Diggin’ it

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About a year and a half ago, Vic Brierley of Ossineke pulled an unusual looking item of refuse from a section of the Devil's River that snakes behind his house.

He wasn't sure what to make of the dark fragment with indentations on it, so for awhile, he left it lying on his coffee table. Brierley's wife, Lorraine, was inclined to believe the item was something merely pedestrian.

"I was looking at it and thinking it was a tire tread or something or that is was asphalt," she said.

When the couple attended a fund-raiser last November at the Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan, they decided to bring along their find on the off chance they could discover more about it. They were directed to Dr. Richard Clute, an archeologist and curator of anthropology on staff at the museum.

The Brierleys were in for a surprise. Clute informed them that what they were holding was a pottery shard believed to have been used by Middle Age Woodlands people who once inhabited the region many centuries ago.

"When we were told how many years old it was, we were shocked," Vic Brierley said.

According to Clute, patterns over time indicate that the Devil's River is cutting back into the bank, with about two feet of the bank being washed into the river approximately every 100 years. With this cutting away and erosion action, he said, finds like the Brierleys come to light.

"It's a ceramics piece with decoration that indicates Middle Age Woodlands, roughly 1,000 to 1,200 years ago," Clute said.

As interested as he was in the Brierleys' small discovery, Clute was even more enthused when he learned where the couple resides. Their property is located in a sensitive geological area of Ossineke around which previous sites inhabited by early man were identified in the 1930s by Gerald Haltiner and his son, Robert Haltiner. Ancient artifacts that the Haltiners unearthed over the years at those sites make up a major collection held at the Besser Museum.

The Brierleys' narrow strip of property had never been excavated before, so Clute sought permission from the couple to conduct an archeological field study there. Last week he led a small week-long class from Alpena Community College on a dig at the site, hoping to discover still more remnants from the past.

Terri Drake of Ossineke, Paige Brunning of Alpena, Ellie Zabourney of Posen and Jo McMillan, a teacher with Oscoda schools, were among the dig participants. The students were directed to dig down into the earth three inches at a time in square, carefully controlled and measured areas. As dirt was removed, it was placed in a shaker box with a screen that sifted out the loose dirt and left behind the larger pieces for further examination.

By mid-week, the students had found several more small ceramic shards and some fire cracked rock that is believed to indicate the existence of an ancient fire pit.

"This is something I always wanted to do my entire life," said McMillan, who shared her excitement over finding bits of pottery buried in the ground. "You carefully edge them out with a trowel, then brush them off and ease them out with a toothbrush. It's so exciting, even when it turns out to be just a rock."

Drake, who hopes to graduate from ACC next May with a liberal arts degree, considers the class her all-time favorite.

"When you find little things from time gone by, it's so exciting no matter what it is," Drake said. "It's the best class I've ever had."

From Clute's standpoint, the class was just as much about learning proper excavating techniques as it was about finding more artifacts. Although retired from teaching at ACC, each year he still leads a dig such as the one at the Brierleys as a summer course offering.

This was Clute's first opportunity to do a controlled excavation in the Ossineke area, although he has been called out in the past to verify remains of prehistoric people unearthed during utility company work. In the future, he hopes to do more excavations around Ossineke.

"We're looking for more locations in the area that have been undisturbed by residents' building activities or road crew activities," Clute said.

Any private property owners whose land fits those criteria and is willing to allow a dig is encouraged to contact Clute at the museum at 356-2202. Once the dig is completed, the disturbed land is restored to its former appearance.