Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Sep 16/02) - A summer dig that was supposed to shed new light on the location of the Fort of the Forks has left archeologists with more questions than answers.

Jean-Luc Pilon - Derek Neary/NNSL photo

But it has also left researchers excited about what remains locked in the ground at Heritage Park.

The Fort of the Forks was built by the North West Company in 1802, but its location remains a mystery.

Jean-Luc Pilon, curator of Ontario archeology for the Museum of Civilization, was in Fort Simpson as part of a two-week dig on a site where the old Catholic rectory was to be moved.

Through most of the dig, Pilon and a team of volunteers found a host of artifacts, but no indication that it was the fort's location.

There were square nails from the 1800s, fish bones and scales, old rifle cartridges and even a small, round memento from Rome.

"Here we find a souvenir from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome overlooking the flats (the Papal site). It's sort of weird," said Pilon.

That all changed on what was supposed to be the final day at the site.

Heather Passmore was working in a trench and came upon a layer of birch bark. Then another layer, mostly birch and some spruce, was discovered even deeper. A third layer was also uncovered in the 1.4-metre-deep trench.

The top two layers contained square nails, indicating a structure may have been located at the site in the late 1800s.

Fish scales, fish bone and a fire-cracked boiling stone and granite cobble were found near the bottom layer.

They may even predate European contact with the aboriginal people who lived in the area.

"There's no way we could have anticipated this," said Pilon. "That's the nature of archeology. Every new scoop of dirt can make you re-think everything you thought you knew.

"Something important was going on here, or nearby."

Stephen Rowan, a member of the Fort Simpson Historical Society, said he was excited about what has been found.

"I'm more interested than before," said Rowan. "I think this will be a real service to the village. This is an interesting site, worth further investigation."

Pilon has recommended the church rectory not be moved to the site.

"There would have to be more excavation or more substantial testing," he said.

"This story got really complex, really quickly. I leave with a lot of questions."

He plans to have some of the fish bones and bark radiocarbon-dated to determine their approximate age.

All the artifacts found during the dig will be catalogued at the Museum of Civilization and will eventually be stored at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife.