Archaeologist speaks on dig at Ozette, a rich record of our past

Archeologist Dr. Richard Daugherty will discuss the Ozette site, an excavated former Makah village south of Neah Bay on the Olympic Peninsula. The presentation will be at the Montesano Timberland Library (W. H. Abel Memorial Library) on Tuesday, January 19 from noon to 1 p.m.

The northwestern coast of the Olympic Peninsula was inhabited for at least 2,000 years. Over hundreds of years, mudflows repeatedly swept into the houses at the ancient whaling village at Ozette, burying and preserving them. In 1970 when tidal erosion exposed the village to the activities of collectors and hikers, the Makah Tribal Council contacted Dr. Daugherty, requesting that he begin excavating.

Remarkable finds were recovered at this dig using pioneering archeological methods. The 60,000 artifacts Daugherty and his crew recovered over the next eleven years have classified Ozette as one the most significant archaeological discoveries in North America. Many of the artifacts as well as full-scale replicas of cedar long houses and whaling, sealing and fishing canoes can now be seen at the Makah Cultural and Research Center in Neah Bay.

Author and photographer Ruth Kirk, Dr. Daugherty’s wife, will also be present at the talk. People are welcome to bring their copies of her books for signing. Kirk is the author and photographer of many acclaimed natural and human history books about the Northwest. Most recently, she and Daugherty collaborated on the richly illustrated book, Archeology in Washington.

Dr. Daugherty brings vast archeological experience and expertise. Since he began his career in 1947, he has conducted numerous archeological excavations and investigations into the prehistory of Washington, other Northwest states and North Africa. Daugherty is an emeritus professor of anthropology at Washington State University, and was a presidential appointee to the National Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

The Montesano Timberland Library is at 125 Main Street S, Montesano, 98563. For more information, contact the library at (360) 249-4211.