Digging Jacksonville – October 2016

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word “Archaeology?” (Be honest!) Many of you are thinking Egyptian pyramids; (that’s ok, I get it), some of you might have thought dinosaurs; (stop what you are doing, and google paleontology) and hopefully, some of you thought Jacksonville! One of the most challenging—and important—jobs of the archaeologist is to share what we do with the public. This can be difficult to do for a variety of reasons, (safety, site security, slim budgets, etc.) but public education and interpretation is why we work so hard to save the stories of the past for the future.

The Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) has been working hard to share our work with the public in new and creative ways for years. Our partnership with the Jacksonville Review has been a fun way for us to share what we find with the interested public long after we leave the field. I hope by now that many of you who have been reading the column feel like you are part of the team! We have lots of good articles planned for the coming year, so stay tuned.

As an expansion of these public outreach efforts, I am excited to announce that Mark Tveskov and I have been invited to be regular guests on the Jefferson Exchange for a new “Underground History” segment. Please tune in to Jefferson Public Radio’s News and Information station between 8:30-9:00am the last Thursday of every month to hear us talk with host Geoffrey Riley about exciting projects in Jacksonville and around the region. As a bonus, this is a live show—so you can call (or email) with those questions you have always wanted to ask. Mark and I look forward to keeping you all posted on the latest finds, interesting projects, and big discoveries!

You can find out more about the Jefferson Exchange here: http://ijpr.org/programs/jefferson-exchange.

Featured image above is SOULA’s public archeology dig in Jacksonville’s Chinese Quarter, October 2013.