 |
Industrial Archaeology
Graduate Alumni Profiles
back
to Graduate Student Directory
Stephanie
Kathleen Atwood
 I grew up in the Keweenaw, instilled with an appreciation of the area's
copper mining history and industrial remains by my grandfather, a Cousin
Jack who not only worked for the mines in his youth but who was also the
last in a long line of Cornishmen to work the area's copper mines. In
2003, I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Art History
from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN but was able to spend the spring
semester of my junior year studying abroad at Goldsmith's College in
London, England. Shortly after graduation, I worked on a project to
nominate Laurium, MI—my hometown—as a historic district for the
National Register. The process of doing this required the surveying and
research of over 900 properties within the village limits. It was with
this work that I realized that my interest in history, architecture, and
conservation came together in the field of Historic Preservation, which
proved to be a viable career path.
 My thesis focuses on Lake Linden—a village only 4 miles southeast of
Laurium but with a completely different history. While Laurium was
platted purely for residential settlement, Lake Linden was the mill site
for Calumet & Hecla—the largest mining company on the Keweenaw. C&H
choice for the site was entirely due to its location on Torch Lake,
which absorbed the countless tons of stamp sand the mill would deposit
as waste. The village also served as a destination for immigrating
French Canadians who could work for their compatriot, Joseph Gregoire, a
provider of lumber to C&H. However, most of the Quebecois, as well as
the other immigrating nationalities, had employment as surface workers
at the mill. Today, very little material still stands on the mill site,
which has resulted in many locals and tourists alike skimming over Lake
Linden without realizing the important part in played in the copper
mining industry. My work will include composing a historic district
nomination for Lake Linden, writing a comprehensive history of the
village, and providing interpretive and rehabilitation ideas. It is my
hope that this work will encourage awareness and appreciation of Lake
Linden for its history as well as its material remains, which are
primarily residential and commercial buildings.
Shannon
Bennett
 My
name is Shannon Bennett and I am a first year graduate student in the
Industrial Archeology program. I spent my undergraduate years in Mt. Pleasant
at Central Michigan University. There, I received an Education degree
with a major in history and an art minor. I am now throughly looking forward
to combining these interests with the field of archeology. After completion
of the program, I hope to pursue a career that intergrates these fields
as well as my educational degree either in a museum or collegiate setting.
Pat Baird
 Came
to MTU from Tucson, Arizona, and received his B.A. in Anthropology
from the University of Arizona (1999). He became interested in mining
history and archaeology while working as a seasonal archaeologist
with the National Park Service, and this interest in mining led him
to Tech. His thesis project focused on the Yukon-Charley Rivers National
Preserve in Alaska, where he documented the cultural resources related
to a gold dredge operated from 1936 to 1960, with special emphasis
on the camps and water control system. He and his team created a GIS
database incorporating spatial data, current and historical maps,
photographs, and descriptions of all the historical cultural resources.
Pat completed his degree in 2005.
Kim Finch
 Graduated
from Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario in 1998 with a BA in North
American Historical/Industrial Archaeology, and History. While at
Laurier, she participated in fieldwork at military sites in Ontario
and in Bermuda. She was invovled in MTU field schools at the Carp
River Forge, Fort Wilkins, and the West Point Foundry. Some
of my interests include the formation of industrial communities, and
zooarchaeology. Her thesis incorporated geoarchaeological studies,
including ground-penetrating radar and resistivity, at the West Point
Foundry, NY. She enjoys rock climbing, camping, hiking, and kayaking,
eh! Kim completed her degree in 2004 and recently she has been
doing contract archaeology in Navada for Summit Envirosystems in Carson
City, working for Rob McQueen (MS in IA, 1992).
Rachael Herzberg
Rachael Herzberg hails from Ohio and earned her BA in archaeology
from the University of Evansville in 2003. Her thesis focused on the
boring mill at the West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, NY. Rachel graduated
in 2005. Her other interests also include reading, music, movies,
traveling.
Gary
Kaunonen
 Hello
my name is Gary Kaunonen and I am originally from central Minnesota. Both
of my grandfathers worked in the Minnesota iron mining industry, so my
interest in Industrial Archaeology springs from both personal and intellectual
perspectives. I did my undergraduate at Minnesota State University-Mankato,
receiving Bachelor of Science degrees in Anthropology, History and Psychology.
I also had a short but amusing collegiate baseball career that was ended
too soon by arm injury and bad decision making. I am currently working
for Keweenaw National Historical Park in the Division of Interpretation
and Education as well as being a student here at Tech in the IA program.
Other interests are organized labor, cross country skiing and working
with sled dogs. The wife and I have a small 6 dog kennel of Alaskan huskies
that provide for most of our entertainment needs.
My
thesis project deals with looking at industrial communities, specifically
an industrial neighborhood in Hancock, MI, in the context of immigration
and labor relations within the political economy from circa 1910 to 1913-14.
It is a fascinating project which includes aspects of anthropology, geography,
history (immigration, social, labor, economic and political), historic
architecture and material culture, but I have run into a stumbling block.
