We have been promising for a while that we are going to digitize our archaeological collections – all that really means is photographing them and filing that digital photo in our electronic catalog. And we have needed to photograph one particular collection for a while, which contains upwards of 35,000 artifacts. We have a pretty good camera, we have a new photo station, and we have all the artifacts organized and ready to go. But we usually have about ten or more other projects going on at the same time. How were we going to find the time and staff to photograph that many artifacts? It seemed impossible. And then in walked David Nix.

Dave is a retired biology professor from the University of Mary and an accomplished photographer. Though he did help us out sorting artifacts as a volunteer back in 2006, it had been a while since he had worked with our division. He had just bought a new camera and wanted an excuse to try it out. He offered to volunteer for three hours, three days per week (keep in mind that this is more than an entire work day every week that he dedicates to preserving North Dakota’s history). Thanks to him, our collections staff members have become digitizing fiends! Seriously. We can’t stop taking photos.

Photographer Dave Nix sets up his next shot at the photo station in the Archaeology and Historic Preservation division’s archaeology lab.

Why is it important to have photos of our artifacts? First, it is good for their health! It is important for our staff to have instant (visual) access to our collections without having to dig through boxes looking for a specific artifact or a good example of a certain type of object. Repeatedly handling fragile artifacts increases the chances of wear and breakage.

Second, it allows us to track an object’s condition over time. We can compare a photo of an object from 10 years ago with the object today and see, for example, that it remained intact while on loan to another museum, or maybe fluctuations in humidity have caused cracking or damage.

Third, we can attach a photo to a digital artifact record that details what the object is, where it is from, and its relationship to other features and artifacts at the archaeological site. Having the photo attached directly to this information is unbelievably helpful when you are preparing for exhibits, conducting an audit, engaging in tribal consultation, developing interpretive programs, solving collections mysteries, or doing scientific research.

Dave Nix and Collections Assistant Meagan Schoenfelder prepping some pottery sherds for the next photo.

Finally, photos give people who don’t work with the collections access to them. We send them to researchers. We send them to conservators to diagnose condition issues. We use them in our Archaeology Awareness posters, and for presentations at professional conferences. We use them in publications. We send them to educators for inclusion in curriculum materials. We post them on our Facebook page. And we will eventually make them accessible through our website.

So when Dave comes in, here is what usually happens: first, we pull the boxes to be photographed that day. We try to keep it varied so no one gets burned out photographing a thousand horseshoes or square cut nails in a single afternoon (Though during the occasional All-Rusty-Iron-Axe-Heads-All-Day! sessions, Dave is shockingly good-natured). The archaeologist scheduled to be the photo assistant for that day decides what to photograph, writes the accession number on the photo scale, and tells Dave what details need to be documented. Depending on the object, this may include flaking scars, ceramic decoration, maker’s marks, etc. Dave adjusts the lighting and lenses, optimizing the shot for that particular artifact.

A stack of boxes waiting in line to be photographed.

After three hours, we upload them to a server set aside for collections photos (as you can imagine, this requires a LOT of data space). Then Nancy, our Division’s Administrative Assistant, labels the files, crops the photos to reduce the file size, and attaches them to the appropriate artifact record in our cataloging program. She does this not only with astounding speed and attention to detail, but often whispers, “I need more pictures!” as I am walking by her desk.

Since we started last fall, we have photographed nearly 7,000 artifacts. Only 28,000 to go! Then we will take Dave to Dairy Queen, which is all he asked for in return. When the time comes, I hope he is ready to eat a serious amount of ice cream.

See some of Dave’s recent photos of our collections below!

Left: Gastropod shell beads. Note the hole that has been punched through the outermost whorl of each shell.
Right: A bottle of Wakelee’s Camelline. This product was marketed to improve and beautify the complexion.

Left: A metal and glass pocket watch from an historic farm site in Emmons County.
Right: Historic doll parts have to be the creepiest thing we find in the field or in collections. This doll’s face looks especially menacing to me. I have coworkers who feel much more strongly about the creepiness of doll parts than I do, and who will not be happy to see that I have included them here!

Left: Ultrathin biface from our Lake Ilo collection. Incredible flintknapping skill is needed to make a large biface as thin as this one without breaking it. If you turned it on its side, you would see it is about 0.5cm wide.
Right: Pottery rim from a Plains Village site on the James River in Stutsman County.

