FORT KASKASKIA, Ill. — Scraping dirt away inch by inch, archaeology students are uncovering a fort that lay undiscovered for two centuries. After almost two years away, Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Archaeology Field School returned to Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site this month, digging into the fort's unknown history.
"People either find out they love being in the dirt, or they hate it," said Jessi Spencer, a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology at SIUC and course teaching assistant.
Universities across the country are sending students back into the field after coronavirus concerns shut down archaeological digs for more than a year. This has required adapting to changing pandemic guidelines, increasing the number of dig sites and limiting crowding, but field schools like SIUC's are back in action. The work is key for budding archaeologists: Hands-on experiences teach students real-world skills and help determine their career trajectories, from field work to museum curation.
