St. Cloud State University

Field Projects

Shoemaker

Shoemaker Location

The Shoemaker Site has been excavated by SCSU Anthropology majors in 2004, 2006 and 2008.  We are studying the community of Lowertown, occupied in the early 1850s by European-Americans who came to St. Cloud from eastern states.  Lowertown homes and businesses were located underneath what is now the SCSU campus area and archaeology at the Shoemaker site is helping us learn more about this short-lived and little-known community.  We’ve found a wide variety of artifacts of everyday life, including broken glass, ceramics, buttons, nails and more.  We offer public tours of the site during each excavation season. Student excavators also have
the opportunity to participate in the processing and analysis of the artifacts uncovered during our excavation.   The Shoemaker excavation has been possible with the help of many SCSU offices, including the Office of the Vice President of Administrative Affairs, Buildings and Grounds, Graduate Studies, the College of Social Sciences Dean’s Office and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

To enlarge the images, click on the large image to advance to the next, or click on the thumbnail image of your choice.

  • SCSU archaeology field school students excavating at the Shoemaker site, June 2008
  • SCSU archaeology field school students excavating at the Shoemaker site, June 2008
  • SCSU 2008 archaeology field school
Sociology and Anthropology
Phone: (320) 308-2294

Campus address
720 4th Avenue South
St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498
(320) 308-0121
St. Cloud State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity educator and employer.
St. Cloud State University is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
© 2013 St. Cloud State University