Field School

A unique learning experience

There are few opportunities to immerse oneself in an academic research program as an undergraduate. Our field school program provides extensive hands-on research experience involving a wide range of topics that cross many traditional academic disciplinary boundaries. During the 8-week field program you will learn aspects of:

Prerequisites: Introduction to Archaeology or equivalent is required. Appropriate course work in geology, biology, zoology, or ecology may be substituted by written approval of the instructor. Familiarity with outdoor living is recommended. Your instructor, Larry Todd, has 25 years field experience with most of it in North American Plains settings. You can learn more about Dr. Todd by visiting his homepage (http://lamar.colostate.edu/~lctodd/).

Archaeological field work is designed to seek answers to questions about changes in human behaviors. The Colorado State University Archaeological Field school program provides students an introduction to the relationships between research questions and field methods. In 1999 the Field School will continue a focus on the human ecology of North America’s Great Plains. Excavations and archaeological survey based at the newly constructed Forest Service Research and Learning facility at the Hudson-Meng bison bonebed near Crawford, NE) will investigate the relationships between prehistoric bison populations, Plains Indian hunting/subsistence practices, and environmental change. There will be four 10-day field sessions at Hudson-Meng. This 9500 year old site is the scene of a mass death of over 500 bison. The USDA Forest Service has recently completed construction of a multi-million dollar research and learning facility at the site. We will be exposing and recording bone inside the new bonebed enclosure building. Both Hudson-Meng and Kaplan-Hoover are sites that host many visitors each summer and students will be required to give site tours and explanations of our research goals and methods.

Courses

AP260 Introduction to Field Archaeology (This Class will not be held in 2002)

Field methods including map preparation and interpretation, site location and recording, site excavation, and stratigraphy. Prerequisite: AP140.

This 2 credit class, which is held on the CSU campus, provides an introduction to the basic field methods, research questions, and project goals for this summer’s field work. Special topics covered include: bison osteology, electronic mapping, documentation protocol, and Plains prehistory. Students will prepare a draft of pre-proposal for their summer's research project. Grading will be based on in-class exercises, the pre-proposal, and several quizzes. Enrollment in both AP260 and AP460 is strongly recommended.

AP460V Field Class in Archaeology (May 21-July 11, 2002)

Directed fieldwork in local archaeology, site survey, and excavation: recovery, preservation, cataloging, analysis of artifactual and skeletal remains. Prerequisite: Written consent of instructor. Special fee, $50 per credit.

Admittance to this 8 week class is by written consent of the instructor only. Each student must apply for consideration by March 15, 2002. The 8 credit class will emphasize archaeological field work as a research tool for investigating human paleoecology. In addition to field work, there will also be some field laboratory work, a series of lectures, and seminars. Grading will be based on quality of field work, record keeping, and a report on an independent field research project.

Enrollment is limited to 25 students.

Learning Activities:

The CSU archaeological field school this summer will offer a variety experiences focusing on learning basic excavation techniques and field methods. A number of technical skills will be learned and used in all three, including using a standardized recording protocol, mapping with an electronic distance measuring (EDM) theodolite, and others. The Hudson-Meng bison bonebed, dating to about 9,500 B.P., has been under excavation for the past several years. The Hudson-Meng site is the largest early Holocene bison bonebed in the America’s with the remains of over 600 individual animals represented. The Nebraska National Forest will be situating a building over the bonebed so that visitors can see what an archaeological deposit looks like. The excavations this year will focus on uncovering and documenting an approximately 8 square  meter area within the bonebed enclosure.  Here, you will gain experience in excavation strategies and meticulous excavation procedures. Excavations in the bonebed are designed to provide a clearer picture of the site's formational history. Few artifacts have been recovered from this mass death locality and taphonomic research is an important component of our investigations. We are not digging to recover artifacts, but are trying to develop a dataset to interpret human paleoecology at the end of the Pleistocene/early Holocene. Field recording techniques require mapping and recording up to 29 attributes at all items larger than 1 cm in maximum length. Therefore, a certain patience and concern for detail is required of all excavators. Larry Todd (Colorado State University; Ph.D. University of New Mexico 1983) and Dave Rapson (University of Wyoming; Ph.D. University of New Mexico 1990) share responsibility for the research components of this excavation project. . Major funding for the project is provided by the USDA Forest Service and the Nebraska National Forest.

