Archaeological Completion Report Series, Number 8
“Between June and October 1983, prior to the building of the watermain and sewer line for the city of Mackinac Island, an archaeological survey of the area to be excavated was conducted. The significant Archaeological discoveries covered in the report include an U.S. military camp from the early 1820s.” – Richard Hathaway Michigan History
From the book: “It will therefore come as a surprise to read the following report because it deals totally and completely with salvage archaeology, a kind of field which is oftentimes anything but careful. Historical archaeology recently entered the field of salvage research … to best preserve knowledge which otherwise would be lost when modern development threatens archaeological resources.
[I] was informed that some of our resources doubtless would be affected adversely by the building of a new water and sewer system on Mackinac Island by the City of Mackinac Island. The scope of the project was staggering. Many professional colleagues recommended Professor Earl J. Prahl of the University of Michigan at Flint for the job because he has the acknowledged expertise and extensive experience in salvage archaeology.
Happily, Dr. Prahl contracted with the city authorities to do the project and spent a large part of the summer of 1983 directing the work on Mackinac Island. By winter, Dr. Prahl and his Caminos Associates …submitted a manuscript to the Office of Archaeology with resulted in the following report. It is presented here as an example of salvage archaeology with should serve as a model for similar projects.
