One of the questions NCC gets the most is, “What do we already known about this location?”. The first step in archaeological work typically involves communication with, and visiting, the Office of the State Archaeologist as well as Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office. This helps NCC document known archaeological sites near project areas as well as fieldwork already completed in the past. Sometimes, this means  archaeology may not even be necessary, and we are not afraid to let a client known when more work is not needed. These offices are currently limiting visits due to Covid-19 protocols. If this is the case after the project is awarded, we will complete all possible digital requests with both agencies as part of a good faith effort.

Our expanded Literature Reviews focused on the following:

• historic birds-eye, topographic, and insurance maps,
• traditional and aerial photography,
• LiDAR satellite imagery,
• tax records,
• census information,
• construction and demolition permits,
• neighborhood histories,
• environmental reporting including soil coring

The more gaps we can fill in the knowledge base, the more accurate our future work will be.