Creating a Digital Twin of tumwata Village: Combining Historic Narratives & 3D Modeling

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Tumwata Village, located at Oregon City, Oregon, holds a complex archaeological record of thousands of years of Indigenous lifeways, overlain by 19th century settler and commercial expansion, and 20th century industrial domination. The resulting complexity presents a challenge for archaeologists attempting to understand both this complicated intertwined mix of brick, steel, and oral tellings, but presents a unique opportunity to integrate historic documents with emerging technologies to untangle physical structures and better understand the complex history of site. Prior to, and during demolition of the old Blue Heron Paper Mill, we used the 3D capabilities of ArcGIS and the digital modeling techniques of photogrammetry and LiDAR to create a digital model of tumwata Village. This has allowed the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to reach the dual goals of useful redevelopment and preservation of the site’s heritage.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow