Where is Urban Archaeology?

Originally Published in Discovery: Friends of the British Columbia Provincial Museum Quarterly Review, 15(3). By Grant Keddie.  July 1987. Introduction   “Diggers Uncover Bottle Bonanza” read the headline of a Victoria newspaper in October 1981. The article explained that “Excavators have struck it rich while dig­ging at the lawn bowling club beside Crystal Gardens”. There were, in fact, many interesting bottles and ceramic items found by the work crew excavating the foundation for the new clubhouse. But were these really a surprising discovery as the newspaper article seems to suggest? The answer is, of course, no! It was a well-known fact that this area was once the shoreline of James Bay. The area was often referred to around the turn … Continue reading “Where is Urban Archaeology?”