In addition, you will do laboratory work, including cataloguing artifacts, and processing sediment samples, as well as data entry of preliminary field and laboratory observations. Approximately four evenings each week will be devoted to lectures on topics such as High Plains prehistory, grassland or bison ecology, geomorphology, map-reading, faunal analysis, sampling strategies, chipped stone analysis, the Prehistoric Prairies Discovery Center (a multi-million dollar research and learning center to be built in Crawford, Nebraska), and others. We anticipate the visits of Forest Service personnel, eminent archaeologists, Native Americans, and others to the site and will call upon them to share their expertise.

Students will also be responsible for individual research projects that relate to the paleoecology- or archaeology of the area. Possible topics include studies in vertebrate taphonomy (e.g., fluvial transport, trampling, carnivore damage, weathering, etc.); paleoecology (e.g., sampling for gastropods, hackberry endocarps, vegetative productivity), or archaeology (e.g., surface survey and mapping, documentation of arroyo cuts, stratigraphic profiles). You will produce a 5-10 page paper on a topic to be reviewed with by reviewed and commented on by the field research team. The paper will be due on 16 July and you will be required to present the results of your investigations in mini-symposium on 18 July. Several of the student projects from previous summers have been developed into presentations at professional meetings, or thesis topics.

 Hudson-Meng Location:

The Hudson-Meng site is located in NW Nebraska near the South Dakota and Wyoming borders. Its about 270 miles (about a 5 hour drive) from Fort Collins, Colorado. The quickest route from Fort Collins is to go north on I25 to Cheyenne, Wyoming and then turn east (toward Omaha) on I80. Follow I80 east to Kimball, Nebraska (Exit 20), and turn north onto highway 71, through Scottsbluff and then about another 50 miles north and east where you'll turn left (north) onto highway 2.  Follow highway 2 into Crawford and then turn north on State 2/71 (see map). About 4 miles north of Crawford, turn west or left onto Forest Road 904 (unpaved), following signs to Toadstool State Park. Continue on FR 904 for about 7 miles, paralleling the Burlington Northern track on your left. Then head west on FR 905, taking great care as you cross the railroad track (trains pass every 15 minutes). It's about another 7 miles into Hudson-Meng from this point. Stay on the unpaved road and look for signs directing you to the Hudson-Meng Site.

Note that the unpaved roads can become treacherous when wet. Rainstorms can turn the ‘good road’ into a muddy mess in only a couple of minutes.   Usually, the road will be in good condition within a few hours after the rain stops. In general, use extreme caution when driving in the roads to and from the site, not only are they narrow and occasionally slick, much of the area is open range and cattle are usually present on some parts of the route.

Pre-Field Session (AP 260 - Not offered in 2002 - budget constraints):

The week from 14-18 May will be spent in Fort Collins becoming familiar with archaeological materials, equipment, and recording protocols. You will be required to purchase a packet of readings that will be used in both the pre-session and the field session. We will begin at 9:00 AM on Monday,  14 May in room 350 General Services Building (CSU). Topics to be covered during the week include:

2001 Field Schedule:

Because of our remote location, we will work 10 days "on" and then have 4 day weekends. Field trips to archaeological locations in Nebraska, eastern Wyoming and the Dakotas may be scheduled for some of weekends. In addition, day trips to nearby locations might take place during the week (usually in the evening after work).

Our work schedule is as follows:

1st 10 days: May 21-30

2nd 10 days: June 4-13

3rd 10 days:  June 18-27

4th 10 days: July 2-11

The work day will begin at 7:00 AM and end at 4:00 PM (Mountain Daylight Saving Time) on each of the days of the ten-day session (including the last Thursday of the session).

