In October 2011, BYU geology and archaeology students broke new ground in Nauvoo as they examined different archaeological sites. They weren’t digging for buried treasure, but for new ways of looking at the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Professors Bill Keach and John McBride, from the Department of Geological Sciences, took students to Nauvoo to do field-work and to help both The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ benefit from the students’ work and data.
Those who helped launch the project include Dr. Benjamin C. Pykles, historical sites curator for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Casey Cluff, facilities manager of Nauvoo Restoration, Inc.; and Lachlan Mackay, director of historic sites for the Community of Christ. The BYU Religious Studies Center and the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences both provided funding for the project.
The originator of the project, Dr. Pykles, initially chose the sites in Nauvoo using land records that indicated where homes had been in the past. Then Keach and McBride arrived with their students to use ground penetrating radar (GPR) to examine the sites.
Just as sonar sends out sound waves through water, GPR sends out electromagnetic waves through the ground to record what lies beneath, allowing the team to get readings through the moist, clayey soil of Nauvoo.
“Part of the project is just proving that the science works in Nauvoo, and it does,” Keach said. “It depends on low moisture content. Nauvoo has been in a drought since about July. They’re praying for rain, and we’re praying that it doesn’t rain.”
By using GPR, the team was able to identify objects and structures buried under modern-day Nauvoo. Normally, GPR is used to give a two-dimensional view into the subsurface, but McBride and Keach used a multi-grid system that provided a three-dimensional view of structures underground. With this information, they could make educated decisions about where old structures and foundations were located underground.
“The primary goal of the project was to see if GPR would work in Nauvoo and under what conditions, so that we then would be in a position to advise . . . either church on what would be the best strategy for non-invasive archaeological study,” said McBride. “And then they can decide if they want to expand to do a full-scale study.”
The two professors were grateful to all the different collaborators and participants who helped make the group project possible. The Community of Christ invited Keach and McBride to come back to Nauvoo next summer to evaluate even more sites. Keach and McBride agree that this was a large step towards helping the Community of Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints collaborate together in new ways.
“The most important thing is that it provides collaboration with the Community of Christ, which is exciting because we have a shared heritage with them,” McBride said. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could find a way to move a little closer to acknowledge that shared experience?”