First Evidence Found of Storied Battle That Stopped Spain’s Eastward Expansion

Wyoming Wildfire Reveals ‘Massive’ Shoshone Camp, Thousands of Artifacts

January 24, 2017 —by Blake de Pastino 102135 5

A wildfire high in the mountains of Wyoming has revealed a vast, centuries-old Shoshone campsite, with artifacts numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

19th Century

Wrecks From Infamous 19th Century Whaling ‘Disaster’ Discovered Off Alaska Coast

January 8, 2016 —by Blake de Pastino 13403 7

With help from both new technology and global warming, archaeologists have discovered the site of The Whaling Disaster of 1871 — one of the worst debacles in the history of American whale-hunting — off the coast of Alaska.

20th Century

‘Forgotten Casualty’ of Pearl Harbor Attack Revealed Off Coast of Hawaii

December 7, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 9868 0

Archaeologists in Hawaii have documented, for the first time, one of the first casualties of the attack on Pearl Harbor 74 years ago.

19th Century

200-Year-Old Shipwreck Survivors’ Camp Found on Alaska Island

September 14, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 8873 0

A group of Russian traders who found themselves shipwrecked on an Alaskan island in winter more than 200 years ago are no longer just figures in local lore. This summer,…

19th Century

Origin of ‘Spanish Armor,’ Said to Have Been Found in Texas Desert, Stumps Scientists

September 10, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 40307 16

It seems to have passed through more hands than The Maltese Falcon. And it’s proving to be nearly as mysterious. Two pieces of iron armor — reportedly first found in…

20th Century

Nevada’s ‘Peace Camp,’ The Last Site of Its Kind, Reveals History of Cold-War Protests

July 13, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 15096 5

It was visited by scientists and celebrities, from Carl Sagan to Martin Sheen. It was the year-round home of less famous activists for decades. And it was nearly lost, until…

20th Century

Radioactive Wreck of WWII Aircraft Carrier Discovered Near San Francisco Bay

July 10, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 19896 6

After more than 60 years — and some of the most intense action that a military vessel has ever seen — a World War II-era aircraft carrier has recently been…

19th Century

Site of Deadliest Native American Massacre Identified in Idaho

April 27, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 53266 14

A peaceful patch of farmland in southeastern Idaho likely holds a grisly, bitter history — but the full story remains hidden, at least for now. Archaeologists surveying acreage along the Bear…

20th Century

At 50, Ring-Tab Beer Cans Are Now Officially Historic Artifacts

April 13, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 116645 22

[Editor’s Note: This is just one of Western Digs’ top stories of 2015: Discover the other surprising, enlightening, and sometimes disturbing finds that were the Top 5 Archaeology Discoveries in the American…

19th Century

‘Mysterious’ Winchester Rifle From 1882 Found Leaning Against Tree in Nevada National Park

January 17, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 27695 9

Archaeologists surveying the remote reaches of Nevada‘s Great Basin National Park came upon a tantalizing find from the Old West — a weathered, 132-year-old Winchester repeating rifle, discovered propped up against a juniper tree, just…

19th Century

Hundreds of 19th-Century Wickiups Recorded in Colorado Mountains

January 11, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 19104 2

In the mountain forests of western Colorado, archaeologists and tribal members have recorded scores of sites that contain the remains of hundreds of wickiups, cone-shaped wooden structures built by the Ute, or Nuche, people more than…

20th Century

Sunken WWII Ship, Famed for Pearl Harbor Rescue Mission, Discovered Off Hawaii Coast

December 7, 2014 —by Blake de Pastino 12918 0

Archaeologists exploring the ocean depths just off the coast of Oahu have discovered, intact, the sunken vessel that carried out a gripping rescue mission on December 7, 1941 — sailing…

19th Century

Shipwrecks Discovered in Nautical ‘Graveyard’ at San Francisco’s Golden Gate

September 18, 2014 —by Blake de Pastino 11131 1

Maritime archaeologists say they’ve discovered the wrecks of two great but long-forgotten ships, along with a newly found “mystery wreck,” just outside San Francisco’s famous Golden Gate. Researchers with the…

20th Century

Vinyl Records Excavated at Famous ’60s Commune Challenge ‘Hippie’ Stereotype, Study Says

June 5, 2014 —by Blake de Pastino 43364 33

The Grateful Dead once lived there, apparently taken with the acoustics of the living room. Its bucolic grounds were featured on the back cover of the Dead’s 1969 album Aoxomoxoa….

18th Century

Projectile point in human remains in California

From Stone Darts to Dismembered Bodies, New Study Reveals 5,000 Years of Violence in Central California

April 28, 2014 —by Blake de Pastino 35194 13

From shooting their enemies with darts and arrows to crushing their skulls and even harvesting body parts as trophies, the ancient foragers of central California engaged in sporadic, and sometimes…

18th Century