HOUGHTON–This weekend offers the last chance this summer for free guided walking tours of the archaeological dig at the historic Cliff Mine and Clifton town site.
The tours are led by faculty and students in Michigan Technological University’s industrial archaeology program. The Saturday and Sunday tours leave from the east end of Cliff Drive, about one mile from the small town of Phoenix, near the junction with US-41. Tours start at 10 a.m. and begin about every 30 minutes. The last one begins Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
The team will provide maps with self-guided trails for people who wish to explore on their own.
For several years, Michigan Tech archaeologists have focused their studies on the Cliff Mine. This year, they are primarily excavating in the ruins of the nearby town of Clifton. New discoveries include a cache of animal bones from a slaughtering and butchering area and artifacts from outside a boarding house.
“Concentrations of buttons in one area seem to indicate that people sat outside on the sunny side of the house in order to darn their clothes,” said project co-director Timothy Scarlett.
Also this weekend, if the flowers are willing, visitors may be able to see old roses in bloom that date from over a century ago.
The research is undertaken with permission of the Keweenaw County Road Commission. The project is supported by private gifts to the Michigan Tech Fund and grants from the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission and the Department of Social Sciences at Michigan Tech.
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