I Dig UCI - About the Site (BonCamp)

Overview of the site's history and archaeological research

Prior to the founding of UCI, the land that would become its campus was part of the agricultural operations of The Irvine Ranch (later the Irvine Company). The 1500 acres or so that would later house upwards of 30,000 students was grazing land, fields, and the location of Camp Bonita with its tens of structures that accommodated a variety of farm workers, ranch hands, and production facilities. That site would later become incorporated into the life and learning of the new university, often in some quirky ways. During that time in the 1960s to the present it has largely remained on the margins of the development machine that has earned UCI its moniker of Under Construction Indefinitely.

I Dig UCI's archaeological investigations of what remains of the site began in 2019, as part of an effort to reclaim its former pedagogical role as a place of learning by doing.

Bonita Camp before UCI: 1920s-1960s

Prior to its incorporation into the UCI campus in the late 1960's the site housed an outpost of the Irvine Ranch. It contained numerous barns, stables, ranch houses, and other agricultural facilities.

Learning by Doing at the Farm: 1968/9

In the late 1960's the site became officially part of the UCI campus and housed several groups of indigenous scholars and craftspersons to live at the site and teach students about their skills and cultural practices. The "Farm" became a locus for countercultural activities of that time period.

The Farm School: 1971-2007

Administrators' nervousness about a budding hippie commune on the campus at Bonita Camp ushered in a new era at the site. It would now house an experimental K-8 school where UCI students participated in developing and implementing its curriculum

Archaeology Classroom: 2019-present

Following in the spirit of the first use of the farm as part of campus, the site continues as a classroom for UCI students to gain practical experience, and leaving their own mark on its archaeological record.

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