Charles Edward Borden

Charles Edward Borden, born on May fifteenth, nineteen oh five, was a distinguished American-born Canadian archaeologist, anthropologist, and prehistorian. He served as a professor of archaeology at the University of British Columbia, where he made significant contributions to the fields of archaeology, pre-history, and pre-contact history. Of German descent, Borden earned the title of the grandfather of archaeology in British Columbia, particularly for his work in prehistory and early history, rendering outstanding services to the province.

One of Borden's notable contributions was the development of the Borden System, a classification method that became standard for archaeological sites across Canada. His excavations at the Milliken site in the Fraser Canyon revealed artifacts dating back approximately nine thousand five hundred years, marking it as the oldest known settlement at the time and a pivotal excavation in his career.

In nineteen fifty-one, Borden received funding from the Aluminum Company of Canada and the British Columbia Ministry of Education to conduct salvage archaeology at the Carrier Indian site, which faced imminent flooding due to the construction of the Kemano power reservoir. He began surveying and excavating the site that same year and continued his work there every summer until his retirement in nineteen seventy.

Throughout the late forties and into the fifties and sixties, Borden also undertook significant salvage archaeology projects at the Marpole Midden, known as the Great Marpole Midden. He was the first to establish connections between the contemporary Musqueam peoples and the remains he excavated. However, at the time of his passing in nineteen seventy-eight, much of the Marpole material remained in storage, awaiting full description, quantification, and publication of the original data.

Borden's final article, published in Science in nineteen seventy-nine, was based on his excavations of early microblade assemblages at Namu in nineteen seventy-seven, showcasing his enduring commitment to the field of archaeology.