Dirt Detective

When Chelsea Rose was 11, her family took a trip to Nevada City, California. The town was built in the mid-1800s, when gold was found in a nearby river. The valuable metal drew thousands of miners to the western U.S. hoping to strike it rich. Rose was fascinated by the town’s past. “To me, it was cooler than Disneyland!” she says.

Rose went on to turn her love of history into a career. Today, she’s an archaeologist. That’s a person who studies the past by examining human remains and artifacts, the objects people leave behind.

Most recently, Rose has been studying the miners who came from China to the U.S. in search of gold in the 1800s. These immigrants were treated unfairly in many ways. That led many of them to leave the country. “It’s important to tell their stories,” Rose says. “Otherwise people won’t know they were here and what happened to them.”

When Chelsea Rose was 11, her family took a trip to Nevada City, California. The town was built in the mid-1800s. That’s when gold was found in a nearby river. The metal was worth a lot of money. It drew thousands of miners to the western U.S. They all hoped to strike it rich. Rose was amazed by the town’s past. “To me, it was cooler than Disneyland!” she says.

Rose loved history. She turned that passion into a career. Today, she’s an archaeologist. That’s a person who studies the past. Archaeologists examine human remains. They also look for artifacts, the objects people leave behind.

Rose has been studying miners from China most recently. They came to the U.S. in search of gold in the 1800s. These immigrants were treated unfairly in many ways. That led many of them to leave the country. “It’s important to tell their stories,” Rose says. “Otherwise, people won’t know they were here and what happened to them.”

To know where to start her digs, Rose looks at old maps that show the locations of the camps where miners lived and worked. Sometimes she uses planes equipped with high-tech tools that can detect evidence of the camps from above.

Some artifacts are right at the surface. Others are buried underground. Over time, rainwater and wind move sediments like silt, sand, and rock from place to place. After many years, objects can get covered by several feet of soil.

The amount of moisture in the soil affects how well the objects are preserved. Materials such as wood or leather break down in wet soil. But if the soil is dry, the artifacts will likely be better preserved.

Before Rose starts digging, she tapes off her excavation area. She uses shovels and brushes to carefully remove the dirt and dig up the objects. 

Last summer, Rose and her team found hundreds of items at a mining site in Oregon. They collected glass bottles, pieces of ceramic cups, and chicken bones. Those objects may sound like trash. But they show what the miners ate and drank after a backbreaking day of work. “We put together big stories using small, humble artifacts,” Rose says.

Rose looks at old maps. They show the locations of miner’s camps. That’s where they lived and worked. Then Rose knows where to start digging. Sometimes, she uses planes. They have high-tech tools. They can spot evidence of the camps from above.

Some artifacts are right at the surface. Others are buried underground. Silt, sand, and rock can move from place to place over time. Rain and wind can shift these sediments. That can cover objects in several feet of soil after many years.

Some soil is wetter than other soil. That can affect how well the objects are preserved. Materials such as wood or leather break down in wet soil. These artifacts will likely be in better shape if the soil is dry.

Rose tapes off her dig area. She uses shovels to carefully dig up the objects. She removes dirt from them with brushes.

Rose and her team found hundreds of items last summer. The items were at a mining site in Oregon. Rose’s team collected glass bottles and pieces of ceramic cups. There were even chicken bones. Those objects may sound like trash. But they show what the miners ate and drank after a hard day of work. “We put together big stories using small, humble artifacts,” Rose says.