Canadian Historic Sites: Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History No. 5

Excavations at Lower Fort Garry, 1965-1967; A General Description of Excavations and Preliminary Discussions

by James V. Chism

Preface

Lower Fort Garry (1K) is located on the left bank of the Red River 20 miles north of Winnipeg and five miles south of Selkirk, Manitoba (Fig. 1). This large 19th and early 20th century Hudson's Bay Company site is on Lot No. 131 of St. Andrew's Parish, and Lot No. 1 of St. Clement's Parish (Fig. 2). The site is considered to be bound on the west by Highway No. 9, although Watson's map of 1928 (Fig. 2, item 140) indicated a possible burial ground on Lot 1 of St. Clement's west of the highway.

1 Location of Lower Fort Garry, Manitoba. (click on image for a PDF version)

The University of Manitoba entered into a contract with the Research Division, National Historic Sites Service, National and Historic Parks Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, for the conducting of archaeological research on the site for the period 15 May 1965 to 15 May 1967. A further contract was negotiated to support additional research for the period 15 May 1967 to 15 May 1968. These activities were carried out for the University by the Department of Anthropology, Dr. William J. Mayer-Oakes, Professor and Head. James V. Chisin was the Research Associate charged with direction of the project.

This report summarizes the field work carried out over three years and presents some preliminary observations and discussions. More reports concerning the site are in progress, including artifact analysis and additional excavations. Final interpretation will only be possible in an additional publication.

Specimens, records and reports are deposited with the National Historic Sites Service, Ottawa, Ontario.

At this point, the reader requires an explanation of the philosophy of this report and its place in the series of reports related to Lower Fort Garry. Admittedly, the major aim of this exercise has been to describe and suggest the placement of certain archaeological features in as complete a framework of time as is possible in the present state of research on Lower Fort Garry. Although there are disadvantages in writing and publishing various segments of a total study as they become available, the reader will benefit from the faster availability of specialized reports. The writer finds it advantageous to be able to incorporate reports which have preceded his or to offer a few hypotheses knowing that they will probably be developed in reports to follow. Final discussion by the archaeologist will be in response to the accumulated reports, an advantage to both the archaeologist and the reader.

One disadvantage has been that the writer is somewhat unfair to the reader in his discussion of portable artifacts. The reader is not supplied with anything approaching full presentation of basic artifact data, and statements about dating ranges are largely unsubstantiated by reference to specific dating landmarks, especially when discussing ceramic objects. Neither is there any attempt to inform the reader of the full artifact inventory from each excavation. If certain artifact categories are obvious by their absence it is because they were either not helpful in dating or clarifying the function of a specific context, or it has been physically impractical to consider them at this time due to other pressing laboratory priorities.

The project has operated with the support of a host of institutions and individuals. The principal acknowledgement must go to the two contracting institutions. The Research Division of the National Historic Sites Service, acting in the interest of the Canadian public, provided funds, equipment and services toward research at the site. The University of Manitoba, on behalf of the Department of Anthropology, provided office and laboratory facilities as well as administrative services for the project.

Two individuals who have been of major importance to the project were Dr. W.J. Mayer-Oakes, of the Department of Anthropology, and Mr. John H. Rick, the Chief of Research for the National Historic Sites Service. Their administrative guidance was instrumental in the smooth operation of the project.

The project has benefitted from the general support given it by Mr. Jervis D. Swannack, Jr., Senior Archaeologist with the National Historic Sites Service. Indeed, the support given the project by the National Historic Sites Service was so generous and the cooperation with Manitoba staff was so close that one often felt the University and Ottawa staffs were one.

George Ingram, research historian on the Ottawa staff, provided innumerable details and suggestions beyond his prepared reports on the site and one received a clear impression from working with him of what teamwork between archaeologist and historian should involve. Jean-Pierre Cloutier, ceramics analyst on the Ottawa staff, spent considerable time and effort both in Ottawa and on repeated trips to Manitoba working on cataloguing problems with the laboratory staff, Iain Walker and Elizabeth Wylie took time from their immediate research projects in Ottawa to advise us concerning the cataloguing of clay pipe specimens. Olive Jones provided the project with valuable sources and suggestions based on her work with glass in Ottawa.

The project is deeply indebted to superintendents Barbara Johnstone and Norman McQueen and the staff of Lower Fort Garry National Historic Park. Their accommodation of the field parties has always been most satisfactory, despite the great inconvenience which 18 to 30 people must have been during the busiest season of the park year.

The project is grateful to Mr. Bowsfield and Mr. Bovey and their staff in the Public Archives of Manitoba for their helpfulness in obtaining research data. Also Mrs. Shirlee A. Smith, librarian for the Hudson's Bay Company has been most kind in supplying the project with data.

The writer has depended heavily on the good sense of his field and laboratory supervisors and acknowledges a personal gratitude to these individuals over the last three-year period.

Peter Priess served in the capacity of field supervisor during all three field seasons and informally as laboratory supervisor through the intervening winter seasons. William Morgan was the second field supervisor in 1965. They were ably assisted by Reva Robinson and Barbara Richards. Virginia Gerelus served as field supervisor with Priess in 1966. They were assisted by Bruce Morton and Wing Chow. Peter Priess was field supervisor in 1967 with the excellent assistance of Bruce Morton, Leigh Syms and Leo Pettipas. Joan Campbell was laboratory supervisor during the 1967 field season.

Project field photographer in 1965 was James Kepron and James Atkinson served in this capacity in 1966 and 1967. Frank Wagner attended to the project needs during the winter of 1967-68. Donna Morgan was responsible for a greater portion of the profile and plan drawings. Others contributing plans and profiles were Mari Watson, Signi Hanson, Wenda Davidson and Peter Priess. Ian Cameron produced an outstanding series of artifact illustrations for the project before her accidental death on 22 December 1967. Another excellent series of illustrations was executed by Caroline Maas in the spring of 1968.

Ceramic artifacts were catalogued and analyzed by Lynn Sussman with cataloguing assistance from Katherine Pettipas, Joan Campbell and Dorothy Martin. Glass was catalogued by Frances Roback, Susan Robinson and Jeanne Alyluia. Preliminary analysis was done by Olive Jones. Metal material was catalogued by Linda Rodzen, Peter Priess, Susan Ogilvey, Mary Lou Miller and Todd Gates. Peter Priess has provided a preliminary analysis of the nails. Miscellaneous specimens were catalogued by Jill Doolin and Peter Priess. Sou Walker catalogued the clay tobacco pipes from the 1965 and 1966 excavations. Carol Virr completed the cataloguing of pipes and Alison MacLean has done the analysis. These people worked long hours and in many instances had to develop their own standards of description.

A large number of persons have worked as excavators on the project and their general good attitude and willingness has been appreciated by both the supervisors and the archaeologist. The entire crew owes a debt of gratitude to Miss Anne Matt, whose generous and excellent meals reflected her years of experience, and to Lynn Creighton whose effort marked her as a home economics student of promise.

The project is indebted to Dr. Stephan Zoltai and the Canada Department of Forestry for field and laboratory identification of wood samples. They have been helpful in their interest in the general outcome of the project.

Finally, I am personally grateful to Mrs. Frances Ross who has dispatched so many administrative details for the project as well as typing various reports and early drafts of this report. Barbara MacIntyre and Mildred Clarke typed later revisions.