The vast majority of the archaeological investigations that have been performed at Fort McCoy have been driven by the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966. This act of Congress has been amended more than once, but the core tenets have remained intact since its inception.
Section 106 of the NHPA directs federal agencies like the Department of Defense to consider the effects of undertakings involving federal funding on public lands. An undertaking, according to the law, is a project, activity, or program funded in whole or in part under the direct or indirect authority of a federal agency, including those carried out by or on behalf of a federal agency; those carried out with federal financial assistance; and those requiring a federal permit, license or approval.
Section 110 of the NHPA delegates the responsibility for identifying historic properties on public lands to the Federal agency entrusted with the management of those public lands.
A historic property, according to Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800, means any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in, or eligible for inclusion in, the National Register of Historic Places maintained by the Secretary of the Interior. Fort McCoy encompasses 60,000 acres of public land held in trust for the American people by the Department of Defense, but it is implied that these lands best serve the American people when they are used to train our soldiers and prepare them for the theatre of battle.
The Secretary of the Interior estimates 50 years as the amount of time needed to develop a historical perspective to aid in evaluating the significance of a thing or place.
A “historic property” such as an artifact like a stone arrowhead or a building, needs to be at least 50 years old in order to be considered for preservation. 2021 marks 50 years since the introduction of the Hasbro toy line known as Weebles, which are known for their ability to wobble without falling down.
Archaeologists with Colorado State University’s Center for the Environmental Management of Military Lands were evaluating an archaeological site in 2016 with respect to National Register criteria to determine if it was eligible for inclusion when they discovered the remains of a Weeble.
The site was recommended not eligible for the National Register because the site area was significantly disturbed and had very little research and data recovery potential.
Interestingly, a research paper appeared in a peer-reviewed mathematics journal in 2017 with the title “Weebles Only Wobble But Eggs Fall Down,” which investigated the center of gravity of Weebles and compared it to that of chicken eggs.
The Weeble recovered from Fort McCoy certainly would not add much to the mathematics research discussed above, but the ability to provide data to aid in research is one of the main considerations for evaluating archaeological sites.
Had the site that produced the Weeble been investigated in 2021, it might have led to a more interesting conversation about whether the site could be eligible for the National Register.
All archaeological work conducted at Fort McCoy was sponsored by the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.
Visitors and employees are reminded they should not collect artifacts on Fort McCoy or other government lands and leave the digging to the professionals.
Any individual that excavates, removes, damages, or otherwise alters or defaces any historic or prehistoric site, artifact, or object of antiquity on Fort McCoy is in violation of federal law.
The discovery of any archaeological artifact should be reported to the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.
(Article coordinated by the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.)
Social Sharing