Michael Broderick
1842 MacDonald St.
Vancouver, B.C.
V6K 3x9

August 7, 1979.

Mayor and Council a
Fort Coquitlam City Halt ; .

AUG 13 1979

Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

RE: REQUEST FOR A FIRE PERMIT

i am currently employed by the Ministry of the Provincial
Secretary, Heritage Conservation Branch, Archaeology Section
to salvage an archaeological site at the foot of Pitt River
Road. This site will be destroyed by the Ministry of Highways’
Mary Hill Bypass. project.

*

One of the more important discoveries to date is the
presence of numerous large hearths located ina pasture at
1955 Argue, owned by iir. and Mrs. Kroeker. These nearths range
from 1 mé - 10 m@ in area. It appears that small depressions
were excavated in-the sandy soil, filled with fvel, and
ignited. In each hearth there are distinct layers of ash,
carbonized earth, charcoal, sand, and unburnt wood. Their
age has been estimated by radiocarbon dating to te 400 — 800
years old. This is considered to be recent in Northwest Coast
prehistory. Drawings of two of the hearths are presented
for your information.

There is no record of this type of hearth being used by
any Northwest Coast group in historic times. It is important,
therefore, that extreme caution be used in interpreting their
function. Thus far, we have found the carbonized seeds of
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) from the hearths. The fruits
of this plant ripen in early Gctober, and therefore we conclude
that the hearths were being used at that time of year. We are
uncertain, however, of what types of food processing activitie
were being carried out. The hearths may have been used for
roasting, drying, or steaming. We also do not knaw what kinds
of remains to expect from these activities.

The only way we can begin to draw inference to the function
of these hearths is to perform some duplication experiments.
We need to build some fires to identify the unknown variables.
Further, it is important for physical / chemical reasons that
these experiments be carried out at the Same location these he
hearths were discovered. This letter is a request for permission
from you and your council to do so.