Dr. Talva Jacobson works with students Brodee Dyck, Kylie Heringer, Eli Anderson and Annika Roem as they sort materials unearthed during a three-week archaeology field school at an historic stable located at the Medalta Historic Clay District.--NEWS PHOTOS BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
The public is not normally allowed to participate in an official archeological dig, however a team of four each week has been busy unearthing artifacts and debris at an old horse stable site in the Historic Clay District during an archaeology field school program led by Dr. Talva Jacobson, an archaeologist with 15 years of experience at Medalta.
The experience allowed people with an interest in archaeology and history but are not enrolled in a university program or a scientist, to participate in a hands-on archaeological recovery, using traditional and modern tools at a real site, held under a permit.
“It gives them a chance to come participate in something that maybe they’ve always wanted to try,” says Jacobson.
Beginning July 21, the three-week field school included the excavation of an historic stable used to shelter the draft horses employed at Medalta Potteries sometime between 1912 and 1954.
“It’s a real archeological recovery, those who are students will learn additional skills, they’ll learn from the historic archeological perspective, where they’re working with quite a bit more historical data in a place like this, because there’s so much of it,” said Jacobson.
Throughout the dig, participants handled the proper tools and were taught the entire process of excavating, site mapping, story building as documenting, cataloging and washing any artifacts and materials that were discovered.
Jacobson says the processes taught are similar to those used by scientists around the globe.
“The process is exactly the same, we develop our data, we grid out sites, we use our tape and our compass,” she said. “I’m getting the students to use some earlier technology like a transit and a tripod … it allows them to use the tools to take the measurements on the landscape and establish the co-ordinates of the site, they get their hands on the landscape.”
Artifacts and debris found by participants of the field school have a direct correlation with the stables history. Jacobson says her team was able to unearth evidence of fires that occurred after 1955, as well as farrier debris.
“We were looking for leather, we were looking for bits of material that might suggest what held the bridle together, horse nails or barbed wire indicating the stable location,” said Jacobson. “But we were also interested in debris, anything that may have been wood that was charred or broken, bits of certain types of pottery that could indicate a specific era in Medalta’s history.”
Participants praised the program for its hands-on experience and the opportunity to engage with local history.
“It has been so wonderful to be able to work with a professor that is not only hands-on but is happy to give students the ability to also learn some independence with the technologies that we’re using about Medalta,” said Brodee Dyck. “It really offers an amazing learning experience.”
Dyck, who recently finished a Bachelor’s of Arts in biological anthropology, was drawn to the program to gain a better understanding of the role horses played in the development of the province, particularly in rural environments and farms, before electricity had been established.
“Looking at horse pathologies, understanding how different morphologies can point to what a horse’s trajectory in life would have been for work,” said Dyck. “So that was one of the really compelling things about this field school.”
Participant Kylie Heringer told the News she’d had interest in archaeology since she was a kid but never had the opportunity to pursue the field further.
“It was just like a little dream come true for younger me, just being able to dig on the site and uncover various artifacts,” she said. “Dr. Jacobson, she really is an incredible teacher. I can’t say enough. She’s so patient and just so easy to work with and so knowledgeable about her field, it’s really amazing.”
Eli Anderson registered for the field school to learn more about the history of his home town from a new perspective.
“I didn’t have much experience coming into this, I didn’t know how most of it worked,” said Anderson. “But learning the techniques … It’s just as a whole, so fascinating, learning how each cog in the machine works in order to make something like Medalta have all the history that it has in it.
“As far an experience goes, incredibly valuable and incredibly informative.”
The horse stable is just one of several industrial heritage sites located on the Medicine Hat Clay Industries National Historic Site of Canada, and was chosen by former Medalta executive director Jack Forbbes, who passed away in 2019.
“This is something he’s always wanted to do. He didn’t have a chance to see it happen,” says Jacobson. “But when we had the opportunity to do a field school, we collaborated and thought the horse stable would be a nice touch, and some respect to the original team player, Jack Forbes.”
Moving forward, all artifacts and materials collected from the dig will be processed and analyzed. Jacobson says it can take several months before the official findings are released and cataloged.
Jacobson hopes to continue offering an annual summer excavation.
Medalta was able to keep costs of the program down due to a donation from an anonymous resident. The Medalta in the Historic Clay District typically operates on more than 40 per cent donations.
