The stock image of archaeology, that of a learned professional using a small trowel and paint brush to methodically uncover artifacts, seems at odds with this fact: The great unwashed masses are invited to a working archaeological site near Flagstaff where they may dig away.
The Elden Pueblo site is believed to have been home of hundreds of Sinagua people about 800 years ago. Today, the ruins sit just north of the Flagstaff Mall and butt up against a state highway.
A few times a year, the public is invited to help dig up artifacts at the site in the Coconino National Forest. Free public field days are scheduled for Sunday, June 24, July 28 and Aug. 18.
Kind of neat, although it doesn't seem like they'd find much of anything, digging for an hour or so.