Archaeology at the Agency
Community archaeological dig
Since 2020, we have been in hot pursuit of the hottest place on the hillside: the Agency blacksmith shop. Each year, participants have rolled up their sleeves and dug with us into our site's buried history. Live blacksmithing demonstrations allowed visitors to explore the history and techniques of blacksmithing as we endeavored to locate the 1830s shop. Our special exhibit allowed visitors to analyze scenarios that come up in the everyday work of those who study the past through scientific excavation and highlighted the work of frontier blacksmiths.
Archaeology Dig Videos
Archaeology kids' camp
Learn hands-on what it takes to be an archaeologist at our virtual camp!
Sponsored by:
Summer speaker series 2020
Dig sponsored by:
608.742.2169
Why archaeology?
Written records, alone, cannot answer some important questions about how John Kinzie's Indian Agency worked. Our main inquiry this season is how the Agency blacksmith functioned. A smith was established here in 1830 to serve the Ho-Chunk Nation. Evidence in the ground may reveal answers that help broaden our historical interpretation. Our objective through archaeological inquiry is to be able to educate with a more holistic perspective on the people, places, and significant events of the site's history. In the process, we also hope to foster within participants an appreciation and basic understanding of this important means by which history is preserved and interpreted.
Media Coverage
Special Exhibit
Our special exhibit challenges you to analyze scenarios that come up in the everyday work of those who study the past through scientific excavation. It also features the history of frontier blacksmithing and tools of the trade.
Resources
Archaeology
Blacksmith history
Learn the basics about frontier blacksmithing, or dig even deeper into a published paper on Indian agency blacksmiths of the American frontier.
HIAH dig featured in book
A Practitioner's Guide to Public Archaeology: Intentional Programming for Effective Outreach (Sept. 2024), co-edited by Elizabeth Reetz & Stephanie Sperling, contains a textbox featuring logistics involved with our archaeological dig. Check it out!
