Iowa Archaeology Month 2004
¨LIFE IN THE ICE AGE¨


Artist: Michael Low, Colorado State University

September 18th– October 16th


Calendar of Events
MAJOR SPONSORS:
• University of Iowa-Office of the State Archaeologist • Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities •
Iowa Archeological Society • State Historical Society of Iowa • Association of Iowa Archaeologists •

Events are free of charge unless otherwise noted.
For updates or changes to the calendar, visit the OSA web site: www.uiowa.edu/~osa/
We discourage all buying, selling, and nonprofessional excavation of archaeological materials.

No financial appraisals at artifact road shows.


September
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
     

1 "Learning Native
American & Pioneer
History through
Archaeology"

- Jackson Junction

"Life in the Ice Age"
(exhibit)

- Iowa City

2 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

3 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

"Learning Native
American & Pioneer
HIstory through
Archaeology"

- Calmar

4 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

5 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

6 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

7 "Learning Native
American & Pioneer
History through
Archaeology"

- Ossian

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

8 "Learning Native
American & Pioneer
History through
Archaeology"

- West Union

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

9 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

10 "Learning Native
American & Pioneer
History through
Archaeology"

- New Hampton

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

11 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

12 Archaeology Day;
"The Woolly Mammoth"

- Ames area

Pioneet Craft Day:
Artifact Road Show
and "Life in the
Ice Age" exhibit

- Morrison

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

13 "Learning Native
American & Pioneer
History through
Archaeology"

- Waterloo

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

14 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

15 "Learning Native
American & Pioneer
History through
Archaeology"

- Colesburg

"Learning Native
American & Pioneer
History through
Archaeology"

- Manchester

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

16 "Learning Native
American & Pioneer
History through
Archaeology"

- Decorah

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

17 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

18 Historic Pottery Tour,
Exhibit, and Excavation

- Bonaparte

"Life in the Ice Age;"
"Giant Ground Sloth
Excavation in Southwest
Iowa: Megalonyx
Mania;" Native American
Cultural events

- Dubuque

Artifact Road Show
- Forest City

Archaeology Day
- Iowa Falls

"Early People in North
America"

- Iowa Falls

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

19 Historic Pottery
Tour, Ehibit, and
Excavation

- Bonaparte

Flintnapping
demonstration; Artifact
Collections; "An
AUKward Proposal:
European Origins for
Early People in
North America"

- Des Moines

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

20 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

21 "Giant Ground
Sloth Excavation in
Southwest Iowa:
Megalonyx Mania"

- Mt. Pleasant

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

22 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

23 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

24 Rendezvous
"School Day"

- Fort Atkinson

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

25 Artifact Road Show
- Anamosa area

Ft. Atkinson Rendezvous
- Fort Atkinson

Ft. Atkinson City Museum
displays

- Fort Atkinson

Open House at the Office
of the State Archaeologist

- Iowa City

Village Life at Toolesboro
- Toolesboro

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

26 "Giant Ground
Sloth Excavation in
Southwest Iowa:
Megalonyx Mania;" Time
Capsule; Flintknapping
demonstration; Iowa
Natural Heritage Foundation
25th Anniversary Program

- Cedar Rapids

Ft. Atkinson Rendezvous
- Fort Atkinson

Ft. Atkinson City
Museum displays

- Fort Atkinson

"I Know What They
Ate Last Night"

- Maquoketa

"A Fishy Story from
Iowa: Some Preliminary
Consideration of
Prehistoric Fishing
Practices on the
Eastern Prairie-Plains"

- Minburn

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

27 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

28 "Mammoths in
Boone County"

- Boone

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

29 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

30 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

   

October
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
          1 "Shackleton's Antartic
Adventure" opens

- Davenport

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

2 Campfire Talk
- Harpers Ferry

Archaeology Awareness
Day: Artifact Road Show,
Flintknapping demonstrations,
and "Peering into the
Pleistocene's Past"

- Ottumwa area

Slide presentation and discussion
- Harpers Ferry

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

3 "Life in the Ice Age;"
Time Capsule from the
Past: Iowa 13,000
years ago

- Davenport

"Shackleton's
Antartic Adventure"

- Davenport

"Giant Ground
Sloth Excavation
in Southwest Iowa:
Megalonyx Mania"

- Des Moines

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

4 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

5 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

6 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

7 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

8 Iowa Archaeology
Society Fall Meeting

- Decorah

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

9 Iowa Archaeology
Society Fall Meeting

- Decorah

Sny Magill Mound Hike;
Campfire talk for kids;
Effigy Mounds Chautauqua
Series; "Archaeology of the
Upper Mississippi Valley:
The Late Woodland/Oneota
Transition"

- Harpers Ferry

"Looking Back on Earth's
Creatures: The Ice Age
and Beyond"

- Iowa City

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

10 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

11 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

12 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

13 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

14 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

15 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

16 Archaeology Day:
Technology Demonstration,
Artifact Road Show, "Life
in the Ice Age"

- Chariton

Ferguson Bird Hike
- Harpers Ferry

"Looking Back at Earth's
Creatures: The Ice Age
and Beyond"

- Iowa City

Recording a Probable
Fish Weir

- Minburn

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

17 "Giant Ground
Sloth Excavation
in Southwest Iowa:
Megalonyx Mania"

- Red Oak

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

18 "Saving the
Past for the Future"

- Red Oak

"Life in the Ice Age"
- Red Oak

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

19 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

20 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

21 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

22 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

23 "Looking Back at
Earth's Creatures: The Ice
Age and Beyond"

- Iowa City

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

24 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

25 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

26 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

27 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

28 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

29 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

30 Evening Fire Point
Hike by Moonlight

- Harpers Ferry

"Looking Back at
Earth's Creatures: The Ice
Age and Beyond"

- Iowa City

"Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

31 "Life in the Ice
Age" (exhibit)

- Iowa City

           

Note: The events in Storm Lake, Buena Vista County are all in November and are not included here.

