Dozens of volunteers and archeologists are working for a second summer to uncover the remains of the lost, three-story Indian Manual Labor Training School.

The school opened in 1842 where Willamette University’s campus stands today. Methodist missionaries used the building and surrounding fields to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children, teaching them English, Christianity and forcing them to work.

Learn more about the history of the site in a previous Salem Reporter article, here.

Since last year, the crew has found thousands of artifacts, unburied old walking paths and discovered the cobblestone foundation of a blacksmithing workshop where Indigenous boys worked.

But they are still searching for the exact location of the school.

Anyone can view the excavation site in-person at Willamette University on Saturday, June 20, during an open house event from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The dig site is at the heart of the campus east of Smullin Hall, 900 State St.

Have a news tip? Contact reporter Hailey Cook: [email protected] .

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