Archaeology students seek 19th-century well

The busted-up 1891 toilet let them know they were on the right track.

Students in the field school at Fort Vancouver found the porcelain toilet last year while digging in chief factor John McLoughlin's garden outside the northwest wall.

They're in search this summer of the well that watered his garden. A ground radar scan 15 years ago year showed a shaft at the site, so they felt confident they were in the right spot.

It sounded kinda dumb when I first read the headline, too. But it's more important than it sounds. Seems to have been common, as there was also a formal garden at San Juan Island's English Camp.