Join the Burke Museum’s Dr. Julie Stein on a trip through deep time during her annual archaeology walk at South Beach.

The walk is free and meets at Alaska Packer’s Rock, located at the end
of the gravel access road that parallels the beach. Attendees should
plan to park in the main beach parking area at the end of Pickett’s
Lane and walk to the meeting point. As the walk will cover a portion of
the prairie above the beach, walkers should wear sturdy, comfortable
shoes.

Dr. Julie Stein is the author of Exploring Coast Salish Prehistory: The
Archaeology of the San Juan Islands (University of Washington Press,
$17.95), which examines Coast Salish culture through excavations
conducted by University of Washington crews at American and English
camps going back to the early 1950s.

Her talk will focus on ancient life at South Beach, which included
hunting and gathering, camping, several forms of fishing and
cultivation of camas and other root foods. She also will discuss
middens, or trash mounds, located in several areas along the beach that
have remained remarkably in evidence over time.

The middens have revealed a picture of ancient life at American Camp going back as far as 8,000 years, according to Stein.