An essential resource that exists on one of the key actors in the neighborhood,
the Tyomies Publishing Company, is written in the Finnish language. Moreover
it is written in an archaic, slightly anglicized version of Finnish, so
I am having difficulty finding a translator. Once I have this work translated,
I will have a huge piece of the historic puzzle filled in that will help
me better understand the people and institutions that I am attempting
to study.
T.
Arron Kotlensky
 My
name is T. Arron Kotlensky and I am a first-year graduate student in the
Industrial Archaeology program at Michigan Tech. A native of Western Pennsylvania,
I have long held a personal passion for the study of industry and technology,
a passion that is now turning professional. Though I am very fascinated
by all aspects of industry, my particular research interest is in mining
industries and mining culture.
During
the 2005 summer, I carried out an excavation project aimed at learning
more about the blast furnace that operated on the site of the West Point
Foundry. In particular, I focused on establishing the exact layout and
dimensions of this furnace and its relationship to the intricate water
system that runs beneath the furnace itself. Beyond learning about these
aspects, I also hope to evaluate the quality of the iron produced from
the furnace through chemical and physical analysis conducted at Michigan
Tech's metallurgical laboratories.
Cristina Menghini
Graduated from University of Perugia (Italy) with a BA in Anthropology.
Her interest in Industrial Archaeology started after attending a course
in Terni organized by ICSIM (Institute for Business History and Culture).
Her thesis was about Italian immigrants in Houghton County. She graduated
in 2004 and was employed by ERG, S.p.A., Genova, Italy.
She is now doing similar work as a business archivist with ENI, the
Italian petroleum corporation, in Milan.
Chris
Merritt
A Montana transplant, I finished my Bachelor's of Arts in Anthropology
with Archaeology emphasis from the University of Montana in 2004. The
last two summers I have worked as an Archaeological Technician for the
United States Forest Service in Ely, NV and Salt Lake City, UT. My thesis
is looking at the spread and consumption of locally produced pottery across
the Mormon Domain of the Great Basin during the pioneer period (1847-1900).
As part of my thesis research Tim Scarlett and I performed an excavation
during the 2005 field season at a pottery shop in downtown Salt Lake City.
Photo
Caption: Chris Merritt inside the excavation unit at Frederick Petersen's
Pottery site in Salt Lake City. At my feet are two skeletons of interred
family canines intrusive to the pottery site, and dating from the 1920s.
Chris
Merritt received a Certificate of Merit from the United
States Department of Agriculture in September, 2004, for showing
exemplary initiative and a dedication to the cultural resource protection
while working for the Ely Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National
Forest.
Larry Mishkar
Larry's interest in the industrial landscape began at the tender age of 7, while watching a conductor poised in the copula of a speeding Soo Line caboose. A few years later, he discovered photography, his 'passport' for adventure and exploration of the natural and man-made worlds. This exposure to the world of industrial archaeology helped him focus his interests and passions into documenting the buildings, structures, and people involved in our industrial heritage. Pursuing the industrial landscape is a worldwide endeavor, with explorations to Germany, France, Malaysia, Canada, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Scotland, Spain, Holland, and the United States. His thesis documented 169 railroad bridges of the Alaska Railroad. He finished in 2004; spent 18 months as Research Associate, and is currently doing freelance IA and photography, while based in St. Paul, Minnesota. For a glimpse of his efforts, visit www.larrymishkar.com
Suika Rivett
 Suika was born on a U.S.
Air Force base in Okinawa, Japan and moved to NW Arkansas as a child
spent most of her life there. She earned a B.A. in Anthropology from
the University of Arkansas Fayetteville in 2003. While at the U of
A, I studied both Historical Archaeology and Forensic Archaeology.
I developed my interest in Historical Archaeology while working at
the Arkansas Archaeological Survey in Fayetteville, AR and through
the many short digs I worked at through the U of A and the Survey.
My specific interest in Industrial Archaeology started when I worked
with a group at the Van Winkle Mill site near Rogers, AR. Professor
Sabo, who she had worked with at the Van Winkle Mill, suggested looking
into Michigan Tech for graduate studies. Her thesis focused
on the two CCC sites at the Black River Harbor Parl in the Ottawa
National Forest. She earned her degree in 2005.
James
Rudkin
 My
name is James Rudkin. I am currently a Master Graduate student in Industrial
Archaeology at Michigan Technological University. I am originally from
Royal Oak, Michigan, but since then I have moved around, getting my education.
I have received an A.S. degree in Marine, Engineering, Navigation and
Seamanship, from Florida Keys Community College, in Key West Florida,
along with an A.A. From there I moved my wife Casey and two daughters,
Bo and Zo, to Ohio, where I earned a B.F.A in Glass and a B. A. in Art
History, from Kent State University. Now my family and I are back in
Michigan, living in Calumet. I still work with glass as an artistic medium
along with studying it as a part of material culture. I enjoy studying
process and development within the context of Industrial Heritage. This
is why MTU is a perfect fit for me.
