Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
University of Idaho anthropology students are digging into more than 100 years of Moscow, Idaho, history through the Idaho Public Archaeology field school.
In fall 2026, 28 students took part in the third season of excavations at Moscow High School, following digs in 2019 and 2023. The project gives students hands-on experience excavating, screening soil, cleaning artifacts and learning how archaeologists study the past.
Before the current Moscow High School was built, at least nine homes stood on the property. Moscow’s first high school was built there in 1892, while the main part of the current school was built in 1939. Historical fire insurance maps dating from 1891 to 1928 help researchers identify where buildings once stood and where to dig.
Students are exploring several parts of the property, including the foundation of the original high school, the former site of a home and an old alleyway that once had homes on both sides. Finds include household items, building materials and even Navy medic buttons recovered from an area where trash appears to have been burned and dumped.
The Moscow High School excavation is the University of Idaho’s 13th public archaeology project in the state. During the previous dig at the school in 2023, more than 15,000 artifacts were recovered and more than 600 people visited the excavation, including about 300 students from Moscow schools.
University of Idaho anthropology students are digging into more than 100 years of Moscow, Idaho, history through the Idaho Public Archaeology field school.
In fall 2026, 28 students took part in the third season of excavations at Moscow High School, following digs in 2019 and 2023. The project gives students hands-on experience excavating, screening soil, cleaning artifacts and learning how archaeologists study the past.
Before the current Moscow High School was built, at least nine homes stood on the property. Moscow’s first high school was built there in 1892, while the main part of the current school was built in 1939. Historical fire insurance maps dating from 1891 to 1928 help researchers identify where buildings once stood and where to dig.
Students are exploring several parts of the property, including the foundation of the original high school, the former site of a home and an old alleyway that once had homes on both sides. Finds include household items, building materials and even Navy medic buttons recovered from an area where trash appears to have been burned and dumped.
The Moscow High School excavation is the University of Idaho’s 13th public archaeology project in the state. During the previous dig at the school in 2023, more than 15,000 artifacts were recovered and more than 600 people visited the excavation, including about 300 students from Moscow schools.
