Scope of Work

Limited Archaeological Excavations at the Sibley House

 

The Project

 

As soon as possible in the spring of 2004, the Minnesota Historical Society intends to replace a failed septic system with two new holding tank (?x?x?) west of the caretaker’s residence. As much as possible, one of the tanks will be placed into the location of the old septic tank, but  we believe the second tank will be placed into mostly undisturbed soil.  As well, in order to stabilize walls of the nearby well house, the upslope wall and the wall of one side will be opened to the base of the foundation about three feet out from the walls.

 

Archaeological Data Recovery

 

Work on this project will essentially involve excavating the holes for placement of the holding tanks and the trenches around the well house, processing materials recovered, and writing a report on the excavations.

 

Standard data recovery methods will be used, but at the discretion of the Principle Investigator. At minimum this means:

 

  • Units should be excavated in 10 cm levels unless natural or cultural stratigraphy indicate that another approach would be more useful.
  • Piece plotting of all artifacts and mapping of all features.
  • Photographs of each level (digital preferred) and feature.
  • All excavated soil should be run a sifter screen.
  • Collect soil and process soil samples as warranted by soils and features.
  • Radiocarbon dating should be used where samples warrant.

 

All artifacts will be processed according to MHS Museum Collections Department standards. Curation costs will be not be charged on this project because it is an internal project, but the contractor will need to make arrangements for the curation agreement.

 

The contractor will secure an archaeological license by application to the Office of the State Archaeologist of Minnesota before beginning excavations.

 

Prior Work at the Sibley House

 

Within the last decade, the Sibley House has seen several excavations associated with preservation and restoration projects and field training classes for students. The site is known to be deep, with cultural materials spanning from the region’s first human habitation through the time of the fur trade. Unfortunately, collections from these projects have been minimally processed and no reports have been completed. As described by the excavator, Robert Clouse, the site consists of a thin layer of cultural material near the surface, about 50 cm or sterile material, and then about a meter of Precontact  materials.

 

Related Considerations

 

Materials excavated earlier are accessible in Museum Collections at  the Minnesota History Center and at the Archaeology Department, Historic Fort Snelling. Associated documents, maps, photographs, and field notes are also available. Dr. Clouse has said that he would be available for questions or other consultations.

 

Once the sterile stratum(a) are confirmed, the excavator my employ mechanical methods (e.g., backhoe) for removing the level; an alternative would be to hand excavate the material rapidly by shovel.

 

Because of the malfunction of the septic system at the site, sewage may have contaminated soils around the old septic tank. Take necessary precautions to protect the safety of excavators in that area.

 

Depending on timing and weather, we ask that the contractor consider the possibility of using this project for public education about archaeology, working with the Site Manager and the MHS Archaeology Department. In particular, if the work is on-going during the May1-2 Archaeology Fair, we would hope that the site  could be used for visitation by fair-goers.

 

We intend that this work be completed as early as possible in the spring of 2004, with May 15 as a target date for completion of all field work. The report is due by September 1, 2004.

 

Bidders should inspect project maps or visit the site to get an idea of the amount of disturbance. Contact Sibley House Site Manager Kevin Maijala (kevin.maijala@mnhs.org) or Restoration & Construction Manager Tom Pfannenstiel (tom.pfannenstiel@mnhs.org or phone 651/297-4701) for questions about the project or to arrange a pre-bid site visit. Contact Archaeology Department Head Larry Zimmerman (larry.zimmerman@mnhs.org or phone 612-970-2843 for questions about the archaeology.