Edward Tennant
 Ed came to Michigan Tech
after earning his B.A. in Anthropology at the University of Arkansas,
where he focused on gold mining technology and sites in New Zealand.
His thesis project at MTU, completed in 2005, worked on the
integration of archeological data maps , and other data sources using
the ARC GiIS platform. Ed is currently enrolled in the doctoral
program at the University of Florida, and serves as the Society for
Historical Archaeology's Newsletter editor for Current Research for
Asia, For more information, see his web site: http://host200.ipowerweb.com/~little-y/about.shtml.
Erin Timms
Erin earned a degree in Art History form Youngstown State University
in May 2003, along with a certificate in historic preservation. Three-years
experience working at a steel mill, along with the industrial history
of Youngstown, Ohio helped direct her to industrial archaeology. She
had worked on an archaeological excavation of the Trumbull Blast Furnace
(circa 1826) while in college. Her MTU thesis examined the blast furnace
at the West Point Foundry with a particular focus on the blowing engine
technology used at the site. She compelted the project in 2005.
Dave Vago
Originally from Philadelphia, Dave graduated from the University of
Maryland in May of 2001 with a B.S. in architecture. He then worked
at the Georgia State Railroad Museum at Savannah until the spring
of 2003. But in the summer of 2002, he took leave to work as an interpreter
at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park in West Virginia. His scholarly
interests are in railroad history and technology and Appalachian industrial
communities. His thesis project, completed in 2005, was for the Houghton
County Historical Society and invovled developing a plan to interpret
the remains of the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company's stamp mills
at Lake Linden, Michigan. Dave joined the Preservation Alliance of
West Virginia as its executive director in 2005,
but in fall 2006 will be moving onto a project to interpret the Civil
war battlefields of West Virginia. His long term plans involve
going into industrial museum and site development planning.
Alicia Valentino
 Alicia was born and raised in northern Virginia and came to the Upper Peninsula for the I.A. program and the 'winter wonderland.' Her 2003 thesis was on the West Point Foundry site in New York, and attempted to integrate a variety of different data sources, including photographs and historic records using theArcView GIS platform for site and data management. She also created a chronology of site development. She completed her doctorate at the University of Arkansas in 2006, the first ever in the department there. She joined other Tech graduates working at Summit Envirosolutions, Inc. in Nevada for a couple of years and is now working with a CRM firm in Seattle, Washington. She added, " It's a grand old time out here in the mountains." Alicia enjoys climbing or trying to find someone with whom to play softball in the parking lot.
Joe Wilson
 Joe
earned a BS in anthropology at Kent State University (Ohio) in 2000.
He was introduced to industrial archaeology in 1999 as a student
at the University of Leicester, UK, He later earned a MA in
Religion at the University of London, School of Oriental and African
Studies (2002). He returned to the US to study IA at Michigan Tech,
and completed his thesis on the history and archaeology of the Huron
Copper Mill, a reputable 19th century mine in Michigan's Copper Country
in 2004. He is now a technologist at the DNA laboratory at the
Greenwood Genetics Center, Greenwood, South Carolina, and a visiting
instructor in Anthropology at Lander University, Greenwood, South
Carolina. Joe has been awarded a 4-year fellowship for Ph.D. work at the University of Florida beginning fall 2007. He joins Ed Tennant in that program.
OTHERS:
Julia
Blair (2001): Copper
Country Archives in the Michigan Tech library.
Jennifer
Bollen (1999): after
finishing her business degree at Emory University, she is now the
Manager for Subscription Services for NASCAR.com, part of Turner Broadcasting
in Atlanta.
Brian
Cleven (1997): staff
archaeologist for R. Christopher Goodwin/Associates, Frederick, MD.
Sarah
Cowie (1996): enrolled in the doctoral program at the University
of Arizona
Grant
Day (1996): Cultural Resource Analysts, Lexington, KY.
Kelly
Dixon (1995): after completing her doctorate in archaeology
at the University of Nevada at Reno, she is an assistant professor
of anthropology, University of Montana.
Richard
Fields (1996): Fort Gibson Historic Site, OK.
Barry
James (1995): Historian, Michigan Iron Industry Museum, Negaunee,
MI
Julie
Kloss (2002): Two Pines Research Group, Shaffer, MN
Timothy
Mancl (2003): Heite Consulting, Camden, DE.
Marco
Meniketti (1998): after completing his doctorate in archaeology
at Michigan State; he is assistant professor of anthropology
at San Jose State.
Efstathios
Pappas (2002): temporary
faculty at the University of nevada at Reno.
Dorothy
Quirk (1999): University of Michigan Law School Library
Andy
Sewell (1999): staff archaeologist, Fort McCoy Archaeology
Laboratory, Wisconsin.
Craig
Stencel (2000): Senior Project Manager of the Survey Research
Center, St. Norbert's College, DePere, WI
Timothy
Tumberg (1997): archaeologist, Minnesota State Historical
Society, Fort Snelling History Center.
Paul
White (1999): doctoral
program, Brown University.
|
|
