Sand Dunes (!?) at Michigan State University

Two weeks ago, the Campus Archaeology Program was able to work together with MSU Geomorphologist Alan Arbogast, a professor in the Department of Geography, and MSU Landscape Services to do soil testing at the pine tree grove behind Demonstration Hall and Munn Ice Arena. A campus landmark, this area has served as a passageway for students, in addition to a regular short cut from parking lots to athletic events. However, this grove of trees has a unique past, of which we are only scratching the surface.

In 1913, the Woodbury Farm was purchased by Michigan Agricultural College, as the campus began their migration South of the Red Cedar River. Part of  this farm was a large sand ridge, which had been blowing sand onto the buildings, agricultural fields, and athletic facilities that the Campus had recently built just South of the Red Cedar River. In 1914, Frank Hobart Sanford, a professor of Forestry, planted a variety of pine trees in this area (which stretched further east then it’s current location) in order to test means of curtailing sand-blows permanently.

This spring, Landscape Services was planning on planting additional pines in the grove to replace those that had been destroyed by storms. The Campus Archaeology Program, through a liaison with Dr. Bill Lovis, who suspected the sand grove may be a natural sand dune, contacted Geographer Alan Arbogast. Dr. Arbogast researches sand dunes. With the help of Landscape Services, we were able to take two soil samples from different spots in the Pine Grove, and have sent them to a lab in Chicago to have OSL testing done. This form of testing will be able to gage when the last time the sand was exposed to light.

Dr. Arbogast believes that the dune is around 13,000 years old, and we expect that it will contribute greatly to the depth of our knowledge of the space that our campus occupies. We are looking forward to the test results, so that we can continue with further research into the project. Stay tuned.

Author: Terry Brock