Recently, a fellow blogger touched upon the important role that partnerships play within the SHSND mission to “identify, preserve, interpret and promote the heritage of North Dakota and its people” (see http://blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/blog/partnering-people-oh-possibilities). The SHSND is indeed fortunate to have many partners in this mission. I’d like to further elaborate on the benefits of our partnerships in support of heritage tourism, educational outreach and archaeological research via a couple recent examples from the Knife River region.

Heritage Outbound participants at Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush village at Fort Clark State Historic Site – February 2016. The circular earthlodge depressions are clearly visible in this aerial view.

The Heritage Outbound program is a heritage tourism and educational program I’ve been fortunate to be involved with now for several years. The program engages participants in a day-long educational experience focused on the history and culture of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara peoples at Fort Clark State Historic Site and Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site.

SHSND Education Curator Erik Holland points out the location of the former channel of the Missouri River to Heritage Outbound participants at Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kush village at Fort Clark State Historic Site – February 2016. Image courtesy of Doug Wurtz.

This program is a long-time favorite of mine. You just can’t beat spending a winter day talking about the archaeology, history, and natural history of the Knife River area with a group of people eager and excited to learn! This year’s program was held on February 20, and we had a great group of participants. The day included site visits and outdoor hikes at Fort Clark State Historic Site and Big Hidatsa Village within the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site. Both of these earthlodge village sites are wonderfully preserved and simply beautiful to visit.

National Park Service Ranger Jeff Carlson and archaeologist Timothy Reed of the SHSND speaking with Heritage Outbound participants about the community at Big Hidatsa village at Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site – February 2016. Image courtesy of Doug Wurtz.

For more information on Fort Clark State Historic Site: http://history.nd.gov/historicsites/clark/index.html

For more information on Big Hidatsa Village: http://www.nps.gov/knri/learn/historyculture/hidatsa-village.htm

One of the highlights of the Heritage Outbound day is a fantastic traditional meal of roast bison, squash, corn, beans and fry bread, and a very special evening program of music and cultural exchange in the reconstructed earthlodge at Knife River. From the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, we were fortunate to have Amy Mossett, Twyla Baker-Demaray, Allan Demaray, and the Demaray family with us this year for the sharing of oral history, traditional music, and song in the earthlodge.

Allan Demaray prepares to speak to Heritage Outbound participants in the reconstructed earthlodge at Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site – February 2016. Image courtesy of Doug Wurtz.

The SHSND partnered for this year’s event with the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, the Knife River Indian Heritage Foundation, the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, and the North Dakota Archaeological Association. The Heritage Outbound program is just one example of how partnering with people can bring about cultural exchange and a celebration of the diverse history of North Dakota.

I’m happy to announce that many of the groups involved with the Heritage Outbound program will also be partnering for an upcoming event in May 2016 called “ArcheoBlitz.” Major partners include the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, the Midwest Archeological Center, the Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, the State Historical Society of North Dakota, the Northern Plains Heritage Foundation, the PaleoCultural Research Group, the North Dakota Geographic Alliance and researchers from across the nation. The ArcheoBlitz event will take place May 5-7 at the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, and celebrates both the National Park Service centennial and the Hidatsa history preserved at the park. The first two days will give 7^th and 8^th grade students the opportunity to conduct supervised archaeological field research. The final day is open to the public and will include Native performing arts groups and research presentations, with other events planned throughout the day.

Further information on the ArcheoBlitz event can be found at http://www.nps.gov/knri/index.htm.

The first part of the year is generally a busy time at the North Dakota State Archives because we see an influx in photograph and manuscript donations to the collections. This year was no exception. An especially noteworthy collection of 69 photographs and postcards recently came in which were collected and used by the Turtle Mountain Star newspaper (Rolla, North Dakota).

The Turtle Mountain Star photograph collection (2016-P-007) dates from 1893-1988 and consists of images of businesses, fires, people, and buildings, primarily in Rolla and Rolette, North Dakota. There are several images in Cando, Dunseith, Butte Saint Paul, Bottineau County, the International Peace Garden, and Fish Lake (near St. John, Rolette County).

One of my favorite things about working with historic photographs is the ability to visually compare the past with the present. In this collection in particular, it is fascinating to see how businesses, technology, advertising, people, clothing and transportation have changed.

