Thursday, May 25, 2006
Archaeologist Dr. Julie Stein will discuss archaeological investigations of ancient cultures at American Camp and San Juan Island in a guided walk scheduled 10 a.m., Sunday, June 4 at American Camp’s South Beach site. The walk is free and meets at Alaska Packer’s Rock, located at the end of the gravel access road that parallels the beach. Attendees should plan to park in the main beach parking area at the end of Pickett’s Lane and walk to the meeting point. As the walk will cover a portion of the prairie above the beach, walkers should wear sturdy, comfortable shoes.
Stein is executive director of the University of Washington's Burke Museum and author of Exploring Coast Salish Prehistory: The Archaeology of the San Juan Islands (University of Washington Press, $17.95. The book explores Coast Salish culture through excavations conducted by University of Washington crews at American and English camps going back to the early 1950s.
Stein’s talk will focus on ancient life at South Beach, which included hunting and gathering, camping, several forms of fishing and cultivation of camas and other root foods. She also will discuss middens, or trash mounds, located in several areas along the beach that have remained remarkably in evidence over time.
The middens have revealed a picture of ancient life at American Camp going back as far as 8,000 years, according to Stein. Stein’s program is the first in a series of programs to be presented by the park during the 2006 summer season.
Other June programs include: “Birds of American Camp” bird walk with Barbara Jensen, 7:30 a.m., also Sunday, June 4.
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