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NV-4000
August 8-12, 2011
Must commit to full session
Daka-bah ("Snow-water") is a late prehistoric, residential site located in the Alta Toquima Wilderness on the eastern slopes of the Toquima Mountain Range at an elevation of about 10,800 feet above sea level (asl). Daka-bah was discovered in 2008 by a team of researchers and is one of the few known high altitude residential sites in the United States. It is thought to be a Western Shoshone site, and consists of 10-15 residential stone rings and numerous artifacts. Its occupants utilized abundant alpine resources, such as Limber pine nuts, marmots, and Desert bighorn sheep. Currently, a user-made trail and campsite overlay a portion of the site, and the potential for damage to site features and opportunities for looting pose a significant threat. Our PIT project will focus on re-directing the trail and relocating the campsite to protect and preserve this important piece of the past.
Project participants will use hand tools (shovel, Pulaski, and rake) to rehab a portion of the existing trail and campsite without doing damage to the site and its components, and we'll construct a new portion of the trail that will direct traffic around and away from the site. If time allows, we will also conduct archaeological surveys to identify and record any additional sites in the vicinity. We will teach field methods and techniques to volunteers without previous survey and site recording experience, and veterans will have an opportunity to hone their skills. During the project, we plan to hike to the top of the Alta Toquima Wilderness, where volunteers can view and tour Alta Toquima Village (another high altitude residential site).
Since the project is located deep in the Toquima wilderness, we will have to backpack five miles up the steep canyon to establish camp. We'll have pack horses to haul up the hand tools and some other gear, but we'll each be carrying our personal gear on our backs. It's a tough hike, but we'll pass through some beautiful country and get some terrific views. We hope to see you in August!
Number of openings: 6
Special skills: Must be physically capable of hiking long distances over rugged and steep terrain each day, and in a variety of weather conditions; must also be physically capable of camping and working at high elevations (~9-11,000 ft. asl); rugged/primitive camping experience and outstanding work ethic required; previous archaeological survey, site recording, GPS, map and compass experience, and/or familiarity with IMACS (Intermountain Antiquities Computer Systems) forms helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Primitive, leave-no-trace camping near project area; volunteers responsible for personal packs, camping equipment, food, and water/filters
Nearest towns: Tonopah, 60 miles
Applications due: Filled!
NV-4017
June 13–17; 20–24, 2011 (must arrive 1 day in advance of each session)
Must commit to one full session; may participate in both
The present-day town ghost town of Aurora is located in Mineral (historically, Esmeralda) County near the Nevada-California border, though what can be seen today relates little of the tale of the bustling settlement in its heyday. The town was founded in 1861, and became one of Nevada's first and biggest mining boomtowns shortly thereafter. It was home to about 6,000 residents, and contained one of the state's earliest Chinese populations. The town flourished, and its prosperity attracted several notable figures. The most famous of these, Samuel Clemens, lived in Aurora throughout most of 1862, and began to create his pseudonym "Mark Twain" while in residence. Twain's novel, Roughing It, devotes chapters to his experiences as a prospector there. The town enjoyed success for many years, but, like many boomtowns of its kind, began to decline near the beginning of the 20th century. It was eventually abandoned in the 1920s.
We are very interested in the Chinese experience during the life of Aurora. Chinese workers and their families occupied a specific and important niche in the formation and functions of the town, and contributed to its diversity and to the community's success. While some is known about these people and their everyday lives in Aurora, there is still much that remains uncertain. However, though only two walls and one small cabin still remain on the site, numerous artifacts dating to the period of the town's prime dot the landscape. These and materials as yet beneath the surface may provide a clearer picture of the demographics of this population, their distribution on the landscape, their contributions to the town's economics, and may even reveal clues regarding Chinese and non-Chinese relationships. PIT volunteers and Forest staff will work with a graduate student from the University of Nevada-Reno to excavate the portion of the site known to be the location of the Auroran Chinese community. The cultural remains we collect and catalog will provide the data and form the basis for the University student's Master's thesis.
Volunteers of Chinese-American descent are encouraged to apply, and may provide invaluable knowledge regarding Chinese heritage and traditions, or potentially insight that may aid artifact analysis. Of course, everyone is welcome, and all will be able to contribute to discovering more about the 1860s Chinese populations through the archaeological and historical records. Evening activities will include lectures on Aurora and the Overseas Chinese experience in the American West, and guided walks around the abandoned mining town. We hope you'll join us in June!
Number of openings: 20 (10 per session)
Special skills: Previous archaeological excavation and/or field documentation experience and/or knowledge of or interest in Chinese-American history and the Overseas Chinese experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 13 years old, under 18 with a responsible adult
Facilities: Primitive tent camping available on site; water, chemical toilets; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, food, and transportation; some space available for short travel trailers and small motor homes, but they must be higher-clearance to access site (road is primitive and uneven and vehicles may be scraped by vegetation, including tree limbs)
Nearest towns: Hawthorne, 28 miles; Bridgeport, CA, 28 miles
Applications due: May 1, 2011
NV-3991
August 15-19, 2011
Must commit to full session
Fort Ruby, at the southern end of Ruby Valley, was established in 1862 to protect overland routes in northeast Nevada. Because Ruby Valley was so inhospitable, the soldiers stationed there offered to forfeit their pay to cover the cost of moving them from Ruby Valley to the Civil War battlefront. The military refused their offer, so the soldiers constructed a fort in Ruby Valley and, following their orders, rode the Overland Stage route to protect it. The Army abandoned the fort in 1869 and sold all the buildings to ranchers, who moved them off site.
