Out on the Porch: Evidence of Play on Idaho’s Frontier

Summary

The ideal child of the 19th century was seen and not heard, and today the lives of these children are often overlooked in the documentation of the past. They did, however, have a lasting impact on their surroundings in the American West.  Recent excavations of a surgeon’s quarters at Fort Boise reveal insights into some of the earliest evidence of play in the state of Idaho. Artifacts unearthed from below the home's porch include toys and educational materials dating to the turn of the twentieth century.  These artifacts, rather than being discarded into a trash area, were lost beneath the floorboards. The child-related artifacts, along with some other artifacts of domesticity hint at past activities played out on the quintessential home surface: the front porch.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Unearthing the Gem State: Historical Archaeology in Idaho   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 570