Upper Midwest Archaeology

Fred A. Finney, PhD, RPA
Principal Investigator
Upper Midwest Archaeology LLC
Minneapolis, MN 55409
and
PO Box 106
St. Joseph, IL 61873

My college degrees are from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (PhD), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (MA), and Wright State University (BA). We moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2015 after having been residents of St. Joseph, Illinois, from 1999 to 2015. My work is providing a Cultural Resources Management service in the Midwest focusing on archaeology Phase 1, 2, and 3 investigations and burial site projects. In the course of this endeavor I have written more than 550 reports (plus an uncounted number of memos, letter reports, and monthly or quarterly progress reports as well as encyclopedia entries on archaeological, anthropological, geological, and biological topics) and served as the Principal Investigator for more than 665 projects. I am responsible for all aspects of the background research, fieldwork, and report writing. The papers section lists some of the reports as well as various journal articles and book reviews.

The use of current hand-held technology is one of the best aspects of 21st century archaeological research. Years ago one carried a pocket compass and rolled (not folded) USGS topographic maps in the field. Today I have GPS, GIS, Google Earth®, soil survey maps, scanners, Dropbox®, Google Drive®, pdf files of reports, and many other useful work apps on my iPhone, iPad, and field laptop. Now on surveys my most frequently used instruments are my iPhone (for note taking, GPS, etc.), a shovel, and a screen. Yes, we still use shovels, 1/4-inch screens, Munsell books, and shovel test forms on clipboards. The app store will not be replacing shovels and screens. Also I enjoy using digital cameras in the field and lab and no longer having to print my own photos. My spouse of 27 years is NY Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt. About my name -- according to Google there are 34 people with the name Fred Finney, hence why I use my middle initial. I'm not related to any other Fred. I mention the existence of other Freds because 21st century doppelgangers are no longer restricted to visual similarities but now include the persons with the same first and last names who will show up in Google search results. Be aware that there are other Freds.