joseph. This is a very important topic given that this year we are focusing on the Fur Trade, and the animal remains from the site offer a lot of information about what people were eating and processing at the Fort, as well as what animals may have been important commodities in the fur trade. Dr. Martin will examine the faunal (animal) remains at Fort St. Joseph as well as other sites in the area. This is not one to miss!

The lecture begins at 7:30 in the community room at the Niles District Library. Support the Fort will be providing snacks and as usual I will be there to answer any questions you may have about the project or sell you a t-shirt. This will also be a great chance to mingle with the field school students before we return to our important preparations for the Open House this weekend. Hope to see you all there tonight!

Kelley



Photo credit Cathrine Davis

Words from the project director

Hi everyone!

Dr. Nassaney explain a find...

It is again that time for our weekly speaker. Tonight marks the third event of our Summer Lecture Series and will consist of a talk from the Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Project's Principal Director, Dr. Michael Nassaney. He will focus on the connections between Fort St. Joesph and the fur trade, with a particular emphasis on what past and recent finds at the site can tell us about trade relations. Please join us in the community room of the Niles District Library at 7:30. We will have updates from the field, examples of our recent finds, and our new t-shirts! Support the Fort will also again generously provide snacks. Don't miss it!

...helps out with a screen...

Also, in light of our rapidly approaching Open House Dr. Nassaney would like to formally invite everyone to the event and say a few words about the project and the site's history:

"Dear Fort Followers,

I welcome you to attend the 2011 Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project's Sixth Annual Open House! The project has been in the field since July 6 after a busy year of analysis in the lab and attending conferences and other venues to spread the word about this project. With your help, we were winners of the Archaeological Institute of America's first education outreach contest this past Spring!

...and participates in a Musket Drill at a
previous Open House event!

As you may know, Fort St. Joseph was an integral part of the French fur trade in the western Great Lakes for nearly two centuries. Lost to the ravages of time, the fort was rediscovered in 1998 by Western Michigan University archaeologists who have been investigating and interpreting the site ever since. The theme of this year's Open House is the Fur Trade. Evidence of this important economic and political process abounds in our excavations as testified by the lead seals, imported glass beads, and numerous other objects that were intended for trade or used by the traders themselves along the banks of the St. Joseph River nearly three centuries ago.

At the Open House see some of these objects on display, read about the trade through informative panels, listen to public scholars, interact with reenactors demonstrating 18th century life, and meet with student archaeologists. Please be sure to introduce yourself and tell us how you may want to get involved in the project.


Looking forward to meeting you in the trenches, the lab, or on the lecture circuit!"

-Dr. Michael S. Nassaney

Seeing artifacts and learning from historical
 interpreters at the Open House.

I certainly hope everyone has their calendars marked for the Open House event which will be held on August 13th and 14th from 10-4. I will be sure to post more details in the upcoming days and remind everyone again about this exciting chance to see archaeology and discovery in action! In the meantime please click on the flyer below for a close-up of what to expect. Tell your friends and family...it's free!

Kelley

Hi all,

I hope it has been a restful weekend for everyone, especially the hardworking campers and students. To begin today's post let's hear some more from our campers. One writes:

Dedicated campers!

"As first time archaeological campers this was a week of new experiences for many of us. From shoveling thick alluvial soil to gently troweling around sherds of bone, we all got down and dirty (literally!). Our days generally begin with history lessons. Tim, our coordinator, was a wealth of information who obviously loves his work.

Later, in the afternoons, we joined the students on site for lunch and then toured their units to hear about their progress. The campers had three units of our own that were rotated between us. We found areas of ash/charcoal, bones, beads, and some metal. Our time was also spent helping the students with wet-screening and cleaning artifacts."



Another camper, Therese, adds:

Pit tours.

"What we learned at camp was how to look at things differently. When we first opened the pits they didn't look very interesting, but after we learned how to look and what to look for suddenly each unit became fascinating with many stories to tell. It's pretty exciting to be the first person to see these things in 250 years. Archaeology camp was dirty but fun. It will be great to come back next year and see what else shows up."

It is great to hear that I am not alone in the thrill of finding bits and pieces from Fort St. Joesph!

The screening brigade.

Onto an update about one artifact in particular. Some of our wonderful public has come forward with suggestions to deciphering the lead bale seal I wrote about last weekend. The 18th century French word "graine" does not necessarily mean seeds of a plant but could refer to a type of fabric with a bumpy surface or items that could have been referred to as coming in the form of a grain such as beads. Also the word is related to the word "grenette" which could mean "seeds of Avignon" and was a name for buckthorn berries dyers. These berries were used to produce particular colors of dye and, while it may be a bit of a stretch, we do know that vermilion, a bright red/orange pigment, was a trade item desired by Native Americans. Vermilion does not come from buckthorn, but we should not overlook the possibility that this lead seal marks dye products. We still are leaning towards the idea that this was a particular type of fabric given Lille's notoriety as a place of textile manufacture, but archaeologists must entertain all the possibilities!