Click here for a printable copy of this calendar (in pdf form).

Choose one of these Iowa Archaeology Month resources: Paleo-Indian Bibliography or Paleo-Indian Lesson Plan.


Ames Area, Story County
Event: Archaeology Day; “The Woolly Mammoth”
Presenter: Bill Johnson, State Historical Museum
DATE: Sunday, September 12, 1-4 pm
Location: McFarland Park (northeast of Ames)
Address: 5646 180th Street
Host & Sponsor: Story County Conservation Board
Contact: Nan Ganske, (515) 232-2516 or ngeske@storycounty.com
Description: Bring the whole family to learn about prehistoric people and animals. There will be many
hands-on activities including pot making and reconstruction, looking at ice age mammals, dig boxes,
artifact identification, and making your own pictograph. Bill Johnson, Curator, State Historical Museum,
will be presenting about the woolly mammoth at 2 pm.

Back to calendar

Anamosa area, Jones County
Event: Artifact Road Show
Presenter: Stephen Lensink, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
DATE: Saturday, September 25, 10 am
Location: Central Park Nature Center
Address: 1215 Central Park Road: From Anamosa take Hwy. 64 heading east. Turn left onto the Amber
blacktop, X44. Turn right on the second gravel road on the right hand side. Notice the brown arrowhead
signs leading to Central Park Road and the park. Nature Center is on the north side of the park. Follow
signs in the park.
Host & Sponsor: Jones County Conservation Board
Contact: Michele Olson, (563) 487-3541 or jccb@netins.net
Description: Bring local artifacts for identification.

Back to calendar

Bonaparte, Van Buren County
Event: Historic Pottery Tour, Exhibit, and Excavation
Presenters: Maria Schroeder, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa; Marilyn and Donnie Thomas,
Bonaparte Pottery
DATE: Saturday, September 18, 9 am-5 pm and Sunday, September 19, 9am-4 pm
Location: Bonaparte Pottery
Address: 411 First Street
Host & Sponsor: Marilyn and Donnie Thomas
Contact: Marilyn or Donnie Thomas, (319) 592-3620
Description: Tour this 19th century pottery works and see excavation in progress on Saturday. On-site potters
will produce pottery replicating 19th century techniques including a limited edition of 150 numbered, commemorative
crocks for sale. Lunch available.
Cost: $3 per person. Proceeds support restoration of the pottery works.

Back to calendar

Boone, Boone County
Event: “Mammoths in Boone County”
Presenters: Matt Donovan, Iowa Department of Transportation; Charles Irwin, Boone County Historical Society
DATE: Tuesday, September 28, 7 pm
Location: Boone County Historical Society Museum
Address: 602 Story Street
Host & Sponsor: Boone County Historical Society
Contact: Charles Irwin, (515) 432-1907
Description: Powerpoint presentation, hands-on interactive, and tour of the Museum’s natural history collection.

Back to calendar

Calmar, Winneshiek County
Event: School Presentation - "Learning Native American & Pioneer History through Archaeology;
Reconstructing Fort Atkinson History through a Rendezvous".
Presenter: Al Becker (Ft. Atkinson historian)
DATE: Friday, September 3
Location: CFS Catholic School (6th grade students) - NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Description: presenter will be dressed in period costume. Rendezvous 'trade blanket' on display with
traditional items (traps, furs); hands-on examining of pioneer & Native American artifacts obtained from
archaeological "digs" conducted by the OSA/U of I around Ft. Atkinson; information on the history of the
military post of Ft. Atkinson and the Winnebago Indians that occupied the "neutral ground" in the 1840s;
student guessing game using pioneer artifacts (ie. stone foot warmer; river ice tongs; bee mask; rug beater; etc).

Back to calendar

Cedar Rapids Area, Linn County
Event: “Giant Ground Sloth Excavation in Southwest Iowa: Megalonyx Mania;” Time Capsule from the Past:
Iowa 13,000 Years Ago; Flintknapping demonstration; Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation 25th Anniversary Program
Presenters: Holmes Semken and David Brenzel, Department of Geoscience and Museum of Natural
History-University of Iowa; Mark Anderson, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa; Leah
Rogers, Tallgrass Historians Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 26, 1-4 pm
Location: Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center
Address: Follow signs from intersection of Blairs Ferry Road and Feather Ridge Road west of Cedar Rapids.
A map to Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center can be found at www.LinnCountyParks.com.
Host & Sponsor: Linn County Conservation Board
Contact: Gail Barels, (319) 892-6488 or gail.barels@linncounty.org
Description: Join the Linn County Conservation Board staff and other experts in discovering and
learning about Native American culture and archaeology. Enjoy free Native American foods and explore the
diverse areas once used by these peoples at Wickiup Hill. You can either hike the trails on your own or take
part in the guided tour to the Indian Mounds (about 2 miles there and back). Kids will enjoy the authentic
games and crafts, and everyone likes to try their hand at the spears and atlatls (spear throwers). Educational
speakers, Holmes Semken and David Brenzel of the University of Iowa, will give a presentation on the
giant ground sloth excavation in southwest Iowa at 2pm. Mark Anderson, also of the University of Iowa,
will give a flintknapping demonstration and talk about Paleoindians.
Cost: $2.50 (Adult), $1.00 (Children 16 & under), $5.00 (Family)

