Wasatch Plateau Survey 2015 - Passport in Time

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Utah - Manti-La Sal NF
Closed! Wasatch Plateau Archaeological Survey Project

UT-4264
August 24-28, 2015

Must commit to entire session

Do you enjoy magnificent, high-altitude, mountain views? Do you like hiking through meadows full of wildflowers, all the while searching for flakes and stone tools that remain in prehistoric stone quarry sites? If so, then this is the project for you! The Wasatch Plateau Archaeological Survey Project is looking for PIT volunteers to spend an amazing week camping at the Historic Seeley Guard Station alongside archaeologists from the Manti-La Sal National Forest, as we survey and record large, prehistoric stone quarry sites.

The Wasatch Plateau - the area in which we will be working (at ~10,000 feet asl) - is located in central Utah, and has large outcrops of chert (a very high-quality toolstone) that ancient American Indians used as quarries to procure materials for making everything from projectile points to knives and hide-scrapers. We have only just started to scratch the surface of these quarry sites and have many questions about how and when they were used and, with your help, we will unlock more of the mystery! We will be looking for the quarry sites as we explore the beautiful high country, and will photograph, describe, and map them and their contents as we find them. Our project will involve hiking over relatively flat terrain, but at high altitude and up to two miles a day, so come prepared with sturdy (and broken in) boots, and a thirst for this hike into the past - see you in August!

Number of openings: 8

Special skills: Must be physically capable of hiking moderate distances over relatively flat terrain, at high elevations, and in a variety of weather conditions; previous archaeological survey, mapping, site recording, sketching, photography, and/or artifact identification is quite useful, but not required

Minimum age: 14 years old, under 18 with a responsible adult

Facilities: On-site tent and RV camping available at no charge at the historic Seeley Guard Station; pit toilet, no potable water, no hook-ups; Ephraim is a full service community with motels, restaurants, and a range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for own lodging/personal camping equipment, food, extra water, and daily transportation to and from designated meeting area (if opting to stay in Ephraim or one of the other towns)

Nearest town: Ephraim, 16 miles; Manti, 23 miles; Mt Pleasant, 31 miles

Applications due: July 27, 2015
 
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