Elkhorn/Ebert Ranch 2008 Archeological Field School

The Department of Anthropology, University of North Dakota, invites students to attend its Archaeological Field School in May and June, 2008. The course is being offered in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the USDI Bureau of Reclamation. The first 2-3 weeks of the field school will involve survey work at the Elkhorn/Ebert Ranch in the western North Dakota Badlands, where Theodore Roosevelt had a cattle operation in the 1880s. The remaining 3-4 weeks will be spent excavating the Fairfield Site (32SN174), a deeply buried, stratified, multi-component site in the James River valley of eastern North Dakota. Field school students will learn standard archeological field techniques, such as proper excavation methods, record keeping, site mapping via digital means (GPS, total station) and by paper, profiling and soil descriptions, photography, and so on. Students will receive up to six semester hours of undergraduate credit in Anthropology 380, Field Techniques in Archaeology (one credit hour per week of participation). The application deadline is April 15, 2008. Enrollment is limited so please apply early. We are pleased to announce that field school students will be paid minimum hourly wages as student interns while working on the Fairbanks site excavation. This innovation allows students to earn some income while getting first-hand experience in field archeology and earning valuable university credits. Basic living expenses (room and board) will be provided from field school project funds, and not from student fees. UND Anthropology Research anticipates a busy schedule of archeological fieldwork this summer after the field school is over. There is a distinct possibility that we will be able to hire students to work as professionals on various field research projects during the rest of the summer. Please see our website for additional information.