Back to calendar

Chariton, Lucas County
Event: Archaeology Day: Technology Demonstrations, Artifact Road Show, “Life in the Ice Age”
Presenters: Sarah Pitzen, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa; Tom Harvey, Iowa Archeological
Society-Central Iowa Chapter; Angela & Dave Parker, Mark Boswell, Iowa Archeological Society-Southeast Iowa Chapter
DATE: Saturday, October 16, 10 am-4 pm
Location: Pin Oak Lodge
Address: 1 mile south of Chariton on Highway 14
Host & Sponsor: Lucas County Conservation Board
Contact: Skylar Hobbs, (641) 774-2438 or lucasccb@iowatelcom.net
Description: Bring local artifacts for identification, demonstrations of flintknapping, and ground-stone tool making.

Back to calendar

Colesburg, Delaware County
Event: School Presentation - "Learning Native American & Pioneer History through Archaeology;
Reconstructing Fort Atkinson History through a Rendezvous".
Presenter: Al Becker (Ft. Atkinson historian)
DATE: Wednesday, September 15
Location: Edgewood-Colesburg Elementary School (5th grade students) - NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Description: presenter will be dressed in period costume. Rendezvous 'trade blanket' on display with traditional
items (traps, furs); hands-on examining of pioneer & NAtive American artifacts obtained from archaeological
"digs" conducted by the OSA/U of I around Ft. Atkinson; information on the history of the military post Ft.
Atkinson and the Winnebago Indians that occupied the "neutral ground" in the 1840s; student guessing game
using pioneer artifacts (ie. stone foot warmer; river ice tongs; bee mask; rug beater; etc).

Back to calendar

Davenport, Scott County
Event: “Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure”
DATE: Opens October 1, 2004
Sunday, October 3 and most days showings: 11:30, 1:30, and 3:45 pm

Location: IMAX Theatre, Putnam Museum
Address: 1717 West 12th Street, Davenport, IA, 52804
Host & Sponsor: Putnam Museum
Contact: Information Center, (563) 324-1933 ext.256
Description: Experience the extraordinary true story of the polar explorer and his 28 men, all of whom
survived nearly two years in the frigid Antarctic when their ship sank.
Cost: Children (3-12): $6.50, Adults: $8.50, Seniors (60+): $7.50

Back to calendar

Davenport, Scott County
Event: “Life in the Ice Age;” Time Capsule from the Past: Iowa 13,000 years ago
Presenter: Mark Anderson, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
DATE: Sunday, October 3, 2:30 pm
Location: Palmer Lecture Hall, Putnam Museum
Address: 1717 West 12th Street, Davenport, IA, 52804
Host & Sponsor: Putnam Museum
Contact: Ruth Ann Metsa, (563) 324-1054 or metsa@putnam.org
Description: When did people arrive in North America? How did people survive in the Ice Age in
Iowa? Mark Anderson, Project Archaeologist at the Office of the State Archaeologist and a specialist in
ancient technologies, will discuss some of the recent finds and current understandings focusing on Iowa
and the Upper Midwest. A Paleoindian time capsule on display will contain items you would need to
survive if you were a hunter or gatherer living in the Ice Age. Mr. Anderson is a flintknapper and will
demonstrate a bit of knapping as well.

Back to calendar

Decorah, Winneshiek County
Event: School Presentation - "Learning Native American & Pioneer History through Archaeology;
Reconstructing Fort Atkinson History through a Rendezvous".
Presenter: Al Becker (Ft. Atkinson historian)
DATE: Thursday, September 16
Location: St. Benedicts Elementary School (6th-8th grade students) - NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Description: presenter will be dressed in period costume. Rendezvous 'trade blanket' on display with traditional
items (traps, furs); hands-on examining of pioneer & NAtive American artifacts obtained from archaeological
"digs" conducted by the OSA/U of I around Ft. Atkinson; information on the history of the military post Ft.
Atkinson and the Winnebago Indians that occupied the "neutral ground" in the 1840s; student guessing game
using pioneer artifacts (ie. stone foot warmer; river ice tongs; bee mask; rug beater; etc).

Back to calendar

Decorah, Winneshiek County
Event: Iowa Archeological Society Fall Meeting
Presenters: Robert Boszhardt, Mississippi Valley Archaeological Center; John O. Anfinson, Mississippi
National River and Recreation Area; Iowa Archeological Society members
DATE: Friday and Saturday, October 8-9
Location: Luther College
Address: 700 College Drive, Luther College, Decorah
Host & Sponsor: Iowa Archeological Society-Orr Chapter, Bear Creek Archaeology, Mississippi Valley
Archaeological Center, and Luther College
Contact: Joe Thompson (BCA), (563) 547-4544 (day); Joe Tiffany (MVAC), (608) 785-6465 (day)
Description:
7:30 pm Friday: evening presentation by Robert Boszhardt: “Deep Cave Rock Art of the Upper Mississippi
Valley,” reception to follow, Recital Hall-Center for Faith and Life.
9 am Saturday, IAS meeting: presentations and artifact displays, Mott-Borlaug Room-Centennial Union.
10:30 am Saturday: “The Vanishing Landscape of Zebulon Pike,” by John O. Anfinson, Recital Hall-
Center for Faith and Life.
2-5 pm, IAS field trips: Sny Magill Mound Group tour, Effigy Mounds National Monument, led by Bob Palmer
(EMNM) and Bill Whittaker (UI-OSA); Historic Fort Crawford II tour, led by Vicki Twinde- Javner (MVAC).
Cost: Boszhardt presentation free; $10 registration for all Saturday events.

