Digs uncover Iowa’s Native American history

In 2014, 200 or so years after white settlers literally changed the face this region, the story of Iowa's Native American history is, in many cases, buried beneath the surface. Two upcoming digs - one in Fort Atkinson and another near South Amana - conducted by the University of Iowa's Office of the State Archaeologist hope to unearth a piece of that past, with your help.

Volunteers can sign up to assist with the digs, no experience necessary. All volunteers will receive training before the digs and will work alongside archaeologists, conducting soil tests and looking for artifacts, says Cindy Peterson, who is leading the digs for the archaeologist's office.

Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult.

The goal is to 'engage local people in learning about their history,” Peterson says. 'Most people don't know much about the Native American tribes that lived in the area.”

The first is offers a rare glimpse at Native American gardening.

Fourteen years ago, the UI Office of the State Archaeologist and the Fort Atkinson Historic Preservation Commission found archaeological remnants at an 1840s trading post near Fort Atkinson. The Hewitt-Olmsted Trading Post exchanged goods with the Ho-Chunk/Winnebago during the tribe's forced residency in Iowa. The Archaeological Conservancy, a non-profit organization committed to preserving America's most important sites, recognized the site's importance and purchased the property to ensure its protection.

LIDAR images, which use light from a laser to generate high-resolution contour maps, revealed a possible 1.7-acre ridged farm field on the north edge of the site. Historically, American Indians in the Upper Midwest often elevated their garden surfaces to improve planting conditions.

From Nov. 15 to 19, a dig at the site will seek to determine whether or not the ridges at the site relate to 1840s farming. If shown to be a raised garden bed, this would be only the second verified and preserved site of its kind in Iowa.

'We hope to be able to verify that the ridges are related to the Ho-Chunk people,” Peterson says.

Later in November, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, the focus will shift to a farm field near South Amana.

Inspection of the field by archaeologists revealed that the property was the 1839-1843 home of about 500 Meskwaki people, including leaders of the Wacoshashe and Poweshiek.

The dig - a partnership between the Amana Colonies Land Use District, the Meskwaki Nation (Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa), and the University of Iowa's Office of the State Archaeologist - will investigate the site. The area has been cultivated as a field for years. The goal is to find out if there's anything left, Peterson says.

This endeavor is the second year of a phased approach to studying Meskwaki sites in Iowa.

There are an estimated 15 large-sized historical Meskwaki villages in Iowa, but only four have been archaeologically verified and very little is known about any of these sites.

'We have a little bit of information about where 15 villages were, but no one has gone out located those properties,” Peterson says.

Both of these projects are funded by Certified Local Government grants issued by the Iowa State Historic Preservation.

Space is limited to six volunteers per day. Find the links to sign up at http://now.uiowa.edu/2014/10/archaeologists-dig-hidden-native-american-history-iowa.