On May 30, the archaeological crew arrived to begin the sixty-fifth season of archaeological excavation at Michilimackinac. We are continuing to excavate a traders’ house unit within the Southeast Rowhouse. This summer we will be focusing on structural features: the two cellars and the north wall.
In both the central and the southeast cellars, remnants of the wood cellar walls are currently being exposed. The most interesting artifact of the season, so far, has been a six-sided gaming die found in the northern part of the central cellar. It is made of ivory or polished bone. Unlike the bone die found in this house in 2010, the pips on this die are in the standard pattern with opposing sides adding up to seven.
We expect to find evidence for the north wall of the house in our northern tier of squares. Currently the crew is excavating the layer of rubble from the 1781 demolition of the fort in this area. Unfortunately, they have to work around the stump of a tree planted in 1910 before the layout of the fort was known.
The excavation is located in the center of Colonial Michilimackinac. Guests can watch history being unearthed every day (weather permitting) through August 19. Follow this blog or MSHP’s social media channels for updates as the season progresses.
