New Mexico’s ‘Atari Dump,’ a Midden of Video Games, to Be Excavated

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

December 7, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 8735 0

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

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

July 13, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 13183 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…

Radioactive Wreck of WWII Aircraft Carrier Discovered Near San Francisco Bay

July 10, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 17295 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…

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

April 13, 2015 —by Blake de Pastino 100282 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…

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

December 7, 2014 —by Blake de Pastino 11258 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 9523 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…

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

June 5, 2014 —by Blake de Pastino 36639 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….

First Japanese-American Labor Camp From World War II Unearthed in Idaho

July 30, 2013 —by Blake de Pastino 7548 0

A strange and bitter layer of history has returned to the surface in northern Idaho, where archaeologists have excavated the first World War II internment camp that put men of…

‘Atari Dump’ Excavation Confirmed by Canadian Entertainment Company

June 4, 2013 —by Blake de Pastino 4521 1

Western Digs confirmed today that Fuel Entertainment, an Ottawa-based digital media company, will be excavating the so-called Atari Dump, a midden of video game hardware, cartridges, and other electronic detritus…