From June 2 through June 17, the Kansas Historical Society in partnership with the Kansas Anthropological Association, held the 2016 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school.
This year the program investigated the Last Chance Store in Council Grove, a stone structure at 502 West Main St., built in 1857. The site was the last place travelers could obtain supplies before embarking on the 600-mile trail to Santa Fe, N.M.
This annual field school, held around the state, offers experiences for professionals, students and families. Several Lawrence residents participated in this year’s and past field schools.

photo by: Richard Gwin

The Kansas Historical Society in partnership with the Kansas Anthropological Association, held the 2016 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school at the Last Chance Store in Council Grove. The 1857 store was a key stop for travelers headed west on the Santa Fe Trail.

photo by: Richard Gwin

West Middle School student Wesley Burk, 11, sifts dirt from a site he was working last week at the 2016 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school in Council Grove. Burk was one of the youngest volunteers participating in the program which was investigating the Last Chance Store in Council Grove, a stone structure at 502 West Main St., built in 1857.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Kim Rack, a pre-school teacher at the Lawrence Arts Center joined other volunteers to help investigate the Last Chance Store in Council Grove, as part of the 2016 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school.

photo by: Richard Gwin

James Bell, Cottonwood Falls, left and Bill Olson, Lindsborg, right, work a square area of excavation on an 80 x 100-foot area where the Last Chance Store in Council Grove used to set. Their area to dig is marked by flags where a metal detector picked up evidence of possible buried items.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Many types of tools are used to dig and sift for buried items. A trowel is used to dig and remove layers of dirt to reveal the next layer of finds.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Almost every designated square that volunteers investigate reveal small items like these pottery shards.

photo by: Richard Gwin

All artifacts from a dig are bagged and recorded to mark where each is found on a site.

photo by: Richard Gwin

The Kansas Historical Society and the Kansas Anthropological Association investigated the Last Chance Store in Council Grove for the 2016 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Melonie Sullivan, Lawrence, who has been on several archeological digs, works inside the Last Chance Store, taking several measurements of every floor board to notate its location before the boards are removed for accessing the ground beneath. Later the measurements will be used to return the boards to the same place.

photo by: Richard Gwin

One of the many artifacts found at the Last Chance Store investigation site was a 3 cent coin minted in 1851 at the New Orleans mint. After a little cleaning the coin appeared in great shape and here is held next to an enlarged, printed example of the coin.

photo by: Richard Gwin

The beam of an LED light, reveals some etching on a stone, barely visible to the naked eye, found inside Last Chance Store.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Layer by layer of soil is scraped away by workers to uncover evidence of the past. A burned area of dirt might indicate that a blacksmith shop was operated at this site at one time.

photo by: Richard Gwin

An historical plaque at the Last Chance Store shows what a wagon train might have looked like as it stopped at the store on it's journey southwest on the Santa Fe Trail.