Photographs of Main Street facilitate comparison between early twentieth century Rolla and the present. This image dates from about 1900-1910 (2016-P-007-00050).

A great photographic example of an early Rolla business. A man with a trumpet stands in the doorway of the J. R. Ashman music store as two girls look on, circa 1900-1910 (2016-P-007-00046).

Students and teachers are gathered outside the Rolla public school during the fire of 1920 (2016-P-007-00026).

An exterior view of the Rolla public school (called the high school in this image) before the fire of 1920 (2016-P-007-00025).

The Turtle Mountain Star began in November 1888, published by Parsons and Fritz. In 1917, the Star merged with the Rolette County Herald to form the Turtle Mountain Star and Rolette County Herald. The collection contains several early photographs of the Star office and another of the office and its workers from about the 1980s.

Back room of the Turtle Mountain Star printing office, between 1900-1910 (2016-P-007-00066).

Staff at work in the Turtle Mountain Star and Rolette County Herald, circa 1980s (2016-P-007-00052).

In addition to historically significant photographs, the collection stands out because of the detailed descriptions of the persons, places, and often dates depicted in the photos. This information helps us as archivists describe the images and make them accessible to researchers and the public.

The collection can be accessed in the State Archives reading room. The finding aid for the collection is available here: http://www.history.nd.gov/archives/manuscripts/inventory/2016-P-007.html. Sixty-two items from the collection have been digitized.

It may seem odd to think about a pending zombie apocalypse from a museum educator’s perspective, but it can be a fun and useful exercise for a variety of purposes. We can use the cheeky pop culture trend to make some otherwise dry topics (such as disaster and emergency management planning) a little more fun and lively. Medical health professionals, like those at the Centers for Disease Control, use a hypothetical zombie apocalypse to model infectious disease outbreaks. The Pentagon has also used a fictional zombie apocalypse scenario as a planning and training tool. This has allowed the U.S. government to use zombies as a theoretical risk to plan defense strategies without offending any actual, real-life friends or foes that might take even a pretend elimination personally.

This poster from the Centers for Disease Control promotes a tongue-in-cheek awareness for zombie apocalypse preparation.
CDC - Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response. Preparedness 101 - Zombie Posters. http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm. March 2016.

How do we take these great ideas and turn them into our own living history zombie survival boot camp? One example can be our approach to water. Most survival books and websites recommend stocking up on a minimum of a gallon of drinking water per person per day. Just like the old proverb about teaching a man to fish, teaching people to find, filter, and purify their own water will help them survive longer than storing water alone. The State Historical Society of North Dakota has a SEND trunk available specifically about water resources. I have written about the SEND program before here and here. Another program I'll be teaching this spring will be one of the new Museum Lab classes for school-aged children. One class in March will focus on teaching kids how to make a water filter action system out of various materials. If it goes over well, there may be more sessions offered this fall. We can use programs like SEND and Museum Lab to teach both history and survival skills through museum programs.

Since humans can only survive for three to five days without water, it has always been critical for people to be able to find this resource. Throughout time people have learned how to watch for clues that will lead them to water, such as watching for the direction birds fly or places insects swarm. Humans learned how to follow animal trails to good sources of drinking water. We have learned to find vegetation that is high in water content and have learned how to collect and store water. People have even figured out how to find water underground and how to remove salt from ocean water. We also had to learn how to filter and purify water to remove the sediment and bacteria that can make us sick, or even kill us. Water is a resource that we have learned to manage to keep it clean and make sure there is enough for everybody. As we read about water availability and quality in other parts of the country, the relevance to our daily lives becomes obvious. What a great way to connect kids to both science and history in one fun topic.

Visitors often ask what my favorite thing about the Former Governors’ Mansion State Historic Site is, and my answer usually draws a look of confusion from them. They’re expecting me to say something grand, like the staircase or the massive pocket doors. My answer is something small, but not insignificant--nails.

I love nails! Nails can tell you so much about when something was built. When I see a square cut iron nail sticking out of a piece of trim, I don’t say, “I need to pound that back in.” I get excited because that nail just verified that the trim was installed before 1895.

Square cut nail in an exterior door frame that has pushed out over time from seasonal contraction and expansion. Many layers of paint can be identified, with just a hint of the original 1884 brick red color showing. This nail was pounded in more than 130 years ago.

