Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/229590
Digging into the past Course takes anthropology students north By Mark Fairbrother Dirty hands often come to mind when most people picture the work of an archaeologist. Anthropology students did exactly that this summer by driving shovels into the ground and digging at Emmet County's McGulpin Point Lighthouse. Getting dirty was part of their summer course experience, but the excavations were anything but playtime. Students were searching for insight into the lighthouse's storied history. "We're not simply digging around in the dirt or looking for 'cool things' as the public may see it," senior Steven Smendzuik says. "Our work with the lighthouse has a real purpose." The lighthouse was built in 1869 and operated as a beacon in the Straits of Mackinac for ships carrying lumber and ore to Chicago. Its light was extinguished in 1906. Sarah Surface-Evans, right, provides Devin Parker different perspectives on her fieldwork as Andrea Ost makes notes on her findings during their archaeological dig in northern Michigan. Smendzuik and his classmates removed 10-centimeter layers of earth from within established boundaries, sifted through the dirt and examined its contents. "I've spent hours learning the theory and methodology of excavations, but until I put those tools to work and saw them in action, I couldn't understand the true skill that is required to excavate a site," Smendzuik adds. The hard, careful work paid off as students struck anthropological gold: multiple relics, including a pocketknife, shotgun casings and the remains of a child's toy. "The artifacts tell us a little bit more about the rich story of the personalities and the people who lived here," says Sarah Surface-Evans, the CMU anthropology faculty member who led the course. "I've spent hours learning the theory and methodology of excavations, but until I put those tools to work and saw them in action, I couldn't understand the true skill that is required to excavate a site." Steven Smendzuik, CMU senior See cmich.edu/chsbs for more After a period of cleaning and analysis at CMU, the artifacts are displayed at the lighthouse to offer visitors a look into the past. Smendzuik says Surface-Evans consistently emphasized the importance of excavating systematically and with respect. "In order to get your foot in the door for a graduate program, any archaeologist coming out of their undergrad work needs to have a field school experience under their belt," Smendzuik says. "I'll be walking away with a lot of skills that I can take forward into a career in cultural resources management." Skills taught in the field school are required for employment, he says. So is getting his hands a little dirty. • Under Discussion | Winter 2014 3