About me:
Hi there! My name is Mandy Newport, and I am an archaeologist and an educator. Like many others, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I made a significant life change. For thirteen years, I worked as a teacher in classrooms and museums. I loved my job. It was the perfect mix of challenging and fulfilling. However, I have always had a passion for exploring history and learning about the stories of humanity; needless to say, archaeology has always fascinated me. Working for the last seven years at an arts-based school for students with learning differences solidified my belief that hands-on learning is the best way to acquire knowledge. To me, archaeology and education fit together seamlessly. Archaeology offers a hands-on approach to history that is more engaging than traditional textbook learning. Kinesthetically connecting with the materials from our past is a unique experience that can stay with learners of all ages for a lifetime.I decided to examine some of the artifacts unearthed during the 2022 excavation and have created lesson plans, a blog series, a photo gallery, and more with the goal of enriching knowledge about what life was like in American boomtowns during the turn-of-the-century. I am motivated by obscure human stories and am resolute to shed light on stories that have been disregarded or have gone unnoticed. My chief objective is to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions by exploring the experiences of marginalized groups. For example, I am keen on acquiring knowledge about women's pivotal role in shaping boomtowns as well as the socialization patterns of African Americans barred from other saloons during this era. I heavily rely on material culture to explore these inquiries and challenge traditional notions.While working on my master's degree in Public Anthropology from American University (AU), I created the Winnipeg Junction Education Project. Though I was not involved in the MSUM field school, I collaborated with Dr. Zev Cossin, one of the excavation’s co-directors. Dr. Cossin procured half of the artifacts from the excavation for his students at AU to analyze in his archaeology lab.About the excavation that inspired this project:
During the summer of 2022, Dr. Amanda Butler and Dr. Zev Cossin led a group of archaeology students from Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) in an excavation of a saloon situated in Winnipeg Junction, Minnesota. Winnipeg Junction was a town where the Northern Pacific Railway split and continued onto Winnipeg, Canada. In 1897, Northern Pacific began laying down tracks and the population escalated as more people started moving to the area platted for three city blocks.At its peak, Winnipeg Junction was home to approximately 250 residents, albeit briefly. The town was situated on the site of an ancient glacial lake, Lake Agassiz, which caused the railroad tracks to sink and created a steep grade. Northern Pacific redirected the railway one mile north in 1908, leaving Winnipeg Junction without access to the railway. Eventually, the inhabitants relocated their homes to neighboring towns, resulting in Winnipeg Junction's abandonment and eventual classification as a ghost town.Over the 2022-2023 academic year, students from MSUM and American University (AU) in Washington, DC, analyzed the artifacts excavated from a trash midden previously used by Ole Gol's saloon and Theodore Johnson's restaurant. The students pieced together what life may have been like for the saloon and restaurant patrons by analyzing the unearthed artifacts, such as bottles, ceramics, and faunal remains. Some bottles contained engravings revealing their purpose and place of origin. Most goods were brought in via railway transportation. Some were from as far away as the eastern United States or Western Europe. Others were from as close as Fargo, North Dakota. (An interesting fact is that Minnesota and North Dakota had an unofficial reciprocal relationship at the time. During the late 19th century, North Dakota prohibited alcohol, while Minnesota outlawed prostitution. As a result, many individuals would cross the Red River of the North, which divided Moorhead, Minnesota, and Fargo, North Dakota, to purchase these legally. People in Winnipeg Junction's neighboring town, Hawley, had a similar idea. At the time, each township was given the chance to vote on whether to become dry or not. Winnipeg Junction voted to not become dry, while Hawley voted the opposite, leading Hawley residents to frequent the Winnipeg Junction saloons. Basically, people always find a way to get their vices. )
Photo Courtesy of the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County