May 9th 2019 - A Day in the Lab

All students met in the classroom today, relieved that we didn't have to endure the long walk to the McKenzie Creek camp again, but excited to start work in the lab. Firstly, while waiting for all students to arrive, we unloaded artifacts and past student projects about the McKenzie Creek camp from the lab storage room onto a few of our classroom tables to sort through later.

Boxes of artifacts and student projects associated with McKenzie Creek Camp from past seasons.

Once everyone got to the lab, Bob talked about a very important topic in archaeology, and many other fields. He provided a worksheet and explanation of the archaeology field school sexual harassment policy. We were informed of the history of sexual harassment in archaeology, what is defined as sexual harassment, and multiple people to contact if we ever wanted to report an incident. A zero tolerance policy was also applied for any other type of harassment in the work place such as discrimination against ethnicity, disabilities or religion. After that very important topic was covered, we moved on to assigning projects to students who did not yet have one.
Multiple project ideas were proposed by Bob and other students, some more creative than others, such as an interpretive dance or play. Those ideas were dismissed after considering the logistics of them, but others were picked up by students. Some were assigned specific artifact research, where they will find out as much information as they can about excavated artifacts, and another student will be sorting and classifying tableware found from the site. Bob also mentioned that the "absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence" when referring to items that have yet been discovered, but are presumed to have been in the McKenzie Creek camp during the time period being studied, such as eating utensils. Some projects will require more research in the field than others, but the time spent on each should be approximately equal, making it fair for all students. In a week or two, there will be a full page accessible through the right sidebar of the blog with the students and the projects they will be working on, and each will have a few sentences describing the goal of the project.
After everyone was assigned a project, Bob discussed the possibility of visitors coming to see our work at the McKenzie Creek camp. Some requests have been made by community members and school groups to see our site, which are happily accepted if, for the most part, the groups can get to the site on their own. If you are an archaeologist, historian or have any interest in the Japanese history in the LSCR and are from the lower mainland, you can message Bob on twitter (@bobmuckle) to see if you would be able to come for a site visit.
After a half-hour lunch break, where some students decided to soak up the sun rays outside, we all gathered back in the classroom to discuss archeology lingo and unpack some boxes that were taken out of storage to put on display.
All students were given a worksheet with words and abbreviations that we should be familiar with before we start excavations. General terms such as prehistoric archaeology versus historic archaeology were discussed, terms such as provenience, meaning the precise three-dimensional location of an object, and the acronym DBS, standing for depth below surface. I am sure by the end of next week, all students will be comfortable using the words given to us.
Once the quick vocabulary lesson was over, all students began to unpack boxes full of beer bottles, ceramic dishes and smaller containers used for creams and skin care.

Students unpacking bottles from a box.

Once most items were unpacked onto tables, a few students and the project director started to neatly display them in the glass display case outside of the classroom.

Bob and a student displaying items outside of the classroom.

Most bottles and dishes were placed in the display case outside, but unfortunately we ran out of time to go through other artifacts such as shoes and metals, so we will be unpacking and examining those in another lab period.

On Monday we will be in the field clearing moss and fallen branches off paths and features so we can get easier access to the items we are studying in the coming weeks. The next blog post will be Monday evening. 

May 8th 2019 - Set Up Base Camp

We had a busy and productive day today! It started off with most students meeting at the base of the trail which leads to McKenzie Creek camp. Two of the students met Bob at Capilano University to help load the truck containing our site equipment, and drove up into the LSCR with him. The walk is about an hour from the beginning of the trail, which most students completed with ease, but the swarming flies and mosquitoes did add an extra challenge to the day.

Students walking to the McKenzie Creek Camp.

Once we all arrived at the site, we were instructed to help Bob load all of our equipment down the path to our camp. The equipment included two large metal boxes with tools used daily inside, the metal poles and tarps for a tent, and a few buckets. One of the buckets will be used for collecting garbage from student's lunches and trash produced by the project itself, which will be analyzed by Karoline who is doing a waste audit as her project.

