CEMML archaeological survey explores early 20th century history of Fort McCoy

An archaeological survey conducted by CEMML personnel in the summer of 2022 was initially meant to investigate the creation of several hundred concrete tent pads at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. Research into the tent pads, dating from around the early 20th century, also unearthed additional information about other possible known archaeological features and sites around what is referred to as “Old Camp McCoy.”

February 21, 2024

CEMML archaeologists uncover grinding stone artifact in Wisconsin

While investigating an archeological site at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, CEMML archaeologists uncovered a mano, a type of grinding stone used to process both wild and cultivated plant foods. Ground stone tools are not commonly found at Fort McCoy. Of 162 archaeological sites at Fort McCoy, only 24 have unearthed ground stone tools. These 24 sites yielded 64 ground stone tools, of which only eight were assumed to be grinding tools associated with food processing.

November 20, 2023

Ecology expert joins CEMML Executive Committee

After 7 years as a principal investigator, Dr. Mindy Clarke joins CEMML’s executive committee as an assistant director. Clarke brings 25 years of environmental management experience to CEMML’s leadership team and a passion for bridging the gap between science and management.

November 2, 2023

CEMML supports deer season harvest at Fort McCoy

In early December, CEMML staff based at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, provided support to the installation’s wildlife program by helping to organize and facilitate the gun-deer season harvest. The hunt took in 464 deer, exceeding their minimum goal by over 100.

December 8, 2022

CEMML archaeologists discover lead balls dating back to World War I

CEMML Archaeologists were investigating a site at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin when they came across nearly a dozen small lead balls spread across approximately half of the 1.5-acre site area. The lead balls were likely shrapnel from an artillery projectile fired sometime around World War I.

October 28, 2022

Tracking a history of arrowheads at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin

An article compiled by CEMML and the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch walks through the history of arrow heads found at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin and what they can tell us about the Native American peoples that utilized them.

September 23, 2022

CEMML helps track history of 112-year-old wood crate artifact

Over a century-old wood crate donated to Fort McCoy by the grandson of Maj. Gen. Robert Bruce McCoy, for whom the installation is named after, provides insight into Fort McCoy’s history. CEMML’s Miranda Alexander helped track the crate’s origins and its use.

August 26, 2022

CEMML archaeologist discusses painstaking work of archaeology, finding artifacts

CEMML Archaeologist, Tyler Olsen spoke with Fort McCoy’s Public Affairs Office about the labor involved in archaeological work. Beyond just the physical part of finding or not finding artifacts, the documenting, researching, cataloguing, and other work related to artifacts can be just as time consuming. He considers it all a labor of love.

August 26, 2022

CEMML aids in archaeological survey focusing on era between world wars

In July, archaeological team members from CEMML and the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch held a special archaeological survey and dig at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. The survey examined areas around old concrete tent pads dating between the time of the first and second world war.

August 26, 2022

CEMML-aided metal detection survey unearths dozens of artifacts at Fort McCoy

A metal detection survey conducted at Fort McCoy, in partnership with CEMML and the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch, unearthed dozens of artifacts including coins, tent tensioner devices, and military rank badges, all dating to the early 1900s.

August 23, 2022

Charcoal discovered by CEMML archaeologists at Fort McCoy dates back nearly 1,500 years

The process of determining the age of artifacts buried in the earth is not an exact science. However, following the discovery of charcoal samples by CEMML archeologists at an excavation site at Fort McCoy in the summer of 2021, radiocarbon dating helped estimate that the samples belonged to the Middle Woodland Period, roughly 1,500 years ago.

July 7, 2022

CEMML employee recognized by CSU for outstanding service at Fort McCoy

Julie Steinhoff, a longtime CEMML employee has received one of Colorado State University’s 2022 Outstanding Achievement Awards for her service at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. She is one of six State Classified employees recognized.

April 11, 2022