Archaeoentomologists study insect remains in archaeological contexts to derive information about past environments, human behaviour, and cultural practices. Analyzing insects provides insights into hygiene, sanitation, health, funerary customs, and ecological conditions as human activities influence insect presence. Environments that inhibit the decomposition of organic materials allow for the preservation of insects, particularly those with chitinous exoskeletons like beetles. The 2021 excavation at Fort Carlton Provincial Park (FfNp-1) revealed well-preserved organic materials, including seeds, wood, birch bark objects, and leather, alongside portions of a floor highlighting the site’s potential for archaeoentomological research. The excavation of unit 32 in Block C in 2022 exposed additional sections of the preserved floor uncovered in 2021 and facilitated the collection of soil samples for subsequent analysis. The analysis of these samples resulted in the successful retrieval of insect remains. These remains, along with the discovery of delousing combs in the 2023 season, further attest to this site’s potential for detailed archaeoentomological research.

Fort Carlton is a fur-trade site located approximately 100 km north of Saskatoon, SK on the southern bank of the North Saskatchewan River. Established in 1810, it operated until 1885 as a provision center, mail hub, and trading post owned by the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). This site was excavated from 2021-2023 by the USask Department of Anthropology undergraduate field school and Saskatchewan Archaeological Society public volunteer programs. Analysis of faunal remains suggests that large artiodactyls were a major focus of subsistence activities undertaken at this location. However, remains of fish, birds, and other species were also recovered. The focus of this presentation is to discuss the role of fishing at this fort by using both zooarchaeological data and information available in the HBC journals. It will include information on quantities of fish remains recovered at the site, species present, their locations within the excavation units, and a summary of all fishing-related artifacts that were recovered. This data will be compared to the information about fishing mentioned in the historical records. Overall, this presentation will demonstrate a need in further research on roles of fishing at fur-trade era sites on the Canadian Plains.

In 1942, Arthur S. Morton visited and recorded the Hudson’s Bay Company’s (HBC) Carlton House II and the North West Company’s (NWC) South Branch House II (1805 to 1810).  No post journals exist for either post, a situation that makes the identification of this site rather difficult. 

A preliminary archaeological investigation of the assumed location of the trading posts was completed in 2018.  Based on the location and artifacts discovered, the site was formally recorded and provided with Borden number designation FeNm-208.

In 2022, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys were completed at FeNm-208.  Several features (i.e., building foundations, buried features) were identified along with portions of a well-defined stockade wall.  The GPR survey at FeNm-208 resulted in the collection of exceptional interpretive data.

A stockade wall has been identified along with several additional insights as to how the site area was used.  GPR data suggests various building stages, with buildings located outside of the stockade wall and overlapping with the stockade wall, which may suggest that these features are the remains of the original buildings (prior to the construction of the stockade wall), or most likely the re-use of the former trading post site area by early Métis settlers.  

When consulting archaeologists undertake areal studies, it provides an opportunity to investigate land use in a way that we typically don’t see with linear projects. While working on a large areal project west of the City of Calgary, Stantec archaeologists have had the opportunity to investigate several Euro-Canadian settlement period sites in the area. In some cases, descendants of these people were still actively ranching, offering a unique perspective on the sites and their rural community. This presentation will highlight interviews, the historic sites found during the multi-year project, and results from those that required mitigative excavation. Specific attention will be given to the Moose Hill Ranch, a homestead site where 3D scanning was conducted in partnership with the University of Calgary.

The Wellington Power Station was built in the late 1930’s to provide power to the Cominco Box Mine located southwest of Uranium City, Saskatchewan.  For two years, dozens of workers lived and worked in remote work camps building the dam, earthworks, and power station. Given the remote and inaccessible nature of the camps, some camp features have remained undisturbed since the camps were abandoned in 1939. Combining archaeological investigations with archival research allows us to reconstruct a snapshot of daily life at these late Depression Era work camps.