Students unloading supplies out of the van. 

Everything was then unloaded, and Bob left us to return the pickup truck to the Capilano University Campus, and told us to set up two tents. After sorting out the poles to make sure everyone had enough to build two separate tents, we split into two groups, and two students also started to build stairs along the path we get into camp with each day. Each group was responsible for building one tent, and after struggling for about half an hour, both groups figured out how to build them with very little instruction.

One group trying to figure out how to build the frame of a tent.

Both tents were successfully put up before Bob got back about an hour after he left, which he mentioned had never happened before. After a short snack break, two picnic tables were constructed so when we arrive at camp everyday, we can place our bags on them and eat lunch in that restricted area. It was also mentioned that if we were to eat anywhere else, the site could be contaminated with organic remains which most people hadn't thought of until Bob brought it up. Clearly, most of us are new at this.

Construction of our brand new picnic tables.

After our beautiful new picnic tables were assembled, we sat down and enjoyed our lunch. The flies that were constantly swarming us may have gotten into some of our food, but it could be good to take in some extra protein due to the long walks we have in and out of the site everyday. After lunch, Bob gave us a walking tour of the site that we will soon get to know very well. There were many cool features found by previous students which were shown and explained to us on our little journey. The first two things mentioned were the trails leading into our camp. One is a road made from cedar planks that runs for many kilometres, through our camp and all the way up Seymour mountain.  It was supposedly created by Eikichi Kagetsu, a prominent Japanese logger who is best known for his work on Vancouver Island. Bob had communicated with his son for about three years from 2002 to 2005 and shown through the sons research, it is possible that Kagetsu could have been logging there anywhere from 1916 to 1924. The precise location of Kagetsu's logging operations in the Seymour Valley is still uncertain.

Cedar plank road running through the McKenzie Creek camp.

Another path pointed out by bob was the skid road we walk to get into camp from the main trail. This was most likely used by people to move around within the camp.

Skid road.

We took the mostly overgrown cedar plank road up North a few meters to find features excavated by previous field school students. Since it has been 6 years since the last field school in 2013, many small and large trees have fallen down over the site. We walked over and around all of the obstacles to find our first feature. At the top of the path where most loggers would walk in from lot 922, a well known logging camp up the cedar road, a stone structure was built. The exact use is unknown, but it is presumed to be some sort of shrine that people could visit before they enter their home. In other field studies, students had found a coiled spring and green glass in the corner of the stone structure, which was identified to most likely be a lantern.

Possible shrine found along the cedar plank road.

After discussing the possible shrine, students walked over to one of the most important cultural finds on the McKenzie Creek camp, the Ofuro. This traditional bathhouse was created by Japanese people at most of their home camps. It is identified by its rectangular shape with an open end to add fuel to the fire underneath the tub, and by the ladle and water basin found next to it that were used to wash off before getting into the communal bath. The bathtub was constructed out of a metal bottom and wooden side planks. Usually a stool was placed inside of the tub so you didn't burn your feet on the metal bottom which layer directly over the fire underneath. A chimney glue was also found on the back end of the Ofuro which was used to release smoke from the fire, and to make sure the fire that warms the water can get enough oxygen to stay lit. Thousands of nails were also discovered by a previous group, showing that at one point a wooden structure stood around the tub for privacy.

Bob standing with the Ofuro. He is standing in the end that would have been open to fuel the fire which warms the water in the tub. The metal pieces shown in this picture are parts of a saw most likely used for cutting wood. 

Once the students, and Bob were done awing over the Ofuro, we moved over to the next feature which also has an unknown purpose. A hole in the ground lined with cedar planks and rocks sits very close to the Ofuro. Bob suggested that it could have been used for cold storage, and there is also evidence that a structure was once built around it.

Possible cold storage pit. 

