Royal Saskatchewan Museum: Research: What We Are Working On: Report from the Field: Archaeology, 2006 Report #2

What We Are Working On: Report from the Field:
Archaeology, 2006

Archaeology Report 2 (Stanley Mission, Old Village 2006 Excavations)

Friday, August 18:
After a relaxing two-day break that included sleeping in, berry-picking, eating smoked whitefish, and sight-seeing, we are back at the site with only 6 days remaining in which to complete our excavations.

First task is to finish excavating the northeast corner, then map and photograph it. In the course of cleaning off the corner, we find what might be a bone tool (perhaps used in making nets or snowshoes) and a bent piece of metal wedged between the end of the floorboards and the wall. We remove the bone item, but the metal thing is too firmly embedded in the soil to remove without damaging the floor boards.

North east corner with artifacts.

Our next task is to find the door. Photographs show the door in the centre of the front wall, and, according to the Elders, the door was always oriented to the river. We open up a unit in what is approximately the middle of the east wall. By the end of the afternoon we have found the floorboards and the bottom log. Where the second log should be, we find only bits of charred wood and a mini trash pile that includes 37 nails, a small sheet of rusted tin, a musket ball, an unexploded .22 shell, and a huge fish hook. We have yet to find any evidence of the door.

The annual Churchill River Gathering is taking place at Stanley Mission. It's an opportunity for all the communities along the Churchill River to get together and discuss issues that concern them. It isn't all business, though. They make time to celebrate, and tonight there are jigging and square-dancing competitions for everyone from young children to adults. We stay up way past our usual bedtime.

Saturday, August 19:
The jigging and square-dancing competitions are continuing this morning, so we excavate to the sounds of fiddle music drifting across the Churchill River.

Detail of door construction in log house.
Photograph courtesy of Saskatchewan Archives Board.

By mid-morning, we are fairly certain we have found the door. There appears to be a notch in the log into which the door frame was inserted, just as in the archival photos.

Next to the notch are the remains of the door sill—an eroded piece of wood nailed down with both wire and machine-cut nails. The door sill may have been replaced several times over the years as it wore out; hence, the mixture of nails. We don't dig any further to see if there is a door step; that will have to wait for next year.

Doorway with notched log and sill.

We now go in search of the southeast corner. We're not certain if it exists because, in 2001, we discovered that the south wall and floor ended abruptly about 2 m from the west wall. By the end of the afternoon, we have yet to find the corner.

The Churchill River Gathering ends tonight with fireworks. These had been originally planned for Canada Day celebrations on July 1 but had to be cancelled when the community was evacuated because of the encroaching forest fires.

Sunday, August 20:
Today was a classic case of “unsettled” weather—sun alternating with short, sharp rain showers that kept us dashing into our little shelter all afternoon.

The good news is that the southeast corner does exist, at least in part. We find the log of the south wall (complete with dove tail notch), but there is only a mishmash of bits of wood and charcoal strewn where the east wall should be.

southeast corner

Log houses with stone chimneys. Photograph courtesy of Sask. Archives

Karmen and I now turn our attention back to the fireplace and chimney, and open up a unit where the hearth should be. Archival photos show that the chimney is built inside the house, but I am curious to learn the details. We soon begin finding ash, charcoal, and heavily burned bone (mostly bird and fish).

Evelyn starts drawing profiles of the units. These drawings of the different soil layers help us to interpret the history of the site once we are back in the lab.

Monday, August 21:
Karmen and I are still digging in the fireplace hearth. The ashy area is expanding and getting thicker. By day's end, we are 30 cm deep and we still haven't found the floor. Evelyn is still drawing profiles.

Several people from Grandmother's Bay (on the Churchill River near Otter Rapids) come to clean up some of the graves at the cemetery. Some of them remember Murdoch McKenzie and his house, so we have a good conversation about that.

Tuesday, August 22:
We finally uncover the floor on the north side of the fireplace at 32 cm deep, and now we begin to see how the fireplace was built. First, a thick clay base was built between the sleepers, and the stones were set on top of that. Next, the floor boards were nailed down to the sleepers, ending at the clay base. A thin piece of wood was nailed over the ends of the floor boards. There is now a gap between the ends of the floor boards and the clay base; we can wiggle our fingers down into it and discover that there is still empty space under the floor boards.

With that, we end our excavations for 2006.

Floor boards and fireplace base.

Wednesday, August 23:
We finish all the profiles and move all our equipment back to the storage shed behind the church.

In the afternoon, we interview three Elders—Elizabeth Charles, Rosie McKenzie, and Helen Visentine—about life in the Old Village and on the trapline, about trappers’ cabins, and about Murdoch McKenzie himself. Tea and cookies are an essential part of the interview.

Thursday, August 24:
Today is the hardest work of all—back-filling all the units. By 10:30, we're done. We move all the equipment down to the dock and wait for the boat from Jim's Camp to take it over to the other side where we pack it into the van.

Friday, August 25:

2006 excavation map

This morning we give a presentation to the Stanley Mission band council about our work, what we found, and what our plans for next year.

In the afternoon, we become tourists. Kelly McLeod takes us down the river to see the Stanley Rapids pictographs. We run the Stanley Rapids, and continue down river to see Nistowiak Falls and Drinking Falls. All the rapids are especially impressive this year because the Churchill River is so high.

Nistowiak Falls

Drinking Falls

In the evening, we pack up everything except what we will need for breakfast tomorrow.

Saturday, August 26:
We get everything in the van with room to spare. By 9:00 am, we're on the road, heading south. So long, Stanley Mission. See you in 2007.

For further information contact the Curator of Aboriginal History

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