Fort Seward Magnetometer / GPR Survey
Project Type: Parks & Recreation
Client: Fort Seward Foundation
Location: North Dakota
Project Synopsis
Beaver Creek Archaeology was hired by the Fort Seward Foundation to relocate the officers' quarters at Fort Seward in Stutsman County, North Dakota. Due to disturbances to the site during the years since disarmament of the military installation, no evidence of the quarters could be seen on the surface of the grounds.
Beaver Creek Archaeology conducted magnetometry and ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys across the Fort grounds in hopes of locating any subsurface anomalies, such as basements, which would indicate the locations of the quarters. During the inventory it was discovered that a large deposit of lime had been buried at the site making the discovery of any subsurface features impossible.
Beaver Creek Archaeology then turned to our GIS analysts. Old maps and plans from the fort was georeferenced with modern topographical maps and aerial photos. By combining the georeferenced maps with ground-proofing, Beaver Creek Archaeology was able to determine the locations of the officers' quarters with a relatively high certainty.