VFP-STV06 ARCHEOLOGY AND CULTURE, WYOMING, July 19-August 2, ARCH/MANU/CULT, AGE 18+, 10 VOLS.

Sunrise Historic and Prehistoric Preservation Society (SHAPPS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing
opportunities for all people regardless of age and previous abilities to participate in archaeological discovery. Website:
www.shapps.org
WORK: No experience is necessary as new volunteers are teamed up with students and experienced volunteers for hands
on learning. Volunteer opportunities range from field excavations to basic maintenance and restoration tasks. This year we
will be opening test excavations in the field and assisting with historic preservation tasks in early 20 th century buildings,
including the museum.
The workday is from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. The work is done in a friendly and supportive environment.
Please understand that this is hard physical labor and includes digging with a trowel or shovel, screening soil, carrying
buckets of dirt, and some other hand tool use. Each person will work at their own pace according to their physical condition.
The temperature can be quite hot or cool and rainy. BRING work gloves, work shoes and clothing, including a warm coat or
sweatshirt, sun hat, rain coat, long sleeve shirts and pants as there will be mosquitoes. The work site can be dirty and muddy
so multiple sets of work clothes are a good idea. The local mud is a very red color, which can be difficult to remove from
clothing. Sunscreen and bug spray will be provided.
STUDY THEMES:
History and contemporaneous events (what was happening around the world while people lived at the site). Geology – why
people chose to mine at this particular site. Immigration – where the mining community was from, and what challenges
resulted from such a diversity of origins.
ACCOMMODATION: Volunteers will be tent camping with field school students. Individual tents, sleeping bags and pillows
are provided. BRING any other bedding you wish to use. All food and meals will be provided for volunteers. We will share

Massachusetts
MTV03

Wyoming
STV06

Minnesota
LTV01

Wisconsin
LMTV01

Vermont:
STV 09
MTV’s 01, 02,

Boston:
STV08

VFP US PROJECTS
4 MTV
1 LTV
1 LMTV
3 STV

Louisiana:
MTV05

6

cooking duties. Excursions into town will occur every other day, to purchase any snacks or personal items that may be
desired.
Be sure to tell the other volunteers and the co-leader if you have any special diet needs
LOCATION: Sunrise is an abandoned mining town located in a rural part of Wyoming. The area is a mixture of small towns,
prairies, ranches and forest. The dig site is situated in a beautiful valley within the rugged Hartville Uplift, in the foothills of the
Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.
LEISURE ACTIVITIES: Volunteers will attend local cultural events and will have field trips to local cultural and natural areas.
They will also attend an international archaeological symposium at the local college.
There will be many opportunities to enjoy beauty and nature and there will be formal and informal discussions about topics of
interest to the group. Bring music, games or other activities to share.
TERMINAL: Volunteers should fly into Denver, Colorado. A shuttle bus will be provided to pick up and transport volunteers
from the airport to Sunrise, Wyoming. Schedule your arrival and departure accordingly. The trip from the airport to Sunrise is
approximately 3 hours, so it is imperative that the arrival and departure dates and times are met.