A classroom you can really dig

Students poke around in the ground Thursday near Valley Medical Center.

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Story Published: Oct 2, 2008 at 10:44 PM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 21, 2008 at 3:16 AM PDT

By Stephanie Smith

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LEWISTON - Lewiston students got down into the dirt Thursday to learn about archeology.

"This is the first day of a three-day field school for student and teacher archaeologists," said Steven Branting, consultant for the Lewiston School District Gifted and Innovative Programs. "We want to become involved in archeology to give us a better understanding of our local community, our region, archaeologically and historically."

Two students from each grade, seventh through tenth, participated in the study, along with two teachers and two archaeologists.

"Right now they are doing a survey of the surface for any unusual objects," said Branting. "They will put in a pink pin and that pin will say let's go back to here to investigate further. We are also looking for a pattern of those flags. If they tend to follow the ridge it tells where maybe things were left or there was a pathway."

Students looked for artifacts in a field near Valley Medical Center Thursday, as well as at Hells Gate State Park.

"We think we've got an archaeological site that was made several hundred years ago, in the stone age here in Lewiston," said archaeologist, Dr. Ken Reid. "We have found a few flakes of flint that look like they were made by humans, and the kids are doing a trans-sect survey at close intervals to see if they can find out were the edges of the site are and how big it is and who might have made it."

Friday the group will travel to the site of a Native American camp at Red Bird Beach. The kids said it is a one of a kind experience they just couldn't pass up.

"It's a completely new experience, like nothing I've ever done before," said 10th grader Christa Adams. "I was just interested in seeing what archeology is all about."

Branting said the study was made possible thanks to the Regional Pathology Lab, Idaho Power and an Innovative Grant from the governor's office.

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