The shirts look even better in person!
Click for a close-up.

Finally, exciting news! The new Fort St. Joseph t-shirts have arrived and are lookin' good. They are available in sizes S-XXL and come in four colors: glamorous gold, colonial blue, sage green, and charming charcoal (okay, I may be exaggerating with those descriptors, but they are lovely colors!). We will have them for sale at the lecture this Wednesday, French Market on Thursday, and at our upcoming events. Thanks to Alyssa who did  the design for the shirts this year which features the French flag and a pair of voyageurs in a Montreal canoe...perfect for our Fur Trade theme.

Artifacts fresh from the wet screen.

Well, that is about all for this weekend. We are getting down to occupation-level layers in the units which means lots of artifacts, careful mapping, and hope for foundation features. Remember, if you are interested in chatting with any of the students of checking out some of our finds from the excavation we have several opportunities throughout the week. We will have our third lecture of our Summer Speaker Series this Wednesday at 7:30 in the Niles Library, a table with information and some of our artifacts at French Market from 9-2 in downtown Niles on Thursday, and a site tour at 2:00 on Friday. Come to one or all, we look forward to meeting you!

Hope to see you out there,
Kelley












Photo credits Erica D'Elia, Cathrine Davis, and Kelley Walter

Summer Lecture Series and Tinkling Cones

Hi everyone,

Join us tonight at 7:30 in the community room of the Niles District Library for a lecture by Dr. Dean Anderson, the Michigan State Archaeologist. His talk is titled "Trade Between Cultures: The French Period in the Western Great Lakes Region," and will focus on the relationship between Native Americans and  the French in the Great Lakes region. This connection between cultures was based on trade that went beyond monetary exchange by playing a part in politics and alliance. Dr. Anderson will focus on the Native American side of the trade relationship.

Support the Fort members will again be providing snacks. Hope to see you there!

Another shot of the tinkling cone from Fort St. Joseph.
Photo credit Cathrine Davis

In a continuation of yesterday's post I wanted to elaborate on tinkling cones for our readers that may be less familiar with the term. Trade with the French increased Native American access to sheets of metal who, prior to the French arrival, were skilled in working copper. By the 17th century Native peoples were taking tiny scraps of metal, such as brass and copper, and cutting them into trapezoid shapes. These were then rolled to create a small metal cone. These could then be affixed to clothing, moccasins, bags, and other items. Some were incorporated into more elaborate designs using quillwork, etching, and animal fur. The name comes from the sound the cones make when they hit one another.

Example of a jingle dress.
Image courtesy of sewnative.com

The use of tinkling cones was widespread, and several examples have been found at Fort St. Joseph. These cones are still made and used today, often for jingle dresses for Powwow events.

See you tonight!

Kelley

Start of Summer Lecture Series

Dr. José António Brandão. 

Hi everyone,

This is a reminder about our Summer Lecture Series that begins tonight! Our speaker is Dr. José António Brandão, the Chair and Professor of History at Western Michigan University. His talk is titled "The French and the Fur Trade in Michigan" and will address how the fur trade was organized in this area and the role it played in the development of New France.

The presentation will be held in the community room of the Niles District Library located at 620 E. Main St. We hope to see you there! Stay tuned for information about the three remaining lectures in the series.

Kelley

Speaker Series starts this Wednesday!

Hi everyone,

Please take the time to consider attending one of our upcoming Lecture Series events. These begin Wednesday, July 20th at 7:30, and continue for the three following Wednesdays at the Niles District Library. This week's speaker is Dr. José António Brandão, the Chair and Professor of History at Western Michigan University. His talk will focus on the relation between the French and the fur trade in Michigan. Please click the image below to be able to zoom-in on the details. Support the Fort will be providing snacks!

Also please check out this press release from the Michigan Humanities Council (MHC). This year the MHC awarded the Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Project a grant of $10,175 in support of our Open House event on August 13th and 14th that will showcase excavations, historical interpreters, and more! This grant certainly has been an excellent boon to the project.

Tomorrow we are back at the Fort Site. It is going to be a hot week, but hopefully one full of great finds. I hope to see you all at the talk on Wednesday; please be in touch if you have any questions about the speaker events.

Kelley