Members of the Original Humboldt archeological team took to the site on July 17-21 to continue excavating the 140-year-old telegraph station.
Members of Western Heritage and the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society joined the Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery staff, summer students, and volunteers in digging up the site.
This included Tomasin Playford, Executive Director at the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society.
Buttons, metal hardware, glass bottles, and ceramics were all dug up from the site that will be returned to the museum after being analyzed by the society. One piece of ceramic even had a makers mark on it which will make it easy for the society to research where the ceramic came from.
Researchers are still struggling with where the building was, says Playford.
With finds in this year’s dig, they know they have dark soils that have been burned and rock formations that were human made. While they are finding things that are typically found in a telegraph station; like wire and insulated glass, this was also the home of the Wheldon family so they are finding some household goods, says Playford.
“When we get this all back to the lab and we clean them and analyze them and map them all out, that may actually help us answer the questions of what was going on right here at this spot.”
This is the tenth dig at the Original Humboldt site with the land being purchased in 2009 and the first excavation of the site also occurring that year.
Humboldt volunteers are given a unique experience with the three organizations working together to excavate the site, says City of HumboldtDirector of Cultural Services Jennifer Fitzpatrick.
“There are very few places in Saskatchewan where you can actually participate in an archeological dig. Really exciting and a lot of the time it brings up a lot of questions.”
As stewards of the land, it is their responsibility to try to understand the occupation of the land, says Fitzpatrick.
Being an outsider to the Humboldt area, Playford has been impressed with the hard work that has gone into Original Humboldt.
“Original Humboldt has done such a good job at interpreting this landscape. You can come out here, look around, and envision people living here.”
