Kansas Archeology Training Program Field School
Historic Lake Scott State Park
June 2-18, 2023
Public Invited to Explore and Learn About Archeology at Field School
Registration is now closed.
Due to limited space, walk-on registration depends on availability each day.
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SCOTT COUNTY, KANSAS—The Kansas Historical Society (KSHS) and the Kansas Anthropological Association (KAA) will hold the annual Kansas Archeology Training Program (KATP) field school June 2-18, 2023, at Historic Lake Scott State Park in Scott County, near Scott City. The field school will be working with Doctors Matthew Hill (University of Iowa) and Sarah Trabert (University of Oklahoma) at Dismal River aspect sites in the park that date between AD 1650 to 1750. Their research has shown that Dismal River aspect people are predecessors of the Apache people, now known as the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, part of the Athapaskan language group. The main site of focus, 14SC409, was partially excavated during the 2009 KATP field school, with later work done by Doctors Hill and Trabert and Doctor Margaret Beck. The 2023 KATP field school will be an opportunity to further explore the two sites and contribute to the ongoing research at the park.
The KATP field school, which is a joint effort by KSHS and KAA that has been held annually since 1975, is an opportunity for the public to work alongside professional and experienced avocational archeologists in finding and excavating archeological sites and processing the resulting artifacts in the lab. No experience is necessary—just a desire to learn. Participants can attend for a few days or the entire field school. Participants must be at least 12 years old, and children aged 12-17 must be accompanied by a parent or sponsoring adult. Classroom courses on archeology are also offered.
The registration fee for the field school for members of the KAA or the Kansas Historical Society is $35 for standard participants, $25 for participants 65 or older, and $15 for students currently enrolled at a middle school, high school, or college. Nonmembers of the KAA or the Kansas Historical Society will pay $90.
Registration will be available online through the KSHS website, kshs.org/katp, March 1 through May 22, 2023.Registration for field school activities is limited per day and will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. The field school is closed on Mondays, June 5 and June 12, optional field trips and programs will be planned for these days.
A full schedule of evening programs will be held in Scott City and its vicinity; admission to the programs is free and open to the public.
Indoor camping in Scott City for participants is being planned.
The school district in Scott City has graciously agreed to allow indoor camping in the the middle school's auxiliary gym.
The gym is air conditioned and is adjacent to locker rooms with showers. More details will be forthcoming as the event gets closer.
The Kansas Historical Society does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs. The Historical Society requests prior notification to accommodate individuals with special needs or disabilities.
More information will be added here as it becomes available.
For more information contact kshs.katp@ks.gov or 785-272-8681, ext. 267.