Personnel:

In addition to members of the CSU Archaeological Field School, other researchers will be on hand. The University of Wyoming will have several archaeologists on the site, and US Forest Service personnel and volunteers will also be present.

 Personal Gear:

[Your excavation gear will be provided]

Clothing

This is Nebraska, so anything can happen weatherwise. Remember also that we are living in the elements, so, shelter is not necessarily convenient. Be prepared for both fall-like (in 1995 it snowed on 13 June) and blast-furnace-like weather. Very high winds are common during the nights. Laundry facilities are available in Crawford, but you should plan on bringing enough clothing to last for at least a week between washings.

Equipment/gear you should bring

  • jacket
  • sturdy boots (for general day-to-day work)
  • smooth bottom shoes or sandals (for excavation work)
  • light long sleeve shirts
  • long pants
  • rain gear (come prepared for possible heavy rains, hailstorms)
  • hat
  • sun screen
  • towel
  • insect repellent
  • quart/half gallon water bottle
  • 3-season sleeping bag (supplement with blanket)
  • sleeping pad
  • sturdy tent (a dome tent able to withstand high winds is advisable)
  • flashlight
  • leather/gardening gloves

Living Arrangements:

We will be living in a semi-primitive camp near the Hudson-Meng site. Large tents and shelters will be available for meal preparation and eating. You are responsible for providing your own sleeping tent or camper.

Basics. Drinking water,  showers, and toilet facilities are now available at the site.

Electricity. The camp  is  wired for electricity but , you will need batteries for radios and tape players. Consider a wind-blown hair-style for the summer.

Food. Each crew member will be part of a two-person team that will be responsible for preparing at least one day’s meals each session; purchase of food, menu planning, kitchen maintenance, and KP duty supervision will be organized by a Camp Manager. A propane stove and refrigerator will be on site and the Forest Service will provide up to $8/individual for food this summer.

Vegetarians and omnivores will be accommodated to a reasonable degree. Those with special dietary needs will have to make other arrangements.

Field trips may be organized for several of the four-day weekends and you will likely have to pick up some of the expense of fast food purchased on the road.

Mail. We have mail box at the site with mail delivery three times a week on the rural route. You can receive mail in care of:

1811 Meng Drive

Crawford, NE 69339

Medical Facilities. Medical facilities are available in Chadron (1-hour away) and also in Crawford (1/2 hour away). We have a  telephones at the site, should an emergency arise.

Personal Vehicles and Transportation. You may bring a personal vehicle if you like. Transportation from the Fort Collins will also be provided for those without vehicles.

Telephone Calls. There is a phone in both the field camp (308 665-3909) and the bonebed enclosure (308 665-3900). To make outgoing calls, you will need to have a calling card.  Limit personal calls (except for emergency contact) from your friends and loved ones to the camp site phone number. Please remember that since a large number of people will be using the phones that your calls will have to be kept brief. If others are waiting, you will be requested to keep your calls to ten minutes.

Miscellaneous. We will be staying on the Oglala National Grassland portion of the Nebraska National Forest. This is a checkerboard area, meaning that private and federal land parcels are interspersed. Ranchers are running cattle here and living nearby our camp. We hope to have a long and fruitful working relationship with both the forest and the local ranchers, so, in addition to your gear, please bring your manners.

Insurance:

Because of our somewhat remote field location and the nature of archaeological field work, health insurance is required. You must provide proof of your insurance at our first meeting.

Departure:

The field portion of the Field School will begin on June 21. The drive to the site is 5 hours long, therefore, the university vehicles will depart on 9:00 AM on June, 21 and we will be making sevaral stops on the way.   If you bring your own vehicle, you mus caravan with us for this first trip  (we must travel at the speed limit). The early departure will let us to visit Agate Fossil beds,  and still get to camp in time to set up tents, etc. You will be responsible for your food during this journey (beware that rural Nebraska does not offer abundant vegetarian fare).

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