Institution: Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park State: Alaska Object: Backpack Era: 19th Century   The Chilkoot Trail was an indigenous trading route owned and operated by Tlingit and Tagish communities. The route led 33 miles north from Dyea, Alaska to Lake Bennett in British Columbia, Canada. The same route was used by prospective miners during the 1896 Klondike Gold Rush. The trail originally began as an obsidian network between the Tlinglit and Athabaskans. Eventually, trade goods expanded to include grease, dried fish and fur, as well as pots, guns, textiles, sugar and othe ..read more

“Typeset keys with physical stamp in upper right hand corner, from left to right – yu, we, and hi.” Photo by Jared Pebworth / Arkansas Archaeological Survey Institution: Arkansas Archaeological Survey State: Arkansas Object: Typewriter Era: 19th Century   Prior to the 1830 Indian Removal Act, Cherokee communities “voluntarily” relocated west as early as 1817. A young man named Sequoyah was also part of this early group- traveling from Tennessee to designated reservations in Arkansas. The experience led him to developed a writing system to sustain relationships between split Cherokee comm ..read more

Support This Collection Institution: Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center State: Pennsylvania Object: Storage Era: 19th Century This trunk was one of the accommodations for children attending the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The institution was one of the first federally funded boarding schools designed to assimilate Native American children. While the institution is most known for its Indigenous football legacy, 186 children also died while attending Carlisle. During westward expansion, states added “free education” clauses to encourage indigenous land accessions. Most of ..read more

Photo by Florida Museum / Kristen Grace Support This Collection Institution: Ceramic Technology Lab, Florida Museum of Natural History State: Florida Object: Pot Era: Woodland Period   The McKeithen site has three mounds labeled A, B and C. Based on archaeological evidence, each mound served a different purpose for processing the dead. Mound A was a temporary storage for remains, while Mound B may have functioned as the ceremonial center or living quarters for the priest. Mound C, on the other hand, served as the permanent burial space since most of the remains remains were neatly organi ..read more

Institution: Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex State: Ohio Object: Instrument Era: Woodland Period   These bone flutes were excavated from the Fort Ancient Settlement, not to be confused with the Fort Ancient Culture that developed centuries later. Fort Ancient was one of many moundbuilder sites located in the Ohio River Valley. It’s elaborate earthenworks and trade items confirm its connection to the Hopewell Cultural Tradition. Although the context is unknown, these flutes were most likely part of a burial. Bone flutes were not as rare as we assume. They were also recovered at s ..read more

Photo by Jenny Ellerbe Institution: Louisiana Office of Cultural Development State: Louisiana Object: Cooking Stones Era: Archaic Period Poverty Point Objects or PPO’s are named for their presence at the Poverty Point and for the fact that researchers are still uncertain about their function. Poverty Point is one of the earliest mound building sites in Northeast Louisiana, well before Hopewell and Cahokia. Based on archaeological evidence, the mounds functioned as living spaces, burials, and unknown specialized activities that involved PPOs. PPOs are thousands of clay baked stones that were f ..read more

Wig Curler with Residue (VCU_3D_1284) by Virtual Curation Lab on Sketchfab Institution: Historic Kenmore and George Washington's Ferry Farm State: Virginia Object: Curler Era: 18th Century   In the 18th century, most men wore “perukes”, also known as powdered wigs. George Washington did not wear a wig, but he did care for his hair as if he wore one. Washington was known to powder his real hair and his wife was known to gift locks of his hair in frames, paper, and jewelry. Despite Washington’s preference to not wear a wig, over 200 wig curlers were recovered from his first home on Ferry F ..read more

Explore! State Firearm: PA Long Rifle Institution: The State Museum of Pennsylvania State: Pennsylvania Object: Guns & Ammunition Era: 18th Century In 1775, Pennsylvania’s Committee of Safety ordered local gunsmiths to produce smooth bore muskets, bayonets and cartridge boxes for their new recruits. However, most Lancaster County gunsmiths specialized in long rifles. The long rifle industry developed when German and Swiss immigrants settled in the early 1700s. Their expertise in German Jaegars eventually led to the development of the Pennsylvania and Kentucky Long Rifle. Despite their abi ..read more

John Bush | Powder Horn of John Mayhard | The Metropolitan Museum of Art Institution: Metropolitan Museum of Art State: New York Object: Guns & Ammunition Era: 18th Century   This powder horn belonged to a French and Indian War soldier “John Mayhard”, but the horn was decorated by John Bush. During the mid 18th century, Bush grew up in Shrewberry, Massachusettes as a free Black man. His education granted him clerk positions that developed his skills as a record keeper and calligrapher. When the Britain rallied the colonies to organize, Bush was one of few Black men to join the Massac ..read more

Institution: American Revolution Institute State: Connecticut Object: Knife Era: 18th Century During the earliest days of the Revolutionary War, men were organized across 13 colonies to form the Continental Army. This also included 1400 medical professionals with experience ranging from apprentice to established physician. Despite this new precedent in military medicine, many doctors performed medical procedures, like bloodletting, that had dangerous implications.   Shop American Artifacts Influential doctors like John Hunter and Benjamin Rush championed bloodletting as a cure or prev ..read more