Mai Wah Archaeological Dig

A pistol?

2007-09-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

This week Nicole cataloged a pistol, a whole opium pipe bowl, and the tiny medicine bottle made of clear glass with Chinese characters painted in gold on one side. She cataloged lots of other things as well, but those three items caught my eye as I walked through the mercantile where the cataloging is being done. Everything seems to be moving along smoothly. Renae comes in after school to wash and bag the artifacts, and Nicole is working during all of the hours the museum is open. There is just so much to be done that the visit from Priscilla Wegars will probably be put off until Spring. Yesterday, Mitzi came by to say that she would like to do one more small dig on a feature they uncovered just before her time ran out for digging in August. She believes that she can put together a small team of archaeologists to dig for three days later in September. That is really good news.

Harriet

Differences

2007-08-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

The cataloging continues. Yesterday Nicole cataloged a coffee pot and ink bottles made by Sanford and the Carter Ink Company. The bottle book says that the Carter Ink Company has made bottles "only" since 1858 which tells me the authors of the bottle book look at time in a very different way from the way I do.

We continue to have wonderful visitors at the museum who are curious about what was found. We have had archaeologists, and we have had "treasure" hunters, people who go out with metal detectors or garden tools to look for things from our past. The "treasure" hunters are sometimes puzzled by the items that are being cataloged. The archaeologists are not puzzled. I think the difference is that when they are digging, the "treasure" hunters are looking for the "Wow!" moments while the archaeologists are looking for the "hmmmm..." moments. I guess the archaeologists are trying to determine how people lived, and the "treasure" hunters are more interested in the wonderful things people made and used. The "treasure" hunters have brought in samples of their finds, and they are amazing. Of course the archaeologists love the "Wow!" moments as well...like when they found the tiny dice. I can't wait for Nicole to catalog them.

Harriet

Pork chop sandwiches?

2007-08-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last day of actual digging at the site. Today the archaeologists will map their progress. I am sad that they will stop now. I know this means that there are thousands of artifacts that will not be found. However, it also means that the project will move into a new phase that will be just as interesting as the dig itself. Now the archaeologists will begin to analyze what they have found.

I work in the Mai Wah Museum so I have spent most of the dig with my nose pressed against the window panes wondering what exciting things were happening across the street. Every afternoon, the dig crew has come into the museum with lots of little bags (and some big ones) filled with the things that were brought up out of the ground that day. Cataloging has begun, but for the most part, I will not see what is in those bags that make the museum look like it is running a sack lunch program until the final stages of the project. My curiosity has been peaked by the surface artifacts that are on display in the museum now, but I know some really great finds are tucked away in those little brown bags.

There are plans for presentations on the findings that will happen in September, October and November. The artifacts will be displayed and Mitzi will talk about what the finds mean. In October or November, Priscilla Wegars will visit. She is an expert on Asian artifacts from other digs that have been done in western Chinatowns. Maybe she will tell us what really was in those little medicine bottles. Lots of visitors have called them opium bottles, but I thought opium came in tins. Anyway, I know she will finish filling in the blanks for us.

I have loved all the bits and pieces of porcelain and pottery and the bottles. The archaeologists are also interested in other things. Max mentioned the pig's head in the last blog entry. I think the findings may indicate that there was just as much pork being consumed on Mercury Street when the Chinatown was still there as there is now at John's Pork Chop Sandwich shop which is quite a lot judging from the traffic on Mercury Street at lunch and dinner time. And just what are those little seeds that are pointed on both ends? I can't wait to find out. I hope we don't have to plant one to see what grows.

Harriet

2007-08-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

As of Aug.13th, we had broken our dry spell of not finding any noteworthy artifacts. A penny from 1925, an iron stove leg, and an entire pig skull were amongst some of the most significant finds of the past few days.
Those coming to visit the dig site have consistently been awed by what is transpiring in uptown Butte. A couple from Canada, as well as Huntsville, Alabama, were some of our visitors and were absolutely thrilled to witness an actual excavation.
This dig gives great credence to the historical integrity of uptown Butte, and judging by the public's general reaction, I expect any future archaeological digs in the future to be met with just as much enthusiasm from Butte residents and those who come to visit the city.

Max

2007-08-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

The excavation has been progressing rather uneventfully as of late. Our steadfast screener, Sam Schultz, has spent the last three days drawing blanks from his hours at the screen. A corroded bullet, an expanse of old cloth, a plethora of nails, and some old chicken and pig bones have been the only screen finds of note lately.
However, spectators have been steadily pouring in to come see the excavation site and learn about Butte's Chinese history. An archaeologist from Wolverhampton, England who is currently working on an Elizabethan era excavation back home stopped by to check out the dig and was very impressed. An old Butte miner also dropped in, and said that when he was a kid he would come to our exact same site and pick up old whiskey bottles to sell up the street.
All of the patrons have expressed a common sentiment that they wish the excavation would be able to continue until the site has been completely surveyed, and that they do not wish to see commercial development on such a historical property. Ideally, they would get their wish, but what the future holds for this patch of land remains a mystery as of now.

Max

No dinosaurs yet...

2007-08-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's been a few days since we updated; uptown Butte was pretty crazy with Knievel Days this past weekend. The archaeological dig has been exciting as well. Just in the past few days, Mitzi and the gang have uncovered more shoes, two soy sauce pots (these are my favorite!), a beautiful intact vase, several more bottles, a coin from 1901, and an intact bowl from an opium pipe.
In other exciting news, the dates for the dig have been extended! We now have until August 15th or 16th to excavate the site.
Today, the cast of Montana Today came by the site, and I had a lively talk with Monte about the history of the Chinese in Butte and the dig site. We'll be on the show this Friday, August 3rd, at 6:30 in the morning.
Remember that tours of the dig site are available from 10 to 4, Monday through Friday, and the Mai Wah Museum is open from 11 to 5 Tuesday through Saturday. See you there!

Sabrina

...And the dig goes on...

2007-07-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hello again! There seems to be no end to the amount of interesting objects that Mitzi, Kelli, Helen, and Sam are uncovering. This morning, while the MT Standard photographer/writer was onsite, an alarm clock was uncovered! Although rusty and not entirely intact, the clock was a great find. Just a little later, more clock parts, including many tiny gears, were found buried in a hat. Cool! Several bottles were also uncovered, including a three-sided bottle of sewing machine oil. Mitzi found very large shards of a very large hand-painted bowl, and we saw a few pieces of what appears to be bamboo. Although we didn't have very many visitors today, we had many discoveries.
The lack of visitors may be due to our lack of publicity, but that's all about to change. We've been on the news, and yesterday Hope Stockwell of MT Public Radio came by (we'll have a link to the MTPR broadcast soon!) and the Mai Wah Dig will be featured in the "Big Sky Living" section of the MT Standard this Sunday.
Don't let the wind, heat, rain, etc. keep you away; come visit us! Joining the team are Meghan (artifact washer) and Nicole (artifact documenter.) Come down and say hi!

Tap 'er Light,
Sabrina

2007-07-17T17:38:00.000-07:00

During the early part of the last century, Butte, MT, had over 100,000 residents, and 2000 were of Asian descent. Now, all that remains of Butte's Chinatown is a noodle parlor, a museum, and a handful of buildings. But under a vacant lot on W. Mercury St., evidence of Chinatown abounds, and is ready to be discovered.

Through teamwork between Silver Bow County, the Urban Revitalization Agency, and the Mai Wah Society, an archaeological dig has begun across the street from the Mai Wah Museum, and plenty has been found in these past few days.

So far, Mitzi Rosillon and her team (Kelli, Helen, & Sam) have uncovered numerous shards of hand-painted pottery, sections of opium pipes, fan tan gambling pieces, tiny medicine bottles, and an intact light bulb of hand-blown glass, originating from the 1910s. They've also uncovered a section of the foundation wall of the Chinese Baptist Mission, and evidence of several brick structures.

The dig site was home to log tenements, a small tin shop, and a corral by 1888, and by 1907, there were over 24 buildings on the half-block, including a restaurant, lodgings, various groceries, and the Baptist Mission. Unfortunately, every building on the lot was gone by the 1930s, due to fire or wrecking ball. A map from 1951 shows a bare lot- the only structure was a small office for the used car lot that inhabited the site. Chunks of concrete, believed to be the slab on which the office sat, were uncovered early in the archaeological dig process.

Today's best find was a working door handle and mounting plate (patented 1869) made out of either brass or copper. It was found attached to the remains of a wooden door near the primary feature of the dig.

We urge you to come see the dig site and check out what we've uncovered so far. Tours are currently available between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. And if you haven't explored the Mai Wah Museum, stop in across the street at 17 W. Mercury. The museum is open between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday. See you soon!

Sabrina- Public Information Officer

Breaking Ground

2007-07-16T02:32:00.001-07:00

We are very excited. While today is the first official day of the dig we have already made some wonderful finds. Check back here for the news from the dig.