The Treaty of Ruby Valley (1863) was signed at Fort Ruby. This Treaty was important to emigrant travelers and the Western Shoshone. It stipulated that the Shoshone would cease hostilities along the emigrant trails and the mail and telegraph lines. In return, the U.S. Government would grant them reservation lands, pay a monetary sum for subsistence, and compensate them for loss of game…
During the period between the 1890s and 2002, Fort Ruby suffered from neglect, vandalism, and fire. During that time, the land was privately owned. However, since 2002 it has been managed by the FS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Archaeologists from both agencies will once again team up with PIT volunteers as we continue our search for structural remains and artifacts associated with the enlisted men and officers at Fort Ruby. Although little remains on the surface, between 2007 and 2009 we uncovered the remains of three buildings, and we discovered a fourth in 2010. The "Fort Ruby V" PIT project will continue to focus on identifying fort buildings as well as the overall extent of the fort area. Work done this year will further contribute to plans for feature stabilization and site interpretation.
Number of openings: 10
Special skills: Previous excavation and/or drawing experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Camping available at nearby Ruby Valley campground, fees apply; pit toilets, water, RV spaces, no hookups; dispersed tent camping at no charge available closer to the fort; no services; a very small store with limited supplies is located approximately 20 miles north; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, food, water, and transportation
Nearest towns: Elko, 63 miles
Applications due: June 13, 2011
NV-4018
August 8-12, 2011
Must commit to full session
Are you interested in archaeology? As a hobby? A career? Not sure where or how to start? If so, the 2011 Grant-Quinn Field Survey is the perfect project for you - beginners welcome!
The Grant-Quinn mountain range is a largely unexplored and rugged area that covers 200,000 acres of wilderness, piñon-juniper forests, and steep canyons. Only a handful of archaeological surveys have been conducted here, though multiple, unrecorded caves, rock art sites, prehistoric campsites, and a few hunting sites more than 10,000 years old are known in the area. We need your help in finding these sites and more like them, and the only way to do that is to get boots on the ground! We have two main goals for this PIT project: the first is to get some on-the-ground data about this mostly uncharted, archaeologically ripe wilderness, as we've mentioned. But, our second, equally important focus is to provide training in the basics of field survey and artifact identification to those eager to gain those skills! Students are certainly welcome, as are families, retirees, or anyone who wants to learn and will work hard.
We guarantee a 3-1 ratio for all beginners, meaning you will work directly with a trained archaeologist for the entire week. If you promise to work hard, we may even tell you where the local hot springs are, for some after-work refreshment! See you in August!
Number of openings: 12
Special skills: Volunteers must be physically capable of hiking 2 to 4 miles or more each day (including from camp to work sites) through moderately rough and bushy terrain, at high elevations, and in a variety of weather conditions (80-90° F in August). No previous or special experience is required - we all start somewhere!
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Primitive tent camping at site locations; water provided by FS; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, food, and extra water (3-5 gallon containers suggested); no RV or large trailer access to sites, but accommodations may be arranged nearby
Nearest towns: Ash Springs, 65 miles
Applications due: June 6, 2011
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NV-4034
August 22-26, 2011
Must commit to full session
Join us near Lake Tahoe for a look into Nevada's past! Spooner Summit is at an elevation of 7,148 feet, approximately 900 feet above Lake Tahoe to the west, and more than 2,000 feet above Carson City to the east. Prior to 1854, the pass over the summit was known to pioneers as the Johnson Cutoff and the Carson Emigrant Road. After the discovery of gold in the Sierras, the road over the pass became known as the Rufus Walton Toll Road. In the 1860s, a logging and railroad camp was established here, which not only supported both industry's operations, but also housed the workers. The successful camp was in constant use well into the 1890s. Today, Spooner Summit is a modern traveler's corridor known as Highway 50, and a popular trailhead access point for the Tahoe Rim Trail. In fact, part of the historic site is now covered by the trailhead parking area!
However, the accessible portions of the site still have much to tell us about life in the latter 19th Century. Previous test excavations have yielded whole medicine bottles, animal bones from what may have been a kitchen waste midden, and a room key! To help identify what remains of Spooner Summit camp, PIT volunteers and Forest staff will conduct new test excavations in areas of the site where evidence suggests there were buildings, and where artifacts were recovered during previous excavations. Excavating at Spooner Summit will reveal pieces that give us a glimpse into what life may have been like in an 1800s logging and railroad camp, and we hope you'll join us in August as we piece together this jigsaw puzzle!
Number of openings: 8
Special skills: Knowledge of railroads and/or logging flumes, previous archaeological excavation and/or field documentation experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Tent and RV camping available at Zephyr Cove campground (http://www.zephyrcove.com/accommodations/zephyr-rv-campground.aspx); water, bath houses, RV hook-ups, lodge, beach access; fees apply, reservations required; water, vault toilets provided at work site; Carson City and South Lake Tahoe are full-service communities with hotels/motels, RV parks, restaurants, and a full range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment/lodging, food, and transportation
Nearest towns: Carson City, 12 miles; South Lake Tahoe, 18 miles; Minden, 20 miles
Applications due: Filled!