Taylor Norman
Connley Caves 2017
Undergraduate
Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon
“I had no idea what to expect out of field school at Connley Caves since I had never had any field experience. The amount I learned during the 6 week dig was in my opinion greater than all the archaeology courses I had taken in the classroom. Finally getting your hands into some dirt and seeing what archaeology is all about is exciting and tons of fun. You wake up early to get the most out of your day, spending a couple days setting up camp. Once camp is set up you begin digging and that’s where the real fun begins. Evenings are spent around camp where you can hang out, have a campfire and do basically whatever you want and is fun to spend time with the group. Besides the amazing experience and learning, you spend 6 weeks getting to know the group of people you are with. I met some awesome people who I will always remember and try to keep in touch with.”
Makaela O’Rourke
Connley Caves 2015
Graduate student
Department of Anthropology, Utah State University
“When I signed up to do my field school at Connley Caves, I had no idea what I was getting into. Not only was the site amazing, I learned all about working in previously excavated sites. The connections I made with the staff and students are still serving me well, and prepared me for my graduate studies. Half of my first term was reading the work of the people I worked with during and after my field school, and having dug at such an important site as Connley Caves has solidified for me the archaeology of the Great Basin.
The people I met in this field school helped me find independent research projects, which have become my master's thesis. I am still being supported by the people from this field school, and by the researchers and staff of the Museum of Natural and Cultural History.”
Brookelin McKay
Connley Caves 2016
Undergraduate
Department of Anthropology, State University of New York, Potsdam
“Field school allowed me to learn in a way that was more physical than my classes. Being there with a group of 10 to 15 people allowed me one-on-one time with the teaching staff, and in the end, I got a better education out of it. I love that this field school requires you to camp and get outdoors because for me, it made the group closer and created more of a community among the students. The site itself is a challenging dig, but I feel that it made me a better archaeology student and will prepare me for future digs that may be difficult. I also really appreciated that UO holds a field school at a real and significant site. I didn’t feel patronized or that the data from the site would not be used for further research. Learning about the history of the area, as well as the stratigraphic and geologic details really do make a difference in understanding how the site was formed and why the artifacts are where they are. I am very much looking forward to coming back out to the site and volunteering my time with the field school.”
Mackenzie Hughes
Connley Caves 2017
Recent graduate
Department of Anthropology, Western Washington University
“Dear Future/Possible Participants of Connley Caves Field School,
As an archaeology major at Western Washington University, attending field school was always somewhere on my to-do list. During my four years in college, I will admit that I considered field school to be somewhere in the far, unplanned future…until it came time to graduate. I began regretting all the things that I chose to do instead of field school and thought participating post-graduation was slightly embarrassing. However, when I ultimately made the decision to click ‘submit’ on my application to participate in the U of O Connley Caves field school, I would not know for another few months what a spectacular decision I had finally made. After I had been accepted, the excitement took precedent over all of my feelings of nervousness, unpreparedness, etc. etc. etc. As the time came closer to make the six-hour drive to Fort Rock, OR, all of those other feelings began to surface. When I first arrived to camp, and had the opportunity to meet all of my fellow classmates, volunteers, and teachers, I knew that this was going to be an amazing experience… and man, was I right. Over the next six weeks, I learned more about geoarchaeology, archaeology, friendship—and how to cook meals for many in the howling wind—than I ever could have even imagined. Connley Caves field school is truly one of the best experiences I have ever had. The environment was one of eagerness to learn and eagerness to teach. Though it was hard work and some days seemed to be longer than others, I would not trade the experience for the world.”
Haden Kingrey
Connley Caves 2017
Undergraduate
Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon
“I found this field school extremely beneficial towards understanding the field of archaeology as a whole. The experience and the encounters I made solidified my commitment to the pursuit of archaeology. The field school was well organized and very enjoyable between working with helpful, intelligent instructors and hanging out with fellow students. I hope to start working on a research paper this year on Connley Caves and the Great Basin, and that spark would have not come if not for this amazing experience."
Sam Hruban
Connley Caves 2017
Undergraduate
Department of Anthropology, Western Washington University
"I graduated with a degree in cultural anthropology. Having only taken two archaeology classes in college I was worried about the background knowledge needed to succeed in the Northern Great Basin Field School. As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about. Although I was lacking in specific archaeological theories and the names of those who pioneered the field I was still able to learn an incredible amount about archaeology, excavation, and the Northern Great Basin. The UO field school was an enriching outdoor classroom experience where the students work hard in exchange for daily hands-on learning and the opportunity to see how history was formed first hand.
In addition to the field school I also took the Intro to Archaeological Lab Methods class. I highly recommend this as a nice wrap up to the six weeks of excavation. In this class I learned about the second part of excavation, the lab work. I got to do everything from cataloguing and labeling artifacts to data entry on the site—plus, I got the chance to attend many fun field trips to local anthropology labs. I highly recommend this field school. My advice is to be prepared, to work hard, get dirty, and have an amazing summer in the field! "
Andy Mark
Connley Caves 2017
Undergraduate
Department of Archaeology, Boston University
“The Northern Great Basin Prehistory Project Field School is an amazing experience. At this field school, you’ll learn more than proper excavation technique; you’ll learn different theoretical approaches and how they can be applied to the archaeological record. These skills can be used when applying for graduate school or cultural resource management jobs. The director of the site, Dennis Jenkins, is an incredible person. He has years of experience and knows how to teach it very well. Despite this, he treats you as an equal and trusts everyone to get the job done properly. Otherwise he wouldn’t let you work on some of the oldest sites in the Americas. Working at this field school was an amazing opportunity, and one of the best classes out there.”
Scott Powers
Connley Caves 2015
Undergraduate
Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon
“One term of working with Dennis, Chantal, and Katelyn in the layers of history was enough to crystalize my decision to pursue field archaeology. Wish I could have made it more than just one year.”