Another interesting feature one of Bob's past students discovered is a possible garden. The area is very flat land compared to the rest of the site, and the soil pH was tested here and in a few other places around the camp which showed it had a much higher pH than anywhere else. High pH soil is good for growing food and flowers. The raise in pH is due to the crushed bone scattered in that area of the soil, which was most likely deliberately sprinkled there for the garden.

Bob and students standing in possible garden.

Once we were finished in the garden, we viewed out last feature of the day which was the privy. A giant hole in the ground shaped like a rectangle was used as a bathroom by the Japanese people at the McKenzie Creek camp and trash was also occasionally thrown down there. Many fully intact bottles were found at the bottom of the privy, most likely because when they were thrown down they had something soft to land on. The size of the privy helps us conclude that there were most likely 3 holes for use and nails show us a wooden structure built around it.

Large rectangular privy. 

One more cool artifact found by some of Bob's past students was an old stove, which. retailed at about 35 dollars in the 1920s, which was very expensive in comparison to the other 3 dollar stoves found. The stove, which was moved from the McKenzie Creek camp to behind an old growth tree off of the path, was most likely hidden from looters before the Japanese were forced into internment camps. Pieces were brought back after excavation and a catolaugoe of the item so it was easier to spot as students were given tours of the area.

Piece of the expensive stove.

The tour was then complete, and the two students who were building the stairs went back to finish those while the rest started to clear paths and finish attaching the last few screws on the picnic benches. After we finished our activities, we gathered at the tables to fill in our field notebooks for the day. Bob explained a little bit more about what we should write in our books, and everyone finished their daily entry.

Stairs created by students which are used to walk into the site from the main road.

My waterproof field notebook.

Tomorrow we will be back in the classroom/lab to ensure everybody gets a project to complete during the term. Feel free to leave any comments on the blog if you have any, I will do my best to reply and if any questions arise that I cannot answer, I will consult with our project director Bob.

May 7th 2019 - First Time on the Trail!

Today was the most beautiful day we could have hoped for. With the sun shining through the trees, students walked and gathered around our project director Bob as he described some fascinating Euro-Canadian sites in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve (LSCR).

Before I jump into today's activities, I thought it would be good to introduce myself, since I didn't in yesterday's post. My name is Meredith, and I am one of the 17 students working in the field school. I am finishing up my first year of university this term, and I am planning on pursuing environmental biology in the future, but maybe after this I will want to become an archaeologist! I want to do this field study because I am very interested in the lifestyles of people in the past. This blog is my project for the next several weeks, and my main goal is to inform the public, whether you know anything about archaeology or not, of our daily activities and interesting finds. Every post will contain photos of what students are working on, which will include a description of the scene. I am happy to be the source of information for the public, and hope that you enjoy this blog for the next few weeks and years to come.

With our sunny and somewhat early start at 9:30 this morning, we gathered at a wooden gazebo next to the LSCR parking lot. Once everyone had arrived we each got a list of possible sites to see today, so that there were no misspellings in our field notebooks. Once we had made it to a fork in the trail, Bob led all of the students off the path into the Martin/McKay site about 100 meters off the trail. For about 25 minutes, we explored and examined multiple artifacts laying on the ground that had been left behind by old residents of the area shown in the images below. This site was occupied by mostly women from about 1900 into the 1940s.

Bob pointed out the distinguishing characteristics of stumps logged by most commercial loggers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (eg. springboard notches), and commented on how these differ than traditional methods used by Japanese and local Indigenous peoples of the time.

Trash left behind by residents of the Marin/McKay site. 

Bob showing us one of the many broken bottles left behind.

A water well covered up by archaeological field students in the past due to its hidden danger. The well is about 10ft deep and widens at the bottom. Cedar planks were used construct the shape, overgrown by vegetation in this picture.

Camouflaged bricks most likely used in the building of a fireplace, deconstructed when residents left.

