David Brauner Oral History Interview

The interview opens with Dr. David Brauner mentioning his position at Oregon State University and his professional specialization and interests. He briefly describes his work on Civil War-era military forts in western Oregon, namely Forts Hoskins, Stevens, Umpqua, and Yamhill, and he explains how he became interested in that time period and subject. He has also notes work done on the agricultural settlements of French-Canadian fur trappers in the Willamette Valley. Brauner then describes his early life and the childhood experiences which led to his preliminary interest in breeding fish, his original field of study, and emphasizes the influence that his first archaeology and anthropology professors had on his practices as an educator. He explains that archaeology is usually a “discovered” discipline rather than something students enter university knowing they are interested in. He adds that, having been an average student his whole life, when he found archaeology he also found a passion for studying, learning, and academics.

Brauner then moves on to talk about how he landed his position at Oregon State University, which had always been a dream of his. He describes his involvement in the evolution of the discipline in response to the passage of the 1974 Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act, which he refers to as a “jobs bill for archaeologists” (the act required that all federally-funded construction projects or other ground-disturbing activities have an archaeological survey carried out prior to beginning work in order to ensure that no valuable sites are inadvertently destroyed). OSU was at the forefront of the changes that occurred in the teaching of archaeology as a result of this bill, and Brauner was tasked with making sure that OSU stayed ahead of the game by contracting with project directors to carry out surveys on behalf of the university, developing a Cultural Resource Management archaeology curriculum, and training some of the first archaeologists to open up private consulting firms. He explains that what truly fascinates him about archaeology is that every project he has worked on has revealed previously unknown histories. Throughout the interview he recounts anecdotes from projects he has worked on over the years, explaining that he has always been labeled a storyteller and he prefers to teach through stories.

Brauner next emphasizes the need for archaeologists, who he says tend to be introverted and somewhat reclusive, to step out of their comfort zone and fight for the discipline in the political arena. He explains that it can be difficult for politicians and government officials to understand the importance of archaeology if archaeologists do not make a point to educate them. In that vein, he also emphasizes the importance of public archaeology; opening sites up for “field days” where members of the public can see the site while the excavation is ongoing, take part a little bit, and talk to the excavators. He then talks about some of the awards and recognitions he has received throughout his career, and describes tracking down Jason Lee’s mission, now part of Champoeg State Park, and his work on semi-subterranean houses in a 3,000 year-old Nez Perce village on the Snake River. He mentions taking the occasional week’s worth of household garbage and burying it in his backyard for future archaeologists to find (garbage dumps, aka “middens” in archaeological lingo, are one of the most valuable sources of information on how people live that archaeologists can find). He also emphasizes the roles of accident and chance in archaeological discoveries. The interview concludes with Brauner talking about his plans for retirement and what kinds of things he still wants to accomplish.

Dr. David Brauner was born in 1947 in Corvallis, Oregon, and raised in Washington. As a child, he developed an interest in the selective breeding of fish through a series of genetic experiments he carried out on his pet swordtails. He intended to pursue a career in fisheries until he discovered archaeology during his undergraduate years and changed his major. He earned his B.A., M.A., and PhD from Washington State University. He eventually landed his dream job as a professor of archaeology at Oregon State University and remained there until his retirement in 2017. Throughout his career, his major research focus was on Civil War-era military forts in western Oregon, several of which he helped recover and elevate to public parks.