WMU offers annual archeology summer camps in Niles

By Fritz Klug
Western Herald

Photo courtesy of Tori Hawley

Western Michigan University, the city of Niles, and local group Support the Fort are running a series of week-long summer camps in July for anyone interested in archeology. But leave your bullwhip and fedora at home – this is a real archeological excavation.

Each camp session is geared to a certain group. The first, from July 13-17, is for adults who are not seeking any type of credit. The second, July 20-24, is for junior high school students, grades six to nine. The last session, July 27-31, is for educators who can receive either Graduate credit or Continuing Education Unit credit, which is required by the state for teacher recertification.

“[The camps] are my favorite thing to do all year,” said Andy Beaupre, a WMU graduate student and Public Education Coordinator of the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project. Beaupre, who teaches many of the classes at the camp, said that this type of public archeology is new and that there are few programs in the country that opens real archeological excavation to the community.

“A lot of camps have people doing things like painting houses to help the archeologists,” Beaupre said.

Photo courtesy of Carol Bainbridge

Every day, camp begins in the classroom, with lessons on French colonial history. In the afternoon campers get to go to the site and dig.

“It’s a science and not a bunch of guys digging a hole,” Beaupre said. “We ask ‘what story do these artifacts tell?’”

The story of Ft. St. Joseph is some 300 years old. Established in 1691 by Ensign Augustin Legardeur de Courtemanche and Jesuit priests, the fort was one of the most important outposts in the Great
Lakes region. Until 1781, it served as a place for fur trade and religious services. Also a diplomatic and military center for the region, Fort St. Joseph was where many of the relationships between French and Indians.

When the French surrendered in the French and Indian War in 1760, the fort came under English control.

Photo courtesy of Carol Bainbridge

In 1763, the local Potawatomi rebelled against the British, killing most of the men. The fort was seldom used during the Revolutionary war, and was nearly forgotten after the city of Niles was founded in 1829.

The Fort was unearthed by WMU professor Dr. Michael Nassaney in 1998. Since then, WMU archeology students have been digging every summer.  Archeology is a slow process. Last year, the archeologists excavated 14 square meters of soil.

“There are decades of more work,” Beaupre said.

WMU recently signed a ten-year agreement with Niles to continue to excavate the Fort.

There is a $125 fee for camp, which includes all equipment and training. An extra $15 is added for those who want to get Continuing Education Unit credit, and regular graduate college rates apply for grad credit. Scholarships are available.

“The camps are a great hands-on experience,” Beaupre said. “This program shows that value of archeology in the United States. It does not just belong to the ivory tower.”

Applications are available at wmich.edu/fortstjoseph/summer-camps.html

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on May 31 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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