News

Twenty-one students from Portland State University and Washington State University - Vancouver spent the summer unearthing treasures from a bygone era as part of an archaeology field school. For the past three summers, PSU has partnered with the National Park Service to dig into the history of the Fort Vancouver area. This year, the team of students excavated over 4,000 artifacts from the Fort Vancouver Village site, which was the largest multicultural settlement between Sitka, Alaska and San Francisco, California in the mid-19th century.

Artifacts found include beads, ceramics, glass, nails, and straight pins. The new information gathered enables the Park Service to update its understanding of the village and its inhabitants, aids in interpretation of the area's history and planned reconstructions, and provides students with opportunities to learn about archaeology methods and interpreting their work for public display.