If the survey is successful, more extensive excavations of such sites will be conducted. This research may be of interest to young students for two reasons. First, it is important to remember that missions were not the only place where colonists and California Indians interacted. The experiences of California Indians who worked, lived, or traded with the military settlements may have been very different from the life in the missions. Second, this research project illustrates how historic documents, written mostly by colonists, do not always provide enough information to understand the experiences of California Indians during the Spanish-colonial period.
Historical archaeology is an important tool to fill the gap.
Teachers may want to know that my research is part of an integrated, multi-phase research program being conducted by the National Park Service Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the Presidio of San Francisco park. Park interpreters and archaeologists have developed many interesting programs for school-age children about all aspects of the park's history.