Southwest Archaeology Today for June 15, 2010

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News – A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Archaeologist David Gregory Passes
We are sad to report that on the evening of June 13, 2010, David A. Gregory passed away in Show Low, Arizona. Dave had been working from his home in Pinetop for the Center for Desert Archaeology and for Desert Archaeology, Inc. He had experienced a series of health complications in recent years, but he had always battled his way back from the brink.

Dave’s remarkable skills as a field archaeologist, his intelligence, and his broad mastery of the archaeological literature were applied with his signature intensity throughout his career. Mike Jacobs noted: “I have admired immensely his work, not only at Las Colinas, but especially his more recent work on Archaic and Early Agricultural Period sites here in Tucson and on the Zuni Origins book with Dave Wilcox. His collected body of work includes some really significant contributions that will stand as a tribute to him for years to come.” And Doug Craig summed things up in a grand, straightforward way: “I consider Dave to have been one of the great southwestern archaeologists of our generation.”

In order to continue to expand Dave’s already considerable legacy, the Center for Desert Archaeology has established the David A. Gregory Research Fund'”a permanent, endowed fund. Contributions are tax deductible, and may be sent to: Center for Desert Archaeology, 300 North Ash Alley, Tucson, AZ 85701. Plans for a memorial service and celebration of Dave’s remarkable life are not final at this time. They will be announced here and as broadly as possible when they are final.

Archaeologist Gary Yancy Passes
The AAS received the sad news that Gary Yancy passed away on May 28th. He was a stalwart of the AAS, having served as our Chair beginning about 1989 and ending in 2003. He was a mentor, a cheerleader, keeping us supplied with enthusiasm and cheer. He traveled the whole state to visit every chapter.
http://www.azarchsoc.org/

Center for Desert Archaeology President William Doelle Testifies Before Congress on the Potential Benefits of Expanding Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
“The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument preserves the remains of an ancient Hohokam farming community and ‘Great House,’ one of the largest prehistoric structures built in the United States. It is one of our most famous cultural landmarks and is prominent in Akimel O’odham, Tohono O’odham and Hopi oral traditions.”
http://tinyurl.com/cdarc-doelle-cg – Center for Desert Archaeology

Representative Kirkpatrick Argues for Expansion of Casa Grande Ruins National Moument
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick urged a House Natural Resources subcommittee to push forward on her legislation to expand the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in a hearing on that bill held Thursday. Her testimony before the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands pointed to the bill’s potential to grow the tourism industry and bring new jobs to the area while protecting a unique Arizona treasure.
http://tinyurl.com/2uafuq3 – Tri Valley Central
See Also http://tinyurl.com/cdarc-kirkpatrick – Center for Desert Archaeology

Stephanie Meeks Named New President of National Trust for Historic Preservation
Stephanie currently serves as president and CEO of Counterpart International, a $110 million development organization operating in 25 countries. She earlier spent 18 years at The Nature Conservancy, one of the largest and most influential conservation organizations in the world where she held a number of leadership positions including chief operating officer and, for nearly a year, acting president and CEO.
http://blogs.nationaltrust.org/preservationnation/?p=10568

BYU Field School Excavating Fremont-Era Village
Named the Wolf Site, after the property owner, this Fremont village site dates to AD 1100. The site is relatively large and contains a mixture of adobe wall square house structures and round pithouse structures as well as adobe lined fire pits, fish and mammal bones, ancient corn, arrow points, arrow shaft straightener, shell beads groundstone, and pottery fragments.
http://tinyurl.com/byu-fremont-village – Examiner.com

Bridge to Gila Cliff Dwellings Now Open
The New Mexico State Department of Transportation staff has reopened the West Fork Bridge to vehicles, which means that visitors will now be able to drive directly to the Cliff Dwellings trailhead. Effective Friday, June 11 entrance fees, which had been waived since the bridge was closed, will resume at $3.00 for individuals over 16 years and $10.00 for families. For further information, please contact the Gila Visitor Center at (575) 536-9461.

Guided Tour of TJ Ruin Scheduled for July 17th
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument will offer a ranger-guided tour of the TJ Site on Saturday, July 17, 2010. Visitors to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument have the unique opportunity to explore the TJ Site, an unexcavated surface pueblo that is usually closed to the public. This free tour of the TJ site will be offered on Saturday, July 17th at 11:00 a.m. and will last approximately 1 and 1/2 hours. The tour is limited to 20 people and reservations should be made in advance by calling the Gila Visitor Center at (575) 536-9461

Santa Clara Man Accidentally Unearths Ancient Human Remains
A man digging in his yard in Santa Clara unearthed a human skull that has been determined by the New Mexico Office of Medical Investigator to be ancient remains. On Friday, a resident of Cleveland Street in Santa Clara was building forms to pour concrete to build an addition to his home when he struck something hard while digging and started to dig it up, OMI Field Deputy Melissa Arzaga said.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_15249768?IADID

A Cooler Pacific May Have Severely Affected Medieval Europe, Southwest North America
A new study has found a connection between La Nina-like sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific and droughts in western Europe and in what later became the southwestern United States.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100609122842.htm
http://tinyurl.com/38nscbv – National Geographic

Prehistoric pet? Dog burial found in Orange County
It might have been a treasured pet, or the victim of traditional destruction of property after its owner’s death. The reason for its burial remains a mystery. But 18 centuries ago, someone carefully positioned the body of a small dog in what was likely a shallow grave in the marshlands of Laguna Canyon, then turned over a stone grinding bowl to cover the animal.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/dog-252748-burial-href.html

Travelogue – Stepping Back in Time at Chimayo N.M.
In the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains along the high road to Taos, N.M., the brown paths winding into Chimayó match the tan buildings and lend a timeless look. About 30 miles north of Santa Fe, Chimayó is a treasure of ancient cultures, mountain scenery and Mediterranean climate.
http://tinyurl.com/385pqwh – Dallas Morning News

Lecture Opportunity (Tucson)
Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh will present the monthly Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Lecture, “Massacre at Camp Grant: Forgetting and Remembering Apache History”. The lecture will be June 21st at 7:30 pm at DuVal Auditorium, UMC, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. Free and open to the public.
http://tinyurl.com/aahs-chip – Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society

Archaeology of the Aegean is the Latest Feature on the Archaeology Channel
Nowhere is the imprint of ancient human activity more visibly evident than in the Aegean region of today’s Turkey. You can witness a remarkable series of well preserved, substantial, impressive, and well documented ancient cities and buildings from the Classical world, and the modern context in which they exist–in The Aegean, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Thanks to Adriane Rankin for contributions to today’s newsletter