Back to calendar

Des Moines, Polk County
Event: Flintknapping demonstration; Artifact Collections; “An AUKward Proposal: European Origins for
Early People in North America”
Presenters: Dr. Bruce Bradley, Exeter University, United Kingdom; Iowa Archeological Society-Central
Iowa Chapter Members; Sarah Macht, State Historical Museum
DATE: Sunday, September 19, 1-4 pm
Location: State Historical Museum
Address: 600 East Locust
Host & Sponsor: State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa Archeological Society-Central Iowa Chapter, and
Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: Sarah Macht, (515) 242-5193 or sarah.macht@iowa.gov
Description: 1 pm presentation by Dr. Bradley in the Museum auditorium; 2-3 pm displays and discussion
by IAS members in the Heritage classroom; 3-4 pm flintknapping demonstration by Dr. Bradley and IAS
members; 1-4 pm prehistoric art for children in the Museum atrium.

Back to calendar

Des Moines, Polk County
Event: “Giant Ground Sloth Excavation in Southwest Iowa: Megalonyx Mania;” “Mammoth: Witness to Change ”
Presenters: Holmes Semken and David Brenzel, Department of Geoscience and Museum of Natural
History-University of Iowa; Bill Johnson, Curator, State Historical Museum
DATE: Sunday, October 3, 1-4 pm
Location: State Historical Museum
Address: 600 East Locust
Host & Sponsor: State Historical Society of Iowa and Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: Sarah Macht, (515) 242-5193 or sarah.macht@iowa.gov
Description: 1 pm presentation by David Brenzel and Holmes Semken, Museum auditorium; 2:30 pm
presentation by Bill Johnson, Museum gallery; 3 pm mammoth stories by Sarah Macht, main staircase; 1-4 pm
prehistoric art for children in the Museum atrium.

Back to calendar

Dubuque, Dubuque County
Event: “Life in the Ice Age;” “Giant Ground Sloth Excavation in Southwest Iowa: Megalonyx Mania;”
Native American Cultural events
Presenters: Mark Anderson, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa; David Brenzel,
Museum of Natural History-University of Iowa; Mark Wagner, National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
DATE: Saturday, September 18 (Museum Hours) 10 am-5 pm
Location: National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
Address: 350 East Third Street, Port of Dubuque
Host & Sponsor: National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium and Office of the State
Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: Mark Wagner, (563) 557-9545 or mdwagner@rivermuseum.com
Description: 11 am-1 pm: “Life in the Ice Age” presentation by Mark Anderson; 1-3 pm: “Giant Ground
Sloth Excavation” presentation by David Brenzel. This event is part of the “Native American Weekend”
programming Saturday and Sunday, which will also include Native American dancers and drummers,
storytellers, presenters, children’s crafts and more.
Cost: Museum admission: Adults $9.25, Seniors $8.25, Youth (7-17) $7.00, Children (3-6) $3.75

Back to calendar

Forest City, Winnebago County
Event: Artifact Road Show
Presenter: Dan Higginbottom, State Historic Preservation Office
DATE: Saturday, September 18, 1-3 pm
Location: Heritage Park
Address: South edge of Forest City, one quarter mile east of Highway 69 on County Road B14
Host & Sponsor: Winnebago County Conservation Board
Contact: Lisa Ralls, (641) 565-3390 or lralls@wctatel.net
Description: Bring local artifacts for identification. This event is a part of the Steam Threshing and Old
Iron Swap Days, September 17-19.
Cost: Adults $5, Youths (12-17) $2, Children under 12 Free. Admission fee covers all three days of events.

Back to calendar

Fort Atkinson, Winneshiek County
Event: Rendezvous “School Day”
Presenters: Multiple
DATE: Friday, September 24, 10:30 am-2 pm (students arriving from 9:30-10:30 will receive guided tours of
the military post grounds and buildings)

Location: Military post grounds in Ft. Atkinson
Address: 1st Street NW (buses enter at 8th Avenue)
Host & Sponsor: Ft. Atkinson Community and Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Contact: Al Becker, albecker@acegroup.cc
Description: Students will witness demonstrations of pioneer skills and crafts of the 1840s. All demonstrations are repeated on the half-hour.
Demonstration activities include military drill, flint and steel fire starting, musket firing, hawk (tomahawk) throwing, basket-making, use of pioneer
herbs and medicines, flintknapping, blacksmithing, and firing of the cannon. Students may walk among 140 tepees observing pioneer artifacts, furs
on trade blankets, and rendezvous participants dressed in pioneer costume. Meskwaki Indians will show how wickiups were constructed in the
mid-1800s. Presentations are geared to 3rd-9th graders, however all age levels are welcome. Over 1,000 students participate each year.
Cost: Free for students, teachers, bus drivers, and chaperones. Free Iowa Archaeology Month posters provided for each school. Time-period
frybread, root beer, kettle popcorn, beads/necklaces, animal furs and other souvenirs available for purchase.

Back to calendar

Fort Atkinson, Winneshiek County
Event: Ft. Atkinson Rendezvous
Presenters: Multiple
DATE: Saturday, September 25, 9:30 am-4:30 pm and
Sunday, September 26, 9 am-4 pm

Location: Military post grounds in Ft. Atkinson
Address: 1st Street NW (not accessible by car). Free shuttle bus service from downtown Ft. Atkinson to and from the fort.
Host & Sponsor: Ft. Atkinson Community and Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Contact: Ron Franzen, (563) 534-7514
Description: Re-creation of 1840s pioneer life. The frontier rendezvous setting will include 140 tepees and
lean-tos with trade blankets. Participants will be dressed in costumes of the time period. Visitors will
witness demonstrations of pioneer crafts and skills such as leather and beadwork, musket shooting,
blacksmithing, flint and steel fire starting, basket making, and military drills.
Cost: Free to visitors both days. Time-period food, drink, and souvenirs will be available for purchase.

