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MT-3887
March 29-April 2, 2010
Must commit to full session
Volunteers will work with FS archaeologists and University of Montana (U.M.) researchers to process a collection of thousands of artifacts from an historic mining area known as German Gulch, just west of Butte. Chinese and Euro-Americans lived in this area and worked the mines from the 1860s into the early 1900s. Excavations of German Gulch in the 1980s resulted in the most significant and diverse Chinese archaeological collection in the state of Montana. Some of the more significant artifacts include imported coconuts and Chinese dates, and all manner of Chinese ceramics. With your help, we will bring the collection up to modern standards of curation and conduct laboratory analysis on a selection of the artifacts.
Analyses of the artifacts from German Gulch will help specialists on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF understand the site and plan for its preservation and interpretation. Working at the U.M. Historical Archaeology Laboratory, PIT volunteers will assist University researchers and Forest Service archaeologists to clean, sort, process, and analyze the artifacts from the site. Volunteers will learn professional archaeological laboratory techniques, including how to identify and catalog artifacts. Other duties will include photography, database entry, and historical research on the artifacts. Please join us for this very interesting and unique opportunity!
Number of openings: 8
Special skills: Participants must be capable of sitting for long periods each day, and must be willing to handle sharp tools and artifacts; previous archaeological laboratory, photography, artifact analysis, and/or data entry experience helpful, but not required; Attention to detail is a must!
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: F.S. housing available for a reduced cost at the F.S. Smokejumper's Base near the Missoula International Airport (approximately 5 miles from U.M.); Missoula is a full service community with hotels, motels, restaurants, and a full range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for own food, water, personal bedding if staying in Smokejumper's quarters, and own transportation to and from the University each day
Nearest towns: Project will be in Missoula on the University of Montana campus
Applications due: January 25, 2010