When the mansion was built in 1884, the steel wire nail we know so well today was in its technological infancy, with only about 10% of all nails produced being small steel wire nails. By the early 1890s the steel wire nail had begun to replace the square cut iron nail. By 1895 mass produced stocks of cut nails had been depleted, making it rare to find buildings constructed with them.

Steel wire nail protruding from an early, but not original trim piece in the parlor of the mansion. The manufacturing tool marks on this nail indicate that it could have been pounded in any time after World War II.

Knowing this little piece of history, I can look at a nail sticking out of a board--be it interior trim, framing wood or siding on the mansion-- and roughly determine when it was installed. Combine that with the type of finishes, thickness of the wood and written/oral histories, and we can nail down approximate dates on mansion remodels.

A great example is the mansion attic playroom’s built-in toy boxes. Oral history suggests that Governor Langer had the attic finished into a playroom in the 1930s for his children. Examination of the toy boxes shows they were built with steel wire nails, and the wood was modern dimension lumber, which became the standard around 1900. These two clues seem to corroborate the 1930s construction date for the toy boxes. But while examining the toy boxes to find out what kind of nails were used, a third clue was found; the signature of Governor White’s young son Edwin.

Edwin White’s childhood signature.

Governor White was in office from 1901 to 1905, which was a perfect time frame for the use of steel wire nails and modern dimension lumber to be combined in the construction of the toy boxes. Good bet that the toy boxes were built during Governor White’s occupancy of the mansion rather than Governor Langer’s!

Next time you are walking through a historic building, trying to puzzle out when something was remodeled, go find some nails. For something so simple, they can tell you a lot.

Susan is an architectural historian who loves old houses, barns and schools. She reviews projects that might impact cultural resources and researches earthen construction.

Welcome to A&HP’s initial processing lab, sieve sorter in foreground. For more information please see blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/blog/easy-question

Archaeologists and architectural historians use initial processing labs or wet labs, containing sieves, to discover tiny bits of evidence that measure big changes in technology. We included one of these rooms in the recent expansion at the Heritage Center. It is used to sort and process artifacts in the Archaeology and Historic Preservation Division (A&HP). The sieve stack (also known as a size-grader) and sorting trays help scientists sort soil, artifacts, and organic material. Researchers are usually searching for objects or fragments of objects that someone made or modified at some time in the past.

In northern plains archaeology, detailed procedures set out in 1989 by Dr. Stanley Ahler outline how to quickly make sense out of hundreds of bags of cultural material by sorting and weighing according to size grades. Viewed as an especially useful way to analyze lithic debitage (the flakes of stone that are removed from a cobble or preform when someone makes a stone tool), archaeologists statistically analyze hundreds or thousands of flakes that have been sorted by size. By doing so, researchers can gain new insights into methods of stone tool production over thousands of years.

Clean ordinary sand under magnification.

Architectural historians and masons also use such labs, equipped with sieves, microscopes, and Munsell color charts. They need the same tools to determine the best match for repairs or repointing between stones and bricks. These researchers try to match the mortar being used for restoration to the historic mortar. To match the sand in a mortar sample taken from an old brick or stone wall, you must first remove the binding element by digesting it in acid. If the original masons used a lime-based mortar, the lime will bubble away, leaving clean and rather attractive sands behind, as seen under the microscope. If the original mortar used a Portland cement, the acid digestion process will probably leave some hard chunks of cement with the sand.

Although Portland cements were known earlier, this technological change from lime mortars to Portland cement became widespread in the 1930s. Use of Portland cement was a fundamental change in building technology. Much of the art and science of lime-based mortars was nearly lost when mixes became far more standardized using Portland. Careful analysis of historic lime-based mortars and maintaining libraries of those recipes allows for nearly exact replicas in mortar when applied next to historic mortar.

Here both new bricks and new mortar needed to match the originals on the left and right of the photo. The architectural historians decided to match both as they were originally made rather than try to match the currently worn brick through artificial antiquing. The mortar will weather out in a rainy season to wash away the fines and leave the sand more exposed. Photos by S. Quinnell

So the same laboratory equipment is used in different applications to discover more about our pasts. In northern plains archaeology the wet lab allows analysis of many minute pieces from our ancient past, from Paleoindian big game hunters through the days of military forts. Similarly, mortar analysis performed with this same equipment can be used to understand changes in building mortar technologies from the earliest stone and brick buildings to the structures of the recent past.