Back to calendar

Fort Atkinson, Winneshiek County
Event: Ft. Atkinson City Museum displays
Presenters: Museum Committee members will be present to identify and discuss artifacts on display.
DATE: Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26, 12-4 pm
Location: Ft. Atkinson City Museum
Address: Corner of 302 10th Avenue and 3rd Street
Host & Sponsor: Ft. Atkinson City Museum Committee and Historic Preservation Commission
Contact: Al Becker, albecker@acegroup.cc
Description: Displays of artifacts from archaeological excavations held at the Turkey River Subagency,
Winnebago village and campsites, an 1840s trading post, and from “digs” within the fort stockade walls.
Visitors will be able to observe 20 Winnebago Indian portrait paintings on loan from David Lee Smith,
Winnebago Tribal Historian, of the Winnebago Indian Reservation in Nebraska. Winnebagos depicted
in the portraits are ancestors of the Winnebago tribe that lived in the “neutral ground” of the northeast
Iowa Territory during the 1840s.
Cost: Free to all visitors. A free-will donation jar will be available.

Back to calendar

Harpers Ferry, Allamakee County
Event: Campfire Talk
Presenters: Effigy Mounds National Monument Staff
DATE: Saturday, October 2, 6 pm
Location: Effigy Mounds National Monument
Address: 151 Highway 76
Host & Sponsor: Effigy Mounds National Monument
Contact: Visitors Center, (563) 873-3491
Cost: Park admission: $3 per person or $5 per vehicle
Description: Join the rangers around a campfire for
this program detailing the area’s colorful history.

Back to calendar

Harpers Ferry, Allamakee County
Event: Slide presentation and discussion
Presenters: Truman Lowe, Curator of Contemporary American Indian Arts, Smithsonian Institution,
National Museum of the American Indian and Professor of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison,
and Dr. Jo Ortel, Associate Professor of Art and Art History, Beloit College
DATE: Saturday, October 2, 1:30 p.m.
Location: Effigy Mounds National Monument Visitor Center Auditorium
Address: 151 Highway 76
Host & Sponsor: Effigy Mounds National Monument
Contact:Visitors Center, (563) 873-3491
Cost: Park admission: $3 per person or $5 per vehicle
Description: Lowe is an internationally acclaimed artist whose abstract sculptures of stripped willow
branches and milled wood evoke the movement of rivers and streams, and the structures of the Wisconsin
woodlands. Lowe will be joined by Dr. Ortel who recently penned a book on the works and life of Lowe
entitled Woodland Reflections: The Art of Truman Lowe. His book examines the contemporary fine art of
Truman Lowe, a Native American sculptor whose large, abstract works in wood and metal are influenced
by the natural world and the Ho-Chunk culture in which he was raised.

Back to calendar

Harpers Ferry, Allamakee County
Event: Sny Magill Mound Hike; Campfire talk for kids; Effigy Mounds Chautauqua Series, “Archaeology
of the Upper Mississippi Valley: The Late Woodland/Oneota Transition”
Presenters: Robert Boszhardt, Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center; Effigy Mounds National Monument Staff
DATE: Saturday, October 9
Location: Effigy Mounds National Monument Visitors Center
Address: 151 Highway 76
Host & Sponsor: Effigy Mounds National Monument
Contact: Visitors Center, (563) 873-3491
Cost: Park admission: $3 per person or $5 per vehicle
Description: At 2 pm is a rare chance to be led through our largest mound group, please register for
the hike with the Visitors Center. Children can join the ranger for an hour of storytelling around a campfire in
our new village area at 5:30 pm. At 7 pm, Robert “Ernie” Boszhardt will give a presentation for the
Chautauqua Series on the archaeology of the Upper Mississippi River valley.

Back to calendar

Harpers Ferry, Allamakee County
Event: Ferguson Bird Hike
Presenters: Effigy Mounds National Monument Staff
DATE: Saturday, October 16, 10 am-1 pm
Location: Effigy Mounds National Monument
Address: 151 Highway 76
Host & Sponsor: Effigy Mounds National Monument
Contact: Visitors Center, (563) 873-3491
Cost: Park admission: $3 per person or $5 per vehicle
Description: Join a ranger for a hike to the Ferguson Bird Mound, a rarely seen isolated mound near the
Yellow River. This hike begins with the Yellow River Trail and continues down the old county road to a
section rarely seen by visitors.

Back to calendar

Harpers Ferry, Allamakee County
Event: Evening Fire Point Hike by Moonlight
Presenters: Effigy Mounds National Monument Staff
DATE: Saturday, October 30, 6 pm
Location: Effigy Mounds National Monument
Address: 151 Highway 76
Host & Sponsor: Effigy Mounds National Monument
Contact: Visitors Center, (563) 873-3491
Cost: Park admission: $3 per person or $5 per vehicle

Back to calendar

Iowa City, Johnson County
Event: Open House at the Office of the State Archaeologist
Presenters: John Cordell, Lynn Alex, and Sarah Pitzen, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of
Iowa
DATE: Saturday, September 25, 1-3 pm
Location: Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Address: 700 South Clinton Street
Host & Sponsor: Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: John Cordell, (319) 384-0741 or john-cordell@uiowa.edu
Description: Curation and laboratory facilities will be open for view. Artifacts including the collection from
the only excavated early Paleoindian site in Iowa will be on display. Collect a free Iowa Archaeology Month
2004 poster. Refreshments will be served. Sign in and have a chance to win a free t-shirt!

