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Sampled Select Locations
One of the standard things that archaeologists do before selecting the exact
location of the formal dig is to survey the area and take samples in a number
of spots in the surrounding area.
Students noticed that the ground seemed softer at certain spots and at others
they noticed a lot of mounds that may have been created naturally or could
have been man-made. At N 50° 45.547', W 114° 19.527', students noted:
"The soil felt like it had been dug on before. [The] ground was bubbled
up like it had
air pockets in it."
Parents used metal locators and marked where they found strong indications
of possible finds. All of our observations helped us decide where to sample
in preparation for our dig.
Chrome Ring and Gasket
At
another location (N 50° 45.547', W 114° 19.527') we found a
chrome ring 9 cm in diameter in level 1 (0-10 cm). Some of the students
thought it was a chrome taillight but some of the old timers thought
that it could be a decoration from a stove. There was a gasket 6.5
cm in diameter found at the same place. This is a bit confusing because
we couldn't think why you would need a gasket on a stove and that is
why we thought the chrome ring should be from a car. Someone said that
we were making the assumption that the chrome ring and the gasket were
connected in some way. We are undecided about this. What do you think?
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Stove Leg
At one of our sample locations (N 50° 45.547',
W 114° 19.528') in level 2 (10-20 cm) we found what appeared to be a
stove leg with ashes inside it. There was a hole to attach it to the stove.
Some of the parents who were volunteering with us could remember stoves legs
like this. It was rusty, old and dirty. It was a pretty big stove leg and
it was a weird shape. We think that this stove probably was used to heat
their shack.
This validated the conclusions we had reached from our research and the interviews,
especially the interview with Mrs. Prestie.
Square Enameled Metal
At
N 50° 45.541', W 114° 19.533' we found a square piece of metal
with an enameled surface on one side. It has holes in two of the sides
and the corners are chopped off.
We couldn't come to agreement about this piece. Some of
us think that it looks it might fit with the stove artifacts we found.
We're wondering
how this
might
have
happened
that
different
parts
of
a stove would be strewn all over the place. Could it be that wood stoves
were thrown away if they switched to electricity? |
China Shards
We think that the people who lived here (N
50° 45.542', W 114° 19.533') brought
their plates from England because one of the china shards said "ENG" on
the back. It looks like it says England written on yellow ribbon. The
letters "DGW" are written going across the letters "ENG" and "REG" are
written at the very top of the piece.
It is the most important
piece because it can tell
us how old it is and where it came from. It is one of the smallest
pieces we found but it can tell us the most out of all the pieces.
We think that maybe a teacher lived close to where we dug because we
found
yellow chalk and paper too.
When we talked to Andrea Richardson, she let us know that that there
were plate makers in North America around this time period but that bone
china mostly came from the orient and Europe. We aren't sure whether
all the shards were bone china or not. That is still a question we need
to research.
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Hinge
We
found a hinge at N
50° 45.541', W 114° 19.533' and we think that it belongs to a
stove because everyone else found parts of a stove. Our teachers laughed
and thought it should
be part of a barn gate or door but we're not convinced. The hinge was
rusty brown and it was bent. It has four holes on one side and only three
holes on the other because the place where the fourth hole is where the
end of the hinge is broken off. The actual hinge connects the two large
metal pieces. The hinge is 21 by 21 cm.
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Angle Iron
I
found a straight metal piece that was all rusted at N
50° 45.541', W 114° 19.533'. At first our group
saw nothing on it
but after we washed it we could see a few words
but
we
couldn't make them out so we washed it again. We did a rubbing to really
get clear letters and this is what we found: "Compeer 15 S12 F. B.
25."
We wondered how this fit with the other artifacts we found. It is so
heavy we couldn't imagine this would be a part of a car or for household
use. Could it have been on an oil rig? |
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