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Distributed for Purich Publishing

Once upon This Land

Archaeology in British Columbia and the Stories It Tells

With a Foreword by Karen Rose Thomas
An archeological survey of important sites in British Columbia.
 
With evidence of human habitation dating back to the last ice age, British Columbia boasts a fascinating array of archaeological sites. In Once upon This Land, archaeologist Robert Muckle takes readers to some exciting locations to explain what archaeology is (and isn’t), how research is undertaken in BC, and what it contributes to our broader understanding of human history.

This survey introduces readers to some of the most notable archaeological investigations in the province, including footprints left in mud on Calvert Island thirteen thousand years ago, the remains of a First Nations village near Lillooet, and the body of a man frozen in ice for centuries in the Tatshenshini region. He also explores more recent phenomena, such as a World War I internment camp near Fernie, a Japanese logging camp in North Vancouver, shipwrecks, airplane crashes, and even the remnants of COVID-19 left behind in urban landfills.

This is an engrossing look at how archaeology, by telling the stories of our past, connects us to fifteen thousand years of human occupation in Canada.

204 pages | 17 color plates, 17 halftones, 1 map | 5.5 x 8.5 | © 2025

Archaeology


Reviews

"This is an engaging and accessible treasure trove of stories told by artifacts, shipwrecks, radiocarbon dating, trash, and even wildfires. Robert Muckle blends Indigenous knowledge with scientific analysis, giving context to thousands of years of human history in British Columbia."

Michael Kluckner, author of Vanishing British Columbia

"I have always wished for an archaeology of BC book like this that I could use in teaching my own classes. While the writing style is accessible and never condescending, Once upon This Land will help inquisitive readers appreciate just how complex and vast the archaeological history of the northwest part of North America really is."

Brian Pegg, Department of Anthropology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

"The way that Bob explains common misconceptions in archaeology is so straightforward and easy to understand that I wish I’d come up with it!"

Andrew Kinkella, Department of Anthropology, Moorpark College, and host of The Pseudo-Archaeology Podcast

"May this book offer all who read it a glimmer of understanding of the fourteen thousand years of documented relationships between Indigenous peoples and the land which has sustained us."

From the foreword by archaeologist Karen Rose Thomas

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