The 2015 and 2024 excavations of the Women’s League Cabin uncovered archaeological evidence of clandestine activity at the site, including beer cans, cigarettes, and alcohol bottles. One beer bottle found in this year’s excavation can be dated between the 1960s and 1970s, and a fragment of a liquor bottle still displays a Maker’s Mark that was used between the 1920s and 1950s.
In our excavation, we also found a large amount of brown glass shards. Although we could speculate (given their shapes, sizes, and colors), that these were all from beer bottles, we did not have the time to confirm this assumption. As such, they were not included in our final presentation, although we did use them as context for the other alcohol-related artifacts we found.
The archaeological evidence that our class uncovered at the Women’s League Cabin demonstrates that the league’s rules were not universally followed. This evidence of rule-breaking and resistance to the structure of the Women’s League suggests that the Women’s League’s power and influence varied over time.
In addition to the artifacts collected that can be dated to the time of the Women’s League, we also found artifacts from well after this period. This ultimately suggests that even after the cabin’s demolition, the site has remained a popular place for partying and clandestine activity.
Figure 2: Beer can collected in 2015 excavation, dated between 2008 and 2013. Photo courtesy of Melissa Uc.
Figure 3: Cigarette pack collected in 2015, dated between 2000s and 2010s. Picture courtesy of Sophia Jazaeri.
Even artifacts that are not illegal on their own come to represent clandestine activity when in the context of the arboretum. The 2015 excavation uncovered several examples of littering, including this Mello Yello dated around the 1980s.
Our 2024 survey, furthermore, documented even more recent evidence of illegal activity at the site including smoking and littering, both of which are prohibited in the Arboretum. Even though the cabin is no longer standing, the open area of the site has invited gatherings for many subsequent years. Within these gatherings, we can speculate that rule-breaking—whether it be drinking, camping, smoking, or littering—was not, and is not, uncommon.
