„THE REAL WILD WEST‟: THE ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY OF THE CASA GRANDE by Alana G. Peters BA (Hons.), Simon Fraser University 2007 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of Archaeology Faculty of Environment © Alana G. Peters 2011 Simon Fraser University Summer 2011 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for Fair Dealing. Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. Approval Name: Alana G. Peters Degree: Master Title of Thesis: The Real Wild West: The Archaeology and History of the Casa Grande Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Catherine D‟Andrea Department Chair, Professor Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University ___________________________________________ Dr. Ross Jamieson Senior Supervisor Associate Professor Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University ___________________________________________ Dr. John Welch Supervisor Associate Professor Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University ___________________________________________ Dr. Diane Newell External Examiner Professor of History, Director of Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies University of British Columbia Date Defended/Approved: ___________________________________________ ii Partial Copyright Licence STATEMENT OF ETHICS APPROVAL The author, whose name appears on the title page of this work, has obtained, for the research described in this work, either: (a) Human research ethics approval from the Simon Fraser University Office of Research Ethics, or (b) Advance approval of the animal care protocol from the University Animal Care Committee of Simon Fraser University; or has conducted the research (c) as a co-investigator, collaborator or research assistant in a research project approved in advance, or (d) as a member of a course approved in advance for minimal risk human research, by the Office of Research Ethics. A copy of the approval letter has been filed at the Theses Office of the University Library at the time of submission of this thesis or project. The original application for approval and letter of approval are filed with the relevant offices. Inquiries may be directed to those authorities. Simon Fraser University Library Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada Last update: Spring 2010 Abstract The Casa Grande is an abandoned ranch located on the Bonaparte Plateau, 50 km northeast of the town of Cache Creek, British Columbia, Canada. Local oral historical accounts state that the property was a brothel throughout the 1930s, serving miners from the Vidette Gold Mine 30 km away. Using archival and oral historical research combined with archaeological excavation, this thesis explores the possibility that a brothel existed at the site. Historical archaeologists have traditionally used a “brothel pattern” of artifact distribution to explore this issue, but the Casa Grande excavation demonstrates that the brothel pattern is not a useful tool when applied to remote rural 20th century sites. No archaeological evidence conclusively related to the sex trade was uncovered, and privacy laws seal much of the recent archival record. Local community members seem reluctant to talk about individual memories of the site for the first half of the twentieth century, and thus the nature of the site during the time period in question remains open. Keywords: Historical Archaeology; Brothel Research; Artifact Patterns; Community Memory; Mining; Prostitution; 1930s British Columbia iii Dedication This work is dedicated to Sandy, the greatest field dog ever. Even though she was so scared of everything she spent most of her time in the truck. iv Acknowledgements This work could not have been carried out without the intellectual and physical assistance of many colleagues, friends, and family members. I owe thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Ross Jamieson, for guiding me through the perils of recent historical archaeology. Dr. Douglas Ross helped me to understand all that is involved in carrying out historical archaeological fieldwork. Thanks to Dr. John Welch for bringing a new perspective to my work and to Diane Newell for being a part of my defence panel. Thanks also to Peter Locher and Shannon Wood for all their help in accessing equipment and tools. None of this would have been possible without the assistance of many volunteers who helped me carry out my fieldwork: Diane Chow, James Herbert, Sarah Johnson, Mykol Knighton, Katherine Lambert, Nova Pierson, and Ryan Sagarbarria. A special thanks to Shannon Grant who not only helped with excavations but also spent many tedious hours washing artifacts. I owe particular thanks to both of my parents, Dennis and Susan Peters, for financial and emotional support throughout this process, as well as to Mike and Natalie Peters for helping out in the final days of fieldwork. Thanks as well to the members of the communities of Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Savona, Kamloops, and the Deadman Valley who assisted me, especially Kathy Paulos at the Ashcroft Museum and Archives. Many thanks go to my emotional support crew at SFU, Krista MacGrath, Andrew Barton, Dave Burley, Darryl Kirsch, Molly Capper, Brian LaBore, Katie LeBlanc, and Megan Wong. Finally, I must thank my partner, Kevan Edinborough, for being my emotional rock throughout this process. v Table of Contents Approval .......................................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Dedication .......................................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................vi List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. viii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1: The Casa Grande .................................................................................................... 1 The Site ................................................................................................................................... 3 Site History .............................................................................................................................. 6 The Wild West ........................................................................................................................ 9 Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 10 Chapter 2: The Literature of Brothels ................................................................................... 14 Classes of Prostitution ........................................................................................................... 17 Grades of Brothels ................................................................................................................. 18 Historical Research on Brothels ............................................................................................ 23 Archaeological Research on Brothels ................................................................................... 26 The Brothel Pattern ............................................................................................................... 30 Chapter 3: The History of the Casa Grande ......................................................................... 35 Interview Research ................................................................................................................ 35 Archival Research ................................................................................................................. 38 The History of the Casa Grande ............................................................................................ 40 Chapter 4: The Archaeology of the Casa Grande ................................................................. 49 Archaeological Research ....................................................................................................... 49 Field Methods ........................................................................................................................ 49 Excavation Results Area 1 Unit 1 ........................................................................................ 57 Area 2 58 Area 2 Unit 1 ......................................................................................................................... 58 Area 2 Unit 2 ......................................................................................................................... 59 Area 2 Unit 3 ......................................................................................................................... 59 Area 2 Unit 4 ........................................................................................................................