09/27/2007

Archaeology Day Set for October 7 at Colonial Michilimackinac

Mackinaw City, Mich. — As part of Michigan Archaeology Month in October, Mackinac State Historic Parks will present “Archaeology Day” at Colonial Michilimackinac on Sunday, October 7. The event is set to run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is included in the regular admission price of $10 for adults, $6 for youths (6-17), and free for children 5 and under.

Colonial Michilimackinac is the site of one of the nation’s longest ongoing archaeological digs, dating to 1959. The fortified trading village is a National Historic Landmark and has been painstakingly reconstructed based on the archaeological findings at the site. Interpreters dressed as British Redcoats and colonists populate the living history museum.

Archaeology Day will feature a special archaeology walking tour at 10:30 a.m. Visitors will be able to examine visible ruins revealed through archaeology within the fort as well as the “Treasures from the Sand” exhibit of artifacts on display in the
Northwest Rowhouse.

At 2:30 p.m., a slide presentation titled Archaeology at Michilimackinac will be shown in the church of Ste. Anne. Mackinac State Historic Parks Curator of Archaeology Dr. Lynn Evans will be available to field questions.  In addition, Mackinac State Historic Parks’ archaeologists will be on-site throughout the day demonstrating their science and answering visitor questions. 

Archaeology Day at Colonial Michilimackinac is just one of many activities, exhibits, and events occurring across the state in October to promote the study, preservation, and interpretation of Michigan’s archaeological resources. For more information on these events, visit the website of the Office of the State Archaeologist at http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17445_19273_19325---,00.html.

Mackinac State Historic Parks is a family of living history museums and nature parks in northern Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac and is an agency within the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Its sites—which are accredited by the American Association of Museums—include Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island State Park, and Historic Downtown on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek, and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City. Visitor information is available at 231-436-4100 or on the web at www.MackinacParks.com.