Elie Lewin ’27 helped create public-facing education with summer internship for Grand Meadow Chert Quarry

When people asked Elie Lewin ’27 what she was doing last summer, the answer wasn’t a simple one. 

“Well, let me tell you about something that you probably haven’t heard of,” she always began. “If you drive an hour and a half from Carleton, kind of southeast, there’s this little spot on the side of the road…” The spot she’s referring to is Grand Meadow Chert Quarry, which the Star Tribune hypothesized could be “the most significant Indigenous archaeological site in southern Minnesota.”

For many years, however, the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry was almost unknown to the non-Dakota  public. Since its re-introduction to the archaeological community, the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry has been mostly maintained as an archeological site, with limited public-facing education on the cultural significance of the location. Lewin got to be a part of changing that, as she spent her summer creating accessible materials for the public to learn about the quarry. In Fall 2025, the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry officially opened to the public, with a walking path and self-guided tour.

Located in Grand Meadow, Minnesota, the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry Archeological and Cultural Preserve comprises eight acres of oak savanna and five acres of restored prairies. Amongst the oak trees are 100 quarry pits designed to unearth chert, commonly referred to as flint. The Grand Meadow Chert Quarry pits were used between 400 and 3,000 years ago by Indigenous people, seeking the material to make a variety of artisan tools. Archeological work traces the oldest confirmed use of stone from this exact chert quarry to a spearhead in Granite Falls, Minnesota, which was used 8,000 years ago to kill a buffalo. Chert from the Grand Meadow Quarry has been found everywhere from the Black Hills in South Dakota to the Great Lakes region. Its physical impact spans hundreds of miles, and its temporal impact spans hundreds of years — archeologists hypothesize from 1000 to 1400 CE.

Carleton has had a relationship with the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry for some time now. In fact, Lewin first discovered her internship opportunity through Sarah Kennedy, assistant professor of archeology and Latin American studies. Kennedy had been in communication with archaeologist Tom Trow, a key organizer in opening the Quarry’s public trail, who was in search of a student intern. Kennedy was eager to support Lewin, and thanks to funding from Carleton’s Indigenous Engagement in Place (IEiP) Grant — a $1.5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation intended to expand curricular and scholarly collaborations with Indigenous partners — the internship was a go.

The majority of Lewin’s work last summer was focused on curating information for the new publicly accessible materials about the quarry, as well as a visitor’s guide. While the internship was mostly remote, with a few in-person visits to the quarry, this was not work done in a vacuum or just with Trow;  Lewin’s official mentor for the project, Franky Jackson, also connected Lewin with the Prairie Island Community.

“He was an essential part of my work,” she said, “and the IEiP grant I was working with.”

Lewin also worked with Meredith McCoy, associate professor of American studies and history, and Marcy Averill, Indigenous communities liaison, in addition to Kennedy, Trow, and Jackson.

“Sarah, and then Meredith and Marcy, were super integral to this whole process,” Lewin said. “Whenever I had questions, Meredith had an article that I was really interested in, or some other information. She was funneling really useful things in my direction.”

Furthermore, Lewin’s archeology courses with Kennedy and her Native American Religions course with Michael McNally ’85, John M. and Elizabeth W. Musser Professor of Religious Studies, were useful fundamentals to inform the knowledge she prepared to share with the wider community.

Lewin reflected that the process was inspiring to her as she considers future career opportunities.

“This made me realize how much I like writing for a public audience,” Lewin said. “That audience can be anyone, from 12-year-old kids to teachers to a random visitor. They should all be able to understand this content and not have it just read like a textbook.”

This public connection was particularly inspiring to Lewin.

“I would love to design an exhibit in a museum,” she said. “I’ve come away from this experience with a much greater appreciation for things that I think many people take for granted. If I’m at a historical site and I’m reading the signs, I don’t necessarily think about all the effort and work that goes into something like that.”

The interpersonal nature of Lewin’s internship also reflects the cultural importance of the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry. At the time the quarry was in use, archeologists speculated that it also served as a seasonal gathering place for people before big hunts, and a place for cultural interchange. As a location that historically hosted Indigenous communities across Minnesota, Grand Meadow Chert Quarry’s archeological study has both centralized Indigenous knowledge and incorporated local community participation, and Lewin has been proud to be a part of that. 

Reflecting on her internship experience, she recounted the impact of community involvement on her work.

“Don’t be afraid to have a long conversation that feels like small talk,” Lewin said. “When I was at the site, Tom was giving a tour to some other people at the time and we struck up a conversation. That was super interesting for the public side of the work that I was doing, because before, I had been in a bubble of people that knew a lot about [the quarry]. After that conversation, I better understood what other people already knew and what they wanted to know. I think a lot about getting outside my bubble. I think Carleton and even summer internships can often become bubbles, but make sure to grow outside of that. You see a lot more from the outside.”