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UPCOMING ARCHAEOLOGICAL NETWORK EVENTS!

On Sunday, August 25, at 12:30 PM we will meet at the Fort Garland State Museum for a special guided tour of an archaeological excavation related to the historic military fort. Field work, centering on the noncommissioned officers' quarters and a privy, has been underway for the past five summers. The tour will be conducted by excavation director Anne Bond, Curator of Material Resources at the Colorado Historical Society. Meet at the picnic tables in the parade ground to begin our tour promptly at 12:30 PM. Group rate admission to the museum will be $1.50 each. Please identify yourself as a member of the Archaeological Network. Plan to view museum collections before or after the tour. A short Steering Committee meeting will be held at the parade grounds picnic tables following the tour. All members are invited attend and help Steer.

On Sunday, September 8, at 1:00 PM a committee meeting for initiating plans for the nomination of the adobe chapel at Lasauses to the National Register of Historic Places will be held. Present committee members are Loretta Mitson, Dolly McClellan, Bill Bennett, and Virginia Simmons.
If anyone else is interested in participating, please call Virginia Simmons at 657-2923.

On Saturday, September 14, there will be a field trip and archaeology site recording session at the Dry Creek Petroglyph area about 15 miles to the southwest of Monte Vista. Forest Service archaeologists Vince Spero and Ken Frye will be trip coordinators. You will need a vehicle with the clearance of a normal pickup truck, however there will be a number of suitable vehicles at the meeting place, in case some people need a ride. The trip will involve a hike of about 1 1/2 miles over moderately steep, uneven terrain to view six panels of rock art. While in the field the process of recording prehistoric sites on Colorado Cultural Resource Survey forms will be reviewed, and there will be related tasks done by teams of participants. Interested persons should meet at Rio Grande National Forest Headquarters, two miles west of Monte Vista on U.S. 160, at 9:30 AM. We will be out until approximately 3:30. PM so bring a lunch and water, which we will pack into the site. If there are any questions about the trip please call Vince Spero at 657-2371 or 852-6242.

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REPORT ON JULY FIELD TRIP

On July 13, twenty-four members visited a wide range of sites in Saguache County. Sites included those occupied by prehistoric peoples, and the more recent historic Ute Indians. A cemetery of very early Hispanic settlers and a gristmill, built by one of the area's early entrepreneurs, were also toured.

Yvonne Halburian planned the trip and distributed her excellent paper on the Robertson Mill. Margaret Finnerty prepared a paper describing restoration work at the Chicago Cemetery, where Rudy Marquez led a tour. Vince Spero and Ken Frye guided hikers to prehistoric stone structure sites, at two locations, and to a rock art site. Culturally peeled ponderosa pines were also observed. Ken Frye prepared hand-out information about stone structures in the SLV.

THE COLORADO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING

The Colorado Archaeological Society Annual Meeting will be held from October 11 to 13, 1996, in Colorado Springs at the Palmer House Hotel. The meeting includes the presentation of numerous papers about archaeological projects and current research being done in Colorado. This years event will feature a symposium on hands-on archaeology. Please contact Vince Spero at 657-2371 (home) or 852-6242 (work) for more information.

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RECORDING ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

Cultural resources, the name given to prehistoric and historic archaeological sites of many types, are found in the SLV and the surrounding mountains. We are lucky to have such a wide variety of both prehistoric and historic sites associated with a wide range of cultures and ages. Initial documentation of these sites is the first step that needs to be taken in order to better understand the nature of past activities.

A statewide system for documenting cultural resource sites, which are entered into a centralized computer database maintained by the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, helps facilitate land-use planning and research efforts. The core of this database is the completion of any of a variety of Colorado Cultural Resource Inventory forms.

Once a site is found and delineated on the ground, the job of systematic documentation can begin. Professional archaeologists start with the Management Data form, which includes entries pertaining to the sites' location. Pinpointing the exact location of the site on a topographic map is done in part to determine the legal location (Township, Range, and 1/4 Section) and UTM coordinates, a system for determining accurate location. Statements about the sites' significance and eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places, threats to the resource (illegal collection of artifacts or vandalism of rock art, for example), and any recommendations for management (such as signing or patrolling the area) are also made on the Management Data form.

A sketch map is made, indicating the relationship of artifacts or cultural features (such as stone structures, rock art, or hearths) to geographic features like degree of slope, aspect, and changes in vegetation type. Photos and pertinent documentation are required, along with information about access to the site. Environmental information includes a description of general topographic setting, elevation, steepness of slope, aspect, soil (character and color), vegetation (specific and surrounding plant communities), and distance/direction to nearest water source. A narrative is done detailing artifacts and features found. Statements about cultural affiliation, relations with other culture groups, probable dates of occupation, site function, and significance are also written.

As you can see a lot has got to happen after a site is found and delineated! Site recording is basic to beginning to understand the relationship of sites to each other and to the environment. We will review the recording process at our September 14th field trip, so get those pencils sharp and tape measures ready to begin recording important sites in the SLV.

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