Carlton County and adjoining areas once were the site of mighty glacial lakes about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, and a team of
*esearchers is about to find out what remains of that time period.
At its session on Monday, the Carlton County Board gave its approval for the Duluth Archaeology Center to conduct an archaeological survey in eastern Carlton County, primarily on tax forfeit and county fee lands near Jay Cooke State Park and Wrenshall.
The purpose of the dig is to search for post-Ice Age encampments and preserve whatever artifacts might be found either at the Carlton County Historical Society or the Minnesota State Historical Society in St. Paul.
The work will be paid for by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund of the Minnesota Legacy Amendment, which was approved by voters in 2009. Work is set to begin immediately and will continue until the ground freezes, said Susan Mulholland, president of the Duluth Archaeology Center. The survey will focus on the Lake Superior shoreline and parts of Carlton County and is slated for completion by May 31.
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The survey will be conducted by a technique known as "shovel testing," in which hand-held shovels are used to dig holes about 18 inches in diameter and as deep, when practical. The sediment that is extracted is filtered through hand-held screens to look for stone, bone chards and other artifacts from previous human occupation. Mulholland said the sediment then is replaced immediately in the hole and tamped down to return the area to as close to its original condition as possible.
