Theses and Dissertations Collection

Between the years 1856 to 1866, the Forts of Hoskins and Yamhill monitored and policed newly created reservations in Oregon. As with any bureaucratic institution, an abundance of records was left behind. As historical archaeologists, we rely on documentary and archaeological evidence to piece together the story of an archaeological site. This work intends to examine how the archaeological and historical records compare and contrast, showing how diverse sources can complement each other and provide distinct information about the past.Initially, the intent was to produce a case study on clothing at Fort Yamhill and Hoskins, using both digitized historical administrative records and archaeological data and artifacts. However, lab closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic prevented access to the archaeologically recovered material. A partial workaround to the archaeological data access challenges was Justin Eichelberger’s 2019 dissertation and James Shane’s 2019 MA thesis which provided catalogs of the pertinent artifacts and have proven to be invaluable sources of data and information to build on. As such, my focus shifted to examining how the larger historical and archaeological datasets and sources intersect and relate.