The DB Site. An Archaeological Site at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

The DB site was discovered in 1994 during an archaeological survey by the University of Kansas Museum of Anthropology KUMA in and around the Quarry Creek drainage, Leavenworth County, Kansas. Many archaeological sites are discovered during a survey, in which archaeologists walk through a designated area and examine the ground for artifacts on the surface. If the ground cover is too dense to see the surface, they perform shovel tests. A shovelful of earth is scooped out at constant intervals along the survey route and checked to see if it contains artifacts. While this method can miss some sites, it has revealed the presence of many others. It was clear from plans of the proposed United States Disciplinary Barracks that construction of this prison would disturb the site. Was the DB site significant enough to take action KU archaeologists answered this question by conducting additional surveys and test excavations in July and October of 1995.