Glenwood Archaeology

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About This Project

Funding for glenwoodarchaeology.com comes from an Iowa Department of Transportation Statewide Transportation Enhancement Grant awarded to The University of Iowa, Stephen C. Lensink, Principal Investigator. Preparation was under the direction of the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA), Director of Strategic Initiatives, Elizabeth Reetz. OSA staff who contributed their expertise and time to this project include: Elizabeth Reetz, Chérie Haury-Artz, Angela Collins, Mary De La Garza, Josiah Salisbury, Nicholas Alhambra, and Meagan Thies.

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site allowed us generous access to their earthlodge to collect photo and video footage. We could not have created our interactive earthlodge without the assistance of their staff.

Project Background

The U.S. 34 excavations took place more than 40 years ago. At that time, the National Historic Preservation Act was in its infancy. It required that support be provided for the excavation of sites endangered by projects that used Federal money, but no funding was allotted for the essential analysis and publication of the results. Over the years, archaeologists completed a few specialized scientific studies on portions of the U.S. 34 data recovery material; however, most of the data remained unanalyzed until the OSA was awarded a Statewide Transportation Enhancement grant, in late 2011.

Upon that award, a team of expert analysts and specialists was assembled to conduct in-depth scientific analyses of the U.S. 34 data recovery materials. Specialists assembled all of the surviving notes, photographs, maps, and other records and examined more than 83,000 artifacts. Although the sites were ultimately destroyed by construction, the valuable contributions of the early U.S. 34 excavations to our understanding of the Glenwood culture are, at last, available to all.

Contact Us

The OSA Education and Outreach program provides resources and opportunities for people of all ages to understand and appreciate Iowa’s archaeological heritage and preserve it for the future. The interest shown by educators, students, cultural and historical organizations, naturalists, the public and Iowa's descendant tribes guides these efforts. We can be contracted for the development of interpretive materials including websites and digital media, pamphlets and booklets, museum exhibitions, and interpretive displays. Additionally, we create curricula and resources for educators and offer a variety of statewide community and K-12 presentations and workshops.

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