BLANDING, Utah (ABC4) – A group of Utah students has discovered some treasure at an archaeological site in the southeastern part of the state.
Weber State University says a group of its students is spending part of the summer exploring Coal Bed Village, an ancestral Puebloan habitation center in San Juan County.
As part of WSU’s Study Abroad program, students are being guided through excavation and analysis of the site by instructors.
According to WSU, student groups have been mapping the prehistoric community 10 miles east of Blanding that was occupied about 1,000 years ago. This summer, the group is working to excavate a ceremonial underground room, known as a kiva.
Thousands of artifacts have been recovered from the site, WSU explains, including pot shards, stone tools, and animal bones.
“Southeast Utah is a beautiful location with thousands of years of prehistory,” says David Yoder, WSU anthropology professor, who has excavated more than 40 sites throughout Utah. “The area has a high density of unique and amazing archaeological sites. This trip is a great opportunity to train and educate students in archaeological field techniques while performing excavation and research.”
For the last three years, students have been working to clear this kiva, digging through sand and rock to uncover the room. Everything they find is recorded and measurements are taken.
Weber State University Professor David Yoder, right and student Abigail Cohen make plans for measuring the floor of a newly discovered kiva during Archeological Field School in Southeastern Utah on July 15, 2021. Students in Weber State’s archeology program are spending a month excavating and studying an Ancestral Puebloan site alongside students and faculty from Brigham Young University and New Mexico State University. (WSU) 
Weber State University students Alex Willie, left, and Abigail Cohen sort pottery shards and artifacts found at an Ancestral Puebloan homestead site during Archeological Field School in Southeastern Utah on July 15, 2021. Students spend most of each day digging on-site and then operate a temporary lab in the evening at a nearby campground. Students in Weber State’s archeology program are spending a month excavating and studying the site alongside students and faculty from Brigham Young University and New Mexico State University. (WSU) 
Students and staff from Weber State University, Brigham Young University and New Mexico State University excavate an Ancestral Puebloan homestead site during Archeological Field School in Southeastern Utah on July 15, 2021. (WSU) 
Students and staff from Weber State University, Brigham Young University and New Mexico State University excavate an Ancestral Puebloan homestead site during Archeological Field School in Southeastern Utah on July 15, 2021. (WSU) 
Weber State University student Alex Willie sifts through rocks and pottery shards found at an Ancestral Puebloan structure during Archeological Field School in Southeastern Utah on July 15, 2021. Dozens of rooms and structures were built at the site around 1,000 years ago, but they are mostly buried or damaged after hundreds of years of erosion. Students in Weber State’s archeology program are spending a month excavating and studying the site alongside students and faculty from Brigham Young University and New Mexico State University. (WSU) 
Students and staff from Weber State University, Brigham Young University and New Mexico State University excavate an Ancestral Puebloan homestead site during Archeological Field School in Southeastern Utah on July 15, 2021. (WSU) 
Petroglyphs cover a bolder at the site of Weber State University’s Archeological Field School in Southeastern Utah on July 15, 2021. Students in Weber StateÕs archeology program are spending a month excavating and studying an Ancestral Puebloan site alongside students and faculty from Brigham Young University and New Mexico State University. (WSU) 
Weber State University student Shawn McGrath measures the depth of a newly discovered kiva during Archeological Field School in Southeastern Utah on July 15, 2021. Students in Weber State’s archeology program are spending a month excavating and studying an Ancestral Puebloan site alongside students and faculty from Brigham Young University and New Mexico State University. (WSU) 
Weber State University student Abigail Cohen, left, and Brigham Young University student Jake Hubbert map out a newly discovered kiva during Archeological Field School in Southeastern Utah on July 15, 2021. Students in Weber State’s archeology program are spending a month excavating and studying the site alongside students and faculty from Brigham Young University and New Mexico State University. (WSU) 
Weber State University Professor David Yoder explains the structure of a newly discovered kiva during Archeological Field School in Southeastern Utah on July 15, 2021. Students in Weber State’s archeology program are spending a month excavating and studying an Ancestral Puebloan site alongside students and faculty from Brigham Young University and New Mexico State University. (WSU) 
Weber State University student Alex Willie excavates an Ancestral Puebloan structure during Archeological Field School in Southeastern Utah on July 15, 2021. Students in Weber State’s archeology program are spending a month excavating and studying the site alongside students and faculty from Brigham Young University and New Mexico State University. (WSU)
WSU explains that once students uncover as much as possible and record it, the site will be backfilled to preserve the area.
“So much can be lost in the past, so it’s important to document these places while we still can,” says Shawn McGrath, an anthropology major with an emphasis in archaeology. “Every little bit we discover helps contribute to the bigger story. It pulls everything together and helps us understand what these ancient cultures were like.”
Faculty and students from Brigham Young University and the University of New Mexico have joined the WSU group in the excavation process.
This is the first year the trip is being offered as part of the Study Abroad program, according to WSU.
For more from WSU, visit their website.
