Dig up state’s fascinating past

Digging in the earth has always held a certain charm for me —­ and I’m particularly thinking that now, after spending a couple of engrossing afternoons with “Archaeology in Washington.” This volume from the University of Washington Press is a significantly restructured and updated version of a book called “Exploring Washington Archaeology,” which came out nearly 30 years ago.
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So much has happened since then — ­from the discovery of Kennewick Man on the banks of the Columbia River, to the excavation of a centuries-old fish camp at Mud Bay in South Sound. More than once in recent years, construction sites for waste treatment plants (of all things) have yielded a wealth of ancient artifacts.

Authors Ruth Kirk and Richard D. Daugherty are just the people to take us on this fascinating tour of our state. Kirk has written many books pertaining to Northwest history and geography. Daugherty, a Washington State University professor emeritus, spent decades leading archaeology students in digs across the state.