Archaeology

Willamette Valley Redware Project

The archaeological research staff are working on a cool project: to create a reference map of historic farmer-owned potteries in the Willamette Valley!

Six earthenware bowls and pots sit on a table. They are broken and have clearly been reconstruction. There are large gaps where pieces are missing. The colors range from dark brown to light tan.

Background: In the 1840s-1870s, before the railroads changed Oregon’s economy, small farmer-owned potteries operated all over the valley. As many as 25 of these potteries created earthenware ceramics in the time between the first non-Indigenous settlement of the Willamette Valley and completion of the railroads.

The ceramics in the Willamette Valley were primarily used for food storage and preparation. They were traded for produce, textiles, salt, and alcohol. By the 1880s, the farmer-owned potteries’ production had declined and been largely replaced by the mass-produced stoneware manufactured by Buena Vista Pottery Works, the only mechanized pottery in Oregon.

Archaeological sites across Oregon have uncovered pieces of these redwares, many of which are housed in our museum. Former museum director Don Dumond also collected complete examples and excavated known pottery manufacturing sites, so the museum has a sizeable collection to work with.

The work: In 2024, the museum Sandal Society voted to fund a sourcing study of Willamette Valley redware. This sourcing study involves using an x-ray fluorescence (XRF) machine to identify the chemical composition of a ceramic piece. The goal is to determine the source of each piece, creating a new reference database for future use and allowing archaeologists to track the distributions of the wares and better understand the scope of the Willamette Valley economy in the early settlement period.

The technology: The museum acquired a portable XRF machine in 2022. XRF analysis is non-destructive and relatively inexpensive. XRF machines emit x-rays at a target area, causing the atoms to “fluoresce” and allowing the presence of various elements to be measured. We are specifically targeting 25 different elements in the clay of the ceramics. We will test 3 different locations of each artifact to capture an accurate chemical profile.

Mitchell Ralphs bends over a black machine the size of his head. He writes data down on a piece of paper, all science-like.

Mitchell Ralphs, archaeology research assistant, takes measurements with the Portable X-ray fluorescence machine.