Large amounts of trash left behind by residents of the area. Includes glass bottles, dish wear and other household items.  

Some students also spotted a modern day planting pot which Bob explained may have been where some people tried to grow marijuana in more recent years. It was stated that it was most likely teenage boys who were looking for a secluded place, that wasn't too hard to walk to.

Planting pot most likely used for small marijuana plants.

The Martin/McKay site had disappeared from public knowledge until a about ten years ago when many of these artifacts were stumbled upon by some hikers going off the trails. Martin and McKay were two surnames of families who supposedly lived here until the husbands died, and it was just the women left who continued to live there for another ten or twelve years. After the years of mostly women living there, it was purposely demolished and many hundreds or even thousands of artifacts are laying around, consisting of mostly broken dishes and bottles. It was previously excavated by some of Bobs students a little over a decade ago, and has been somewhat covered back up again since then. 

After leaving the first site, everyone walked down the Twin Bridges Trail for 2.2 kilometres and ended up at the the river where the two bridges had collapsed and been taken out by a massive landslide and flood in 2014.

Students walking on the Twin Bridges Trail in the LSCR.

Remaining stone of a fallen bridge from the landslide and flooding of the Seymour River in 2014.

A bridge that was just recently constructed to connect the gap in the Fisherman's Trail was walked by the students on our way to find the next site. We made it just in time as the bridge, that was a two million dollar project was just opened to the public in December of 2018.

Students walking the newly constructed bridge.

We arrived at the spot where the Hastings/Seymour Camp used to be located another kilometre down Fisherman's trail, but unfortunately we could not re-locate the site previously excavated by Bob in a field school several years ago. There was a major landslide and flooding in the region since the last excavation and Bob is unsure whether the site still exists. The trail used to reach the site no longer exists but we may try to re-locate it through surveying in the coming weeks. One student, Mitch, did find a buried bottle in a vegetated area between the south Fisherman's Trail and the Mystery Creek Trail which all of us found very interesting. It made me wonder if there were more structures on that end of the trail, and what other artifacts may be hidden beneath our feet.

Bottle found by Mitch between Mystery Creek Trail and Fisherman's Trail.

With no success finding the Hastings/Seymour Camp, the group moved on back across the new suspension bridge and up the north side of Fisherman's Trail. While walking the trail, the group encountered a tunnel that was used to run water pipes through from the reservoir into the city. It was most likely easier to dig into a giant mountain than build an underground tunnel and many residents in the area would tap into the pipes running along Seymour lake, so it was wise to have them partially protected. Over half of the students, including myself, decided go through it instead of along the path outside. 

Walking into the tunnel from the south side.

Where students exited the tunnel on the north end.

After the fun tunnel excursion, we were taken to what is known as The Point. It is where there used to be a general store/café for local residents and multiple houses and cabins. The cabins were sometimes lived in year round, but others were rented for short or longer periods of time. The majority of the structures built were destroyed when the people living there were asked to leave in 1945-1950 to protect the city's water supply, but some structures were left standing. 

Students listening to Bob talk about The Point.

A Fireplace left behind after the deconstruction of a small cabin. The cabin was most likely only the size of an average bedroom and contained this giant fireplace, which took up most of the house. The house of this fireplace was used as a long-term rental in the early to mid 1900s. 

Writing from the fireplace above showing the bricks were made in Canada.

Once we had a good look at The Point, we stopped for lunch at a small flattened area with two picnic tables and a beautiful view of the Seymour River. Everyone chatted about the things we saw today, some filling information into their field notebooks. Bob walked around and assigned some projects to a few students so they can start those tomorrow!

View of the river from our lunch area.

Students taking a well needed lunch break.

