A comparison of excavation methods between the War Eagle and Bertrand steamboats

Abstract

The steamboats Bertrand and War Eagle operated in a similar brief period of time in the United States and were both primarily excavated in the 1960s. The sites described in this paper are representative of a terrestrial waterlogged site (Bertrand) and an underwater river site (War Eagle.) The paper highlights the problems associated with underwater archaeology compared to terrestrial. This paper is a synthesis of materials and a comparison of the Bertrand steamboat and War Eagle steamboat and the resulting archaeology. This comparison will discuss the excavation methods utilized by each group to their respected steamboats during the 1960s and how those methods impacted the archaeology record of these sites.