Aitkin Wrecks Project 2015 Report

The Aitkin Wrecks Project 2015 (AWP-2015) fieldwork was conducted from late September to mid-October 2015. The goals for the Andy Gibson Wreck Site were to determine if the starboard side cylinder timber survived, to document that area of the wreck using terrestrial techniques, and to use underwater reconnaissance to fill in gaps that exist in the archaeological site plan. In relation to the Red Mill Wreck, the main objective was to locate what MHM believed to be the bow of the wreck and document the area, also using terrestrial archaeological methods, and augment the current site plan. Also, a condition assessment of the Swan Wreck would be conducted, dependent on river water levels. Further, MHM planned to conduct manual probing and visual inspections of the area to the southeast between the Red Mill Wreck and the mouth of the Ripple River. An informant believed he had seen another site or wreck nearer the mouth of the river in the 1960s, partially uncovered in shifting silt. MHM spent three days on each wreck conducting the maritime terrestrial investigations, one additional day on the Andy Gibson Wreck for the underwater portion of the project, and parts of two days investigating the area where the possible site may exist near the Ripple River and near the Swan Wreck.

In copyright. This report is copyrighted to Ann Merriman, Christopher Olson, and Maritime Heritage Minnesota. It can be downloaded free of charge for personal use, but it cannot be sold for profit by a third part, uploaded do another site, or changed in any way.