Back to calendar

Iowa City, Johnson County
Exhibit: “Life in the Ice Age”
Presenters: Office of the State Archaeologist, Department of Geosciences, and Museum of Natural History-
University of Iowa
DATE: September-October 2004
Location:Iowa City Public Library
Address: 123 South Linn Street
Host & Sponsor: Iowa City Public Library
Contact: Children’s Room desk, (319) 356-5200 ext.3402; Debbie Dunn, (319) 887-6028 or ddunn@icpl.org
Description: This exhibit will highlight the archaeology, paleontology, and geology of Iowa during the Ice
Age. Included will be artifacts and fossils from past and current Ice Age finds and excavations in Iowa and
relevant reading materials.

Back to calendar

Iowa City, Johnson County
Event: “Looking Back at Earth’s Creatures: The Ice Age and Beyond”
Presentation: “The Ice Age: World of the Giant Sloth”
Presenter: Don “The Fossil Guy” Johnson
DATE: Saturday, October 9, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm
Location: Room 112, Macbride Hall, Museum of Natural History-University of Iowa
Address: Clinton Street, adjacent to the Old Capitol
Host & Sponsor: Museum of Natural History and Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: David Brenzel, (319) 335-0482
Description: Ice Age mammals of the Pleistocene.

Back to calendar

Iowa City, Johnson County
Event: “Looking Back at Earth’s Creatures: The Ice Age and Beyond”
Presentation: “The Ice Age: Megafauna and People”
Presenter: Mark Anderson, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
DATE: Saturday, October 16, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm
Location: Auditorium of Macbride Hall, Museum of Natural History-University of Iowa
Address: Clinton Street, adjacent to the Old Capitol
Host & Sponsor: Museum of Natural History and Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: David Brenzel, (319) 335-0482
Description: How big creatures were hunted, killed, and eaten by humans.

Back to calendar

Iowa City, Johnson County
EventT: “Looking Back at Earth’s Creatures: The Ice Age and Beyond”
Presentation: “Top Cat: #1 Predator in the Ice Age”
Presenter:Don “The Fossil Guy” Johnson
DATE: Saturday, October 23, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm
Location: Auditorium of Macbride Hall, Museum of Natural History-University of Iowa
Address:Clinton Street, adjacent to the Old Capitol
Host & Sponsor: Museum of Natural History and Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: David Brenzel, (319) 335-0482
Description: Sabertooth cats of the Pleistocene, Oligocene, and today.

Back to calendar

Iowa City, Johnson County
Event: “Looking Back at Earth’s Creatures: The Ice Age and Beyond”
Presentation: “The Ice Age: Mammoths, Mastodons, and Humans”
Presenter: Mark Anderson, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
DATE: Saturday, October 30, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm
Location: Auditorium of Macbride Hall, Museum of Natural History-University of Iowa
Address: Clinton Street, adjacent to the Old Capitol
Host & Sponsor: Museum of Natural History and Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: David Brenzel, (319) 335-0482
Description: Learn about life in the Ice Age.

Back to calendar

*Iowa Falls, Hardin County*
Event: Archaeology Day
Presenters: Dr. Bruce Bradley, Exeter University, United Kingdom; Lynn Alex and Steve Lensink, Office
of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa; Hardin County Conservation Board staff
DATE: Saturday, September 18, 2-6 pm
Location: Natural History Museum, Calkins Nature Center
Address: 18335 135th Street
Host & Sponsor: Hardin County Conservation Board and Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: Wes Wiese, (641) 648-9878
Description: Bring local artifacts for identification, use an atlatl (spear thrower) to aim at an Ice Age mammoth,
stone tool-making demonstration by Dr. Bruce Bradley, Ice Age exhibit, kids activities, a Plains tepee, and more.

Back to calendar

*Iowa Falls, Hardin County*
Event: “Early People in North America”
Presenter: Dr. Bruce Bradley, Exeter University, United Kingdom
DATE: Saturday, September 18, 5 pm
Location: Natural History Museum, Calkins Nature Center
Address: 18335 135th Street
Host & Sponsor: Hardin County Conservation Board and Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: Wes Wiese, (641) 648-9878
Description: Where did the first Americans come from? Recent archaeological evidence may surprise you.

Back to calendar

Jackson Junction, Waucoma County
Event: School Presentation - "Learning Native American & Pioneer History through Archaeology;
Reconstructing Fort Atkinson History through a Rendezvous".
Presenter: Al Becker (Ft. Atkinson historian)
DATE: Wednesday, September 1
Location: Turkey Valley Community School (4th, 5th, & 8th grade students) - NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Description: presenter will be dressed in period costume. Rendezvous 'trade blanket' on display with traditional
items (traps, furs); hands-on examining of pioneer & NAtive American artifacts obtained from archaeological
"digs" conducted by the OSA/U of I around Ft. Atkinson; information on the history of the military post Ft.
Atkinson and the Winnebago Indians that occupied the "neutral ground" in the 1840s; student guessing game
using pioneer artifacts (ie. stone foot warmer; river ice tongs; bee mask; rug beater; etc).

