FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Aug. 15, 2008
CONTACT:  Michael Fosha, (605) 394-1936, Mike.Fosha@state.sd.us
Karen Read, Oregon Public Broadcasting, (503) 977-7780, cell (360) 281-6809, kread@opb.org

State Historical Society hosting PBS in archaeological project

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota State Historical Society is hosting the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and a production team from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) as they film an archaeological dig in southeastern South Dakota. 

The brand-new PBS series, “Time Team America,” will film a one-hour episode at South Dakota’s Fort James archeological site Aug. 19-21. The site is located on the private property of a Hutterite community.

Fort James is “Time Team America’s” fifth archeological dig in a five-site tour. This summer the team has searched for the lost tribe at Roanoke Island, unearthed evidence of the first human inhabitants of the Americas in North Carolina, chased the mystery of a vanished 19^th century Illinois town, and probed the remains of an ancient Fremont village. The series is slated for national broadcast on PBS in 2009.

The series is based on the long-running and highly successful British “Time Team” program. Funding is provided by Channel Four International, OPB and PBS. The series is a co-production of OPB and Videotext Communications.

“Time Team America’s” mix of archaeologists, scientists and 15-20 production crew members were invited to the site by Michael Fosha of the State Historical Society’s archaeology office in Rapid City.

“The team’s goal is to discover exactly the extent of the site, what the fort looked like, what evidence remains, and what the site can add to the historical record,” Fosha said.

Other South Dakota team members include Dr. Richard Fox of the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, Dr. L. Adrien Hannus of Augustana College in Sioux Falls and members of the South Dakota Archaeological Society. Dr. Hannus has been traveling with “Time Team America” throughout the season as a regular on-camera host.

“Time Team America” will bring an array of resources, experts and the latest technology to the dig at Fort James. 

“Archaeology can be very exciting when you have all of these tools at your disposal,” said Executive Producer David Davis. “The audience can follow along as we make our discoveries. Viewers can eavesdrop on conversations between experts, see artifacts emerge from the ground, and watch over the shoulders of archaeologists to experience the thrill of archaeology without ever having to pick up a trowel."

Fort James was built in 1865 in response to the 1862 Dakota War. But the Fort James site was operational for less than one year. Resources were stretched thin as the Civil War drew to a close and Fort James was abandoned. Since then the stone from its structure was scavenged for other buildings. 

No formal archaeology has been conducted on the site. “Time Team America” will perform three days of intense work at Fort James in hopes that their findings will justify further study into this Wild West time capsule. With just 72 hours at Fort James, camera crews will follow the State Historical Society archaeology team as they:

n      Try to find buried foundations and possible artifacts using state-of-the-art ground-penetrating radar. The “Geo-Fiz” (short for geophysics) technology “Time Team” will contribute to the site is one of the most advanced of its kind in the world.

n      Consult with a stonemason to recreate how the U.S. Army built the fort with materials found on-site.

n      Open a trench in the ground to locate potential artifacts from fort’s inhabitants.

n      Use a group of historical re-enactors to compare the team’s archaeological findings with Hollywood’s vision of the western frontier.

n      Interpret the contents of a letter written by a soldier of the period in light of the archaeological discoveries.

n      Combine the knowledge of historians, archaeologists, and period experts so the team’s visual artist can sketch what daily life was like at Fort James.