After lunch, we continued up the Fisherman's trail and found our last site of the day. The Fowler's property had a giant archway as their entrance, which was left when everything else was destroyed. The Fowler family owned a giant portion of property on both sides of the Seymour lake, and were forced out in the 1940s even though they didn't want to leave. Fencing that enclosed the Fowler's site was also somewhat visible, but most of the wood had decomposed into the soil. Bob explained that the entire area used to be filled with lush gardens and beautiful water features which were all taken down around 1950.

Entrance of the Fowler's site.

A structure with a cement base, which was uncommon in the early 1900s because most people used wood, was shown to us. Many plants have grown between cracks in the cement and all around it, making it blend in with the grass.

If you look closely around the edges you can see cement tangled in with trees and grass. This was the base to a structure built off the Fisherman's Trail. 

Bob and students walking into the site with cement structures.

To conclude our day of strolling through the LSCR, we took a steep hike up the Homestead Trail which led us back to our starting point.

Students walking up the Homestead Trail.

Overall today we walked about 10 kilometres throughout the forest on trails and through some uneven forest floor, with many hills to climb. Tomorrow we are all eager to set up our base camp at the McKenzie Creek site, and take a look at some more Japanese-Canadian sites in the same area. Hopefully every day will be just as sunny and full of interesting information as this one!

May 6th 2019 - It begins!

The Seymour Valley Archaeological Project of 2019 has now commenced!
The project, which takes place in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve (LSCR), in forested areas of North Vancouver Canada, is focused on historic period archaeology between 1900 and 1950. Seventeen students from Capilano University, and the project director Robert (Bob) Muckle will be studying Japanese Canadian and Euro-Canadian sites. Since 2000, Bob has run thirteen other field studies, making this his fourteenth field season. A few Japanese sites have been explored in the area by students in the past, but for 2019 the main focus for excavation and study is the McKenzie Creek Camp. This site was initially used for a few years around 1920 as a Japanese logging camp, and is hypothesized to be used as a secret residential camp hidden in the forest until 1942. In previous years, the McKenzie Creek site was excavated by other field school students who found hundreds of artifacts ranging from bottles to work boots. The site includes many prominent features with evidence of small houses and cabins, a garden, water reservoir, privy and a bathhouse.

We gathered for five hours today at Capilano University to begin our discussions on what is to come in the next seven weeks. The anthropology classroom at the University will be temporarily turned into an archaeology lab for us to have the proper space for our findings and studies. When we all arrived this morning, we did introductions so all students could become familiar with each other before we jump into spending many hours together over the next several weeks. Bob gave us an overview of the project and the history behind it, while also providing us a timeline of the field school. Before taking our lunch break, we were told the type of supplies we would need to carry in our daypacks, such as hand held root clippers, pointing trowels (preferably Marshalltown due to the sturdiness), flagging tape, and most importantly our waterproof notebooks, which were distributed at the end of our classroom session. Throughout the next couple of days we will be learning how to properly fill out our notebooks so archaeologists in the near and distant future will be able to read and understand them. We also accomplished many other exciting things in the classroom today.

We took inventory of our tools and supplies to make sure that we are ready to work in the next few days.

Students taking inventory of the supplies.

Two students counting nails of many sizes.

Bob also showed us some artifacts found by field school students in the past, which gave all of the eager students insight into what we may be discovering ourselves. 

Small bottles possibly used for medicine and a women's shawl pin. 

Alcohol bottles, lid to an ink bottle, mechanics of an alarm clock, pocket watch and a key. 

After looking at many cool artifacts, Bob made sure to cover the safety procedures for running into wild animals such as cougars or bears, and also gave the group an overview of possible projects for individuals to complete. Once all students have an assigned project, there will be a post or page to outline those on our blog, with updates in our daily posts. We were also shown directions on how to get to the LSCR by car and transit, so hopefully nobody will get lost on the way there in the next few days!

Tomorrow we will be walking through the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve to look at Euro-Canadian sites, and on Wednesday we will be visiting more historic sites and setting up supplies at the McKenzie Creek camp, so there are many great pictures to come!