Back to calendar

Manchester, Delaware County
Event: School Presentation - "Learning Native American & Pioneer History through Archaeology;
Reconstructing Fort Atkinson History through a Rendezvous".
Presenter: Al Becker (Ft. Atkinson historian)
DATE: Wednesday, September 15
Location: St. Mary's Catholic School (5th grade students) - NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Description: presenter will be dressed in period costume. Rendezvous 'trade blanket' on display with traditional
items (traps, furs); hands-on examining of pioneer & Native American artifacts obtained from archaeological
"digs" conducted by the OSA/U of I around Ft. Atkinson; information on the history of the military post Ft.
Atkinson and the Winnebago Indians that occupied the "neutral ground" in the 1840s; student guessing game
using pioneer artifacts (ie. stone foot warmer; river ice tongs; bee mask; rug beater; etc).

Back to calendar

Maquoketa, Jackson County
Event: “I Know What They Ate Last Night”
Presenter: Lynn Alex, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
DATE: Sunday, September 26, 1 pm
Location: Hurstville Interpretive Center
Address: 18670 63rd Street
Host & Sponsor: Jackson County Conservation Board
Contact: Ann Burns, (563) 652-3783
Description: What did the ancient peoples of Iowa eat? How do we know?

Back to calendar

Minburn, Dallas County
Event: “A Fishy Story from Iowa: Some Preliminary Considerations of Prehistoric Fishing Practices on the
Eastern Prairie-Plains”
Presenter: Douglas Jones, State Historic Preservation Office-State Historical Society of Iowa
DATE: Sunday, September 26, 1:30 pm
Location:Voas Nature Area
Address:2 miles west of Minburn
Host & Sponsor: Dallas County Conservation Board and Iowa Archeological Society-Central Chapter
Contact: Pete Malmberg, (515) 465-3577 or www.dallascountyconservation.org; Doug Jones,
(515)281-4358 or doug.jones@iowa.gov
Description: A reconsideration of the archaeological evidence for fishing activities in Iowa will be presented.

Back to calendar

Minburn, Dallas County
Event: Recording a Probable Fish Weir (field project)
Presenter: Douglas Jones, State Historic Preservation Office-State Historical Society of Iowa
DATE: Saturday, October 16, weather pending
Location: Voas Nature Center
Address: 2 miles west of Minburn
Host & Sponsor: Dallas County Conservation Board and Iowa Archeological Society-Central Chapter
Contact: Doug Jones, (515) 281-4358 or doug.jones@iowa.gov
Description: The archaeological fieldwork will be conducted by Doug Jones and a group of no more
than 15 volunteers. Volunteers should bring appropriate wet gear (boots, coat, water resistant clothing) and
lunch. Volunteers need to be fairly mobile and agile as movement in the water and on the structure may be
difficult at times and transportation to the site will more than likely be by canoes and boats. Volunteers
must preregister with Doug Jones to participate in the recordation activities as there is limited space. Further
details about the archaeological fieldwork and the Fall Canoe Float in October will be posted on the Iowa
Archeological Society and Dallas County Conservation Board websites.

Back to calendar

Morrison, Grundy County
Event: Pioneer Craft Day: Artifact Road Show and “Life in the Ice Age” exhibit
Presenter: Sarah Pitzen, Office of the State Archaeologist - University of Iowa
DATE: Sunday, September 12, 11 am-4 pm
Location: Grundy County Heritage Museum
Address: 204 Fourth Street
Host& Sponsor: Grundy County Conservation Board
Contact: Kevin Williams, (319) 345-2688 or gccb@staroute.com
Description: Bring local artifacts for identification at 1pm or 3pm, and view “Life in the Ice Age” exhibit.

Back to calendar

Mt. Pleasant, Henry County
Event: “Giant Ground Sloth Excavation in Southwest Iowa: Megalonyx Mania”
Presenters: Holmes Semken and David Brenzel, Department of Geoscience and Museum of Natural
History-University of Iowa
DATE: Tuesday, September 21, 7 pm
Location: Old Threshers Theater and Museum
Address: Threshers Road, south of the Old Threshers grounds or McMillian Park
Host & Sponsor: Henry County Nature Club (Viola King, President), Henry County Conservation Board
(Joe Dixon, Conservationist), and Old Threshers Reunion (Lennis Moore, CEO and Administrator)
Contact: Jim Cisco, (319) 385-1918 or jacisco@aol.com
Description: A presentation on the current University of Iowa excavation of an Ice Age giant ground sloth
(Megalonyx jeffersoni) in Page County.

Back to calendar

New Hampton, Chickasaw County
Event: School Presentation - "Learning Native American & Pioneer History through Archaeology;
Reconstructing Fort Atkinson History through a Rendezvous".
Presenter: Al Becker (Ft. Atkinson historian)
DATE: Friday, September 10
Location: New Hampton Elementary School (4th grade students; pre-school students) - NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Description: presenter will be dressed in period costume. Rendezvous 'trade blanket' on display with traditional
items (traps, furs); hands-on examining of pioneer & NAtive American artifacts obtained from archaeological
"digs" conducted by the OSA/U of I around Ft. Atkinson; information on the history of the military post Ft.
Atkinson and the Winnebago Indians that occupied the "neutral ground" in the 1840s; student guessing game
using pioneer artifacts (ie. stone foot warmer; river ice tongs; bee mask; rug beater; etc).

Back to calendar

Ossian, Winneshiek County
Event: School Presentation - "Learning Native American & Pioneer History through Archaeology;
Reconstructing Fort Atkinson History through a Rendezvous".
Presenter: Al Becker (Ft. Atkinson historian)
DATE: Tuesday, September 7
Location: South Winneshiek Junior High School (8th grade students) - NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Description: presenter will be dressed in period costume. Rendezvous 'trade blanket' on display with traditional
items (traps, furs); hands-on examining of pioneer & NAtive American artifacts obtained from archaeological
"digs" conducted by the OSA/U of I around Ft. Atkinson; information on the history of the military post Ft.
Atkinson and the Winnebago Indians that occupied the "neutral ground" in the 1840s; student guessing game
using pioneer artifacts (ie. stone foot warmer; river ice tongs; bee mask; rug beater; etc).

