Chris polishes artifacts at
the Pon Yam house.
Brian washes porcelain
pieces found at the dig.
A Day On The Dig
Chris' Journal, July 13, 1998
There were no rolling boulders. No poison darts. No angry natives chasing after me and hurtling spears. And no, the mystical ark was not mentioned once, the whole day.
But while it was not life threatening, my day as archeologist and resident China expert on the Pon Yam House escavation in Idaho City was far from boring.
Brian and I checked in early Monday morning and were issued wavers and name tags, the telltale sign of a government venture. We were then assigned to Trench #3 and given a shovel, bucket, and sifting screen (though I did ask if I could perhaps have a bullwhip, just in case ...). With brief instructions we were set to work, shovelling the earth into the sifter and picking out our "treasure" and placing it gently in the bucket. In just minutes our bucket was full; white porcelain, broken glass, bone fragments, nails and door hinges all revealed themselves through the dug up earth.
The Pon Yam House dates back to 1867 and was once owned by its namesake, a Chinese merchant and respected community leader who lived in Idaho City during the building of the rail road. Pon Yam used this building to sell Chinese products and herbs before moving back to Canton with his family. Idaho City, in a bid to recapture some of their history, is now renovating the house to its former glory as well as searching the grounds around it for clues to its past owners...
And clues they have found. Already in just two days of digging they have found countless Chinese coins, ceramics, and other artifacts. And they still have two weeks worth of digging ahead of them.
Brian finished up scrubbing the last of the pottery pieces and joined me in the "lab" where we received instructions on the "bag and tag" technique used for logging the artifacts. We then set off meticulously labeling each of our 53 pieces and placing them all in tiny plastic baggies, leaving the identifying of bone fragments and gluing together of chinaware to the experts. Each piece is like that of a puzzle, bringing us one step further into Idaho City's past.
Outside the dig races on in the rising Idaho sun. They may just hit a Well of Souls yet.
© Chris Moeller, 1998
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