New discoveries at Original Humboldt

A gateway to the past has been opened by the University of Saskatchewan Field School with their Archaeological Dig at Original Humboldt.  

Since the start of May, led by Professor Dr. Glenn Stuart, teacher assistant Lorina Farr and eight students have been working on the excavation and have unearthed several discoveries.  

Farr explains that they determined the locations of the units of the excavation based on previous ground-penetrating radar anomalies.  

Most of the findings from the group have been the generic artifacts that they typically find including nails, pieces of glass, ceramics, and chinking.  

She pointed out some unique Indigenous artifacts have been discovered including pottery and lithics, adding that it’s the first time that Indigenous pottery artifacts have been found on site. 

“We knew that there were Indigenous people on the site,” said Farr, “there was Chief Whitecap was here around in 1885, and of course we’re along the Carlton Trail so there was Metis traders here frequently but that hadn’t been found there before.”  

Some of the ceramics that have been discovered at Original Humboldt have been like others that been found at other locations along the Carlton Trail, including Fort Carlton and Clark’s Crossing.  

There have been bones that have been dug out from the excavation. Farr noted one student located deer vertebrate.  

Another student encountered some glacial till, with Farr saying that it provides a grasp of how much sentiment buildup there has been over the past 10,000 years and helps build the depth for future excavations.  

A typical day for the group would begin around 9:30 where they set up units of the excavation, that are 1m x 1m. Each unit is divided into quadrants, with each dig usually going down by 5 cm, with the soil being screened to view their findings. The group has been working on the excavation every day since May and when it rained, they would perform some lab work. 

On Friday, the excavation at Original Humboldt will end with the filling of the units as the students will head back categorizing their artifacts and compiling their unit reports with the term at the University ending.  

Original Humboldt have been the location for excavations since the 1990s.