Media Advisory: Excavation of forts once visited by Lewis and Clark

June 15, 2021

Media Advisory: Excavation of forts once visited by Lewis and Clark

Archaeological students from seven universities, including Southern Illinois University Carbondale, have spent the past month at the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site in Randolph County excavating French and American forts once visited by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Students will be working at the site over the next two weeks.

The work by the 2021 SIU Carbondale Department of Anthropology Field School presents a great opportunity for reporters, photographers and news crews to visit the site during weekdays to gain insight into the forts. The archaeologists will also demonstrate sensing equipment including ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and gradiometers used in the work. The park is located at Fort Kaskaskia, 4372 Park Road, Ellis Grove, Illinois.

To arrange for interviews, contact Mark Wagner, director of the SIU Center for Archaeological Investigations and an associate professor in anthropology, at mjwagner@siu.edu , 618-521-9217 (cell phone) or 618-453-5031. Please contact Wagner in advance to arrange for a specific time.

Field school discovered American fort in 2017

Historians long believed that Fort Kaskaskia in Randolph County, Illinois, served as a fort for both 1750s French and early 1800s American troops. The most prominent event in the history of the fort was a visit by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1803 to recruit 11 soldiers for the expedition to explore the American West.

But after two seasons of work, the team of SIU archaeologists and students concluded that, in fact, two separate forts — one French and one American — were constructed near each other at what is now Fort Kaskaskia Historic Site. The two forts are separated in time by 45 years.

The 10 students excavating at both forts in the park are:

Southern Illinois University Carbondale: Nala Herrell, Jane Neubauer, Jeffrey Smith, Gabrielle Showalter.

Hood College: Gavin Turowski.

Mineral Area College: Joshua Reinbolt.

Purdue University: Jenny Torres.

University of Evansville: Sam Kastner.

University of Georgia: Cat Nienaber.

Wittenberg University: Riley Nagy.