Back to calendar

Ottumwa Area, Wapello County
Event: Archaeology Awareness Day: Artifact Road Show, Flintknapping demonstrations, and “Peering
into the Pleistocene’s Past: Proboscidians and their Projectile-Packing Peripatetic Pursuers”
Presenters: Lynn Alex, Steven Lensink, and Sarah Pitzen, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of
Iowa; Tom Harvey, Iowa Archeological Society-Central Chapter; Mark Boswell, Angela and Dave
Parker, Iowa Archeological Society-Southeast Chapter
DATE: Saturday, October 2, 10 am-2 pm
Location: Pioneer Ridge Nature Center
Address:7 miles south of Ottumwa on Highway 63
Host & Sponsor: Iowa Archeological Society-Southeast Chapter and Wapello County Conservation Board
Contact: Bill Anderson (IAS), (319) 456-3911; Kurt Baker (Pioneer Ridge), (641) 682-3091
Description: Bring collections for display and identification, Presentations in the AM, potluck lunch,
demonstrations in the AM and PM.

Back to calendar

Red Oak, Montgomery County
Event: “Giant Ground Sloth Excavation in Southwest Iowa: Megalonyx Mania”
Presenters: Holmes Semken and David Brenzel, Department of Geoscience and Museum of Natural
History-University of Iowa
DATE : Sunday, October 17, 2 pm
Location: The History Center
Address: 2700 North Fourth Street
Host & Sponsor: The History Center and Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: Bettie McKenzie, (712) 623-2289 or bmckenz@redoak.heartland.net
Description: A presentation on the current University of Iowa excavation of an Ice Age giant ground sloth
(Megalonyx jeffersoni) in Page County.

Back to calendar

Red Oak, Montgomery County
Event: “Saving the Past for the Future”
Presenter: Lynn Alex, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
DATE : Monday, October 18, Noon
Location: Firehouse Brewery and Restaurant
Address: 4th and Washington
Host & Sponsor: Red Oak Kiwanis and Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: Ron DeMarce, (712) 623-3197

Back to calendar

Red Oak, Montgomery County
Event: “Life in the Ice Age”
Presenters: Lynn Alex and Sarah Pitzen, Office of the State Archaeologist-University of Iowa
DATE: Monday October 18
Location: Area elementary and middle schools
Host & Sponsor: Washington Elementary School, Red Oak Middle School, and Office of the State
Archaeologist-University of Iowa
Contact: Barb Sims, (712) 623-6620
Description: For students and teachers only.

Back to calendar

Toolesboro, Louisa County
Event: Village Life at Toolesboro
Presenters: Kathy Dice and Tessa Pugh, Louisa County Conservation Board
DATE : Saturday, September 25, 1-2:30 pm
Location: Toolesboro Indian Mounds Museum
Address: Highway 99
Host & Sponsor: Louisa County Conservation Board
Contact: Kathy Dice, (319) 523-8381 or kathy_dice@yahoo.com
Description: Bring the family to experience some of the daily activities for the people of the mounds 2,000
years ago. Adults and children will get to grind corn, crack nuts, cut squash using shells, scrape deer hides,
use spear throwers, make bone garden tools, make paint, work on gourd bowls and much more. Children
under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
Cost: Suggested donation of $1 per person.

Back to calendar

Waterloo, Black Hawk County
Event: School Presentation - "Learning Native American & Pioneer History through Archaeology;
Reconstructing Fort Atkinson History through a Rendezvous".
Presenter: Al Becker (Ft. Atkinson historian)
DATE: Monday, September 13
Location: Longfellow Elementary School; Irving Elementary School; Kittrell Elementary School
5th grade students) - NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Description: presenter will be dressed in period costume. Rendezvous 'trade blanket' on display with traditional
items (traps, furs); hands-on examining of pioneer & NAtive American artifacts obtained from archaeological
"digs" conducted by the OSA/U of I around Ft. Atkinson; information on the history of the military post Ft.
Atkinson and the Winnebago Indians that occupied the "neutral ground" in the 1840s; student guessing game
using pioneer artifacts (ie. stone foot warmer; river ice tongs; bee mask; rug beater; etc).

Back to calendar

West Union, Fayette County
Event: School Presentation - "Learning Native American & Pioneer History through Archaeology;
Reconstructing Fort Atkinson History through a Rendezvous".
Presenter: Al Becker (Ft. Atkinson historian)
DATE: Wednesday, September 8
Location: North Fayette Middle School (8th grade students; pre-school students) - NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Description: presenter will be dressed in period costume. Rendezvous 'trade blanket' on display with traditional
items (traps, furs); hands-on examining of pioneer & NAtive American artifacts obtained from archaeological
"digs" conducted by the OSA/U of I around Ft. Atkinson; information on the history of the military post Ft.
Atkinson and the Winnebago Indians that occupied the "neutral ground" in the 1840s; student guessing game
using pioneer artifacts (ie. stone foot warmer; river ice tongs; bee mask; rug beater; etc).

Back to calendar

 


Updated by Tricia R. Bender, Web Designer
Mary De La Garza, Web Master
October 2008

Click here to go back
to the OSA home page.

Click here to go back to the
University of Iowa website.