We were lucky to fit in a couple of hours of excavation today before the threatening rain started pelting down!
We quickly packed up the site and got the equipment back to the trailer and then broke for lunch. After lunch we decided to take the opportunity to start processing the artifacts we have been collecting in our Archaeology Centre wet lab.
It was really great to get a chance to go through the artifacts we have collected to date on the excavation. I chose this dog tag as our artifact of the day. It says “DOG TAX/1907/PETERBORO/361”.
In 1907, General Electric was leasing the property for the first power station on the west bank, however, we know that people were still living on the parcel. Perhaps this tag came from the neighbouring house, which we know was occupied into the late 1950s.
Dog tax seems to have been a contentious issue at this time. An article in the Lindsay Post from 1907 reporting about dog licensing in Kingson calls people “Animaniacs” and suggests that there are twice as many dogs in Kingston enjoying life than are registered with the tax assessor. The writer suggests that the city offer a 25-cent reward to people who correctly report to the assessor that a dog is not on the list. It also states that “All dogs should be taxed or face the policeman’s revolver!”.
Luckily our unknown Prinnie/Pete/Bobbie/Carlos/Fluffy/Fannie [all names referenced in the article] was registered on our assessor rolls, at least in 1907!
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