2005 OU Field School
At the Certain Site Late Archaic Bison Kill
Western Oklahoma

June 6, 2005 – July 1, 2005

Excavate at 2000 year old bison kills at the largest bison kill site on the southern Plains.  Excavations will target deep gully kill locations ad the bottom of a cliff jump.  Key goals include the segregation of kill, butchering, and gully wash bone piles within the gullies as well as identifying activity areas outside the gully.  Students will learn techniques of bonebed excavation, electronic mapping, GPS techniques, and survey.  Field trips will be taken to nearby prehistoric sites and the Paleoindian bison kills at the Cooper and Jake Bluff sites.

Credit – 4 hours

Call or email for additional information:

Leland Bement
Oklahoma Archeological Survey                       (405) 325-7211
111 E. Chesapeake, Rm 102                            lbement@ou.edu
Norman, OK  73019

If you are interested in attending the 2005 Field School, please fill out a pre-registration form. The form may be filled out online or you may print (.pdf file) out the form and mail to:

Dr. Leland Bement
Oklahoma Archeological Survey
111 E. Chesapeake, Rm 102
Norman, OK  73019

General Information:

The field school consists of a four week field session from June 6, 2005  to July 1, 2005.  It is located in western Oklahoma near the town of Elk City.  The Flying W Guest Ranch will serve as the base of operations and provides water, electricity and cooking facilities.  We will be sleeping in tents in the area around a fully outfitted field house.  You will need to bring a tent and bedding.

We will be doing our own cooking.  Breakfast and lunch food is the responsibility of each participant.  The evening meal, however, is a group activity and we will make out a dinner selection for the week, have everyone pitch in to pay for it and take turns cooking. 

The typical schedule of activities will be the early morning rising to eat breakfast, prepare an on-site lunch, and head over to the site by 7:30.  We will spend most of the day excavating, and return to camp at 4:00.  The evening will consist of dinner and occasionally, lectures or field trips.  There will be plenty of time for cleanup (showers etc.)

In general we work Monday through Friday with weekends off.  This provides a break for participants.  However, many choose not to leave and the house/camp is available to those that wish to stay or have nowhere to go. 

Each participant is expected to keep a daily journal which will be collected and reviewed midway through the field school and again at the end of the field school. 

Student’s grades rely on the attitude and participation of each student in all aspects of the field school experience.  The goal of this class is to teach field techniques, which include aspects of living in a field camp. 

Elk City is a medium size town.  It has a hospital although we haven’t had to use its services and don’t intend to this year either. 

TUITION INFORMATION:

We offer up to 4 upper division credit hours to students.  You do not have to sign up for all four, but you must be admitted to OU to receive credit.  So, non OU students must apply.  I have application packets and I will send you one once I receive your mailing address.  Please return the packet to me so that I can run through the admissions process in a quick and timely fashion.

Nonresident tuition is $350.00 per credit hour.  But remember, you need not take the entire 4 credit hours if cost is prohibitive. 

Other costs for the field school are simply the cost of buying your own food for breakfasts and lunches, and pitching in for the evening meals.  The evening meals generally cost around $15- $18 a week. 

Transportation to the Field School.

Each participant is responsible for their own transportation to the field camp.  However, for those coming in from out of the county, we can meet them at the Oklahoma City airport and transport them from there.  Let me know and we will make arrangements as necessary. 

Items to Bring:

Tent and drop cloth/tarp
Sleeping cot, sleeping bag, etc.
Plate, bowl, cup, silverware
Lawn chair or folding chair
Canteen/water jug
Hat
Sun screen
Bug spray
Shower bag
Towels, etc.
Battery-powered radio/etc

REMEMBER:  IT IS GOING TO RAIN SOMETIME.  THINGS IN THE TENT WILL GET WET.

EXCAVATION EQUIPMENT

Tennis shoes
Trowel
Metric tape
Line level
Various size paint brushes
Scoop
Plastic 5 gal. bucket
Gloves
Bandaids
Knee pads/foam pad, carpet scrap

Incidentals:

Fishing pole, tackle box, football, hacky sack, etc.