We are going to be working at three historic sites Fort Kaskaskia 1 (11R326), Fort Kaskaskia II (1R612, and the James West Site (no site number yet). Fort Kaskaskia I and II are French colonial (Fort I) and early American Republic (Fort II) military sites in southern Illinois. The French fort (1759-1763) may have been built by African slaves from the nearby town of Kaskaskia and thus may be one of the oldest African Diaspora sites in Illinois. The American fort (1803-1806) supplied men and supplies for the Lewis and Clark Expedition and may have been established to specifically support that expedition. The James West site also is an African Diaspora site in that it is the home of an 1850s AMA abolitionist missionary who was driven out of southern Illinois by a pro-slavery mob under threats of death to him and his family if they did not leave. Students will receive instructions in remote sensing, mapping, and hand excavation of archaeological features at all three sites. The field school runs from March 22-June 20. Housing is available in the SIU dorms for an extra fee. We, however, currently have over $11,000 in scholarships to defray tuition and housing costs for students and expect to receive more. Please see that attached flyer and application form for further information or contact Dr. Mark Wagner at mjwagner@iu.edu for additional details.
SIU 2023 Summer Field School in Historical Archaeology
Anthropology 496 – Six Credits – May 22nd through June 30, 2023
Watch the 2017 field school video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B60JDvUMgtI
The archaeology summer field school is a six-credit course designed to provide students with instruction in archaeological excavation and analytical methods. This six-week course will involve day-long investigations at three important historic period archaeological sites—Ft. Kaskaskia I and II and the Miller Grove Site—in southern Illinois. Ft. Kaskaskia I is a French colonial fort (1759-1763) that was later occupied by a US Infantry Company in 1802. Ft. Kaskaskia II was built by that same Infantry Company in 1802-1803 and visited by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the fall of 1803. We also my assist the USDA Forest Service in locating the home of James West, an Abolitionist missionary within southern Illinois in the late 1850s who was threatened with death by a pro-slavery mob.
Students will learn basic mapping, surveying, excavation and techniques. We also will work with ground penetrating radar (GPR) and gradiometric instruments that can locate archaeological features below the ground.
WHY TAKE THIS COURSE?
– Earn SIX 400-level credits
toward your degree
– No exams and no required
readings
– Commute from
Carbondale daily – do
archaeology without having
to travel far away
– Archaeology is so much fun!
COSTS USD TUITION* (6 Credits) 1891.80 FEES Materials/Transportation 300 Class Fee 250 TOTAL 2441.80 *All students (in-state and out-of-state) pay the same in-state rate. No meals or lodging is included in the cost of tuition, but lodging options are available through the program. Please contact Dr. Wagner for details regarding subsidized or potentially free on-campus accommodations!
More details, including an application form, can be found at: http://cola.siu.edu/anthro/undergraduate/field-school
or email your questions to Dr. Mark Wagner at mjwagner@siu.edu.
