Discovering History Layer by Layer: Digging with REAL Archeologist!

Boys and dirt: a delightful combination crafted in heaven by our creator.

When we saw the invitation to participate in an active archaeological dig this year, we jumped on the opportunity without hesitation. The chance to directly engage with ongoing excavations and potentially uncover historical artifacts was simply too exciting to pass up. We knew this would be an incredible hands-on learning experience, allowing our boys to immerse themselves in the fascinating process of uncovering and studying remnants of the past. As soon as we saw the invitation, we raced to sign up, eager to work alongside the experienced archaeologists leading the site exploration.

The Indian Agency House in Portage, Wisconsin, has impressed us with its exceptional events this summer. They were so remarkable that we entrusted them with helping us create our summer curriculum, and we're pleased with the results.

I had always pictured archaeologists using far more advanced tools, yet here we are, equipped with paintbrushes.

The event turned out to be a total blast! When our boys discovered they could play in the dirt, they were absolutely giddy with excitement and could hardly wait to crawl into the pit and get to work. The team of archaeologists on site was super friendly and helpful, which made the whole experience feel really special for our entire family. To my pleasant surprise, even my husband and I got to join in on the fun and do a little digging ourselves!

A sifter is used to find anything that the diggers may have accidentally tossed in the bucket as dirt.

Historians are still working to locate the property that belonged to the blacksmiths near the old Indian Agency house. Despite their efforts, the search has turned up some interesting finds, though they don't seem to paint a complete picture yet. Along with a few old nails, the team has uncovered plenty of broken Mason jar fragments, some pottery shards, animal bones, and various other bits of trash. This has led them to wonder if the site might have been used as a dump at some point. But they're still waiting on the full report from the archeologist to get a better understanding of what exactly went on there in the past. It's still a mystery they're determined to get to the bottom of.