KOUTS | The main event at this year's archaeological dig just keeps getting bigger and better.

Diggers along the Kankakee River have focused this year's excavation on a large cabin-like structure below ground. Work during the second week of the dig indicates that the 'megafeature' might actually be two separate structures in one.

On Wednesday, local archaeologists reached an uneven layer of brick within the feature. Above the brick were remnants of various kitchen debris, such as a butter knife, flask and spoon. The items were dated to between 1890 and 1910.

Although the group has not made it below the brick yet, a nearby area shows that same depth to be dated around 1840. Dig leader Mark Schurr said the layer of brick could be a separating point for two separate structures erected at different times in history.

"What we really have here is layers of different time periods, snapshots of what people were doing, what they were throwing out," said Schurr, who also heads up the anthropology department at the University of Notre Dame.

Schurr theorized that an initial cellar-like structure existed during the 1840s that was eventually demolished and filled with brick. A second structure was later erected on top of the brick, with a possible kitchen feature.

Because of the high number of bricks, artifacts and debris, getting to the bottom of the feature is a daunting task.

"It might take us all day to get below this," Schurr said, pointing to a unit filled with bottles, bricks and mortar. "It would be great if we can get to the bottom, but it's highly unlikely."

Schurr said his ultimate goal this year is to determine the exact boundaries of the historical duplex. Based on current units, he estimated the feature to be about 30 feet by 30 feet. Three additional units were opened this week, creating a giant cross over the center of the feature.

If the group can get below the brick, the debris could paint a historical picture about the region's early inhabitants. Because of the separate historical layers, cross-sections would provide a timeline of sorts.

"We know that in the 1840s there was a mixed economy, with fishing, hunting and trapping," Schurr said. "How long did that last? What was the economy like? What were their ways of life?"

Schurr also expressed hope for a layer of artifacts from the Civil War era.

"We know a lot about the pioneers in the 1840s and the post-civil war time of the hunting lodge," Schurr said. "The Civil War is probably the least known time period of the region. We know people lived here during that time, so it would be really neat if we could find a layer of it."