Contents:

MEETING PLANNED FOR SCHOOL PROJECT

The steering committee for this year's archaeological project for school children will meet on Wednesday, August 18, 6:30- 8:00 p.m. at the CCS building, 309 San Juan Ave., Alamosa. Any member of the Archaeological Network is invited to attend this meeting. There will be discussion of plans for outreach to teachers as a first step, preliminary to our sponsoring an archaeology fair next spring, hopefully. For the initial phase of the project, the Anasazi Heritage Center's staff in Dolores has been consulted about the possibility of our sponsoring a weekend workshop for teachers this fall in the San Luis Valley.

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OTHER NEW DATES ON OUR CALENDAR

Friday, August 20. Work at the Rio Grande Hotel site will continue in order to excavate the remaining 15 cm of cultural deposits. If you would like to help with the excavation or would like to visit the site, please call Vince Spero at 852-6242. (See Vince's report, below, about the Fourth of July work at this site.)

Wednesday-Friday, September 1-3. Proposed dates for next survey at Bonanza with stay at Brewery Creek Guard Station. This survey trip will be followed by one more in late September or early October. Volunteers are needed. For more information, please call Holly Felmlee at 589-4315. (See Holly's report, below, about the feasibility study at Bonanza in July.

Saturday, September 11. The Taos County Historical Society has scheduled a field trip to visit the Pot Creek Pueblo site, Fort Burgwin, and the St. Vrain Mill site on Rio Grande del Rancho. Our Network members are invited to attend. The group will leave at 8:30 a.m. from the Taos County Courthouse parking lot and will return by lunch time. Please call Jerry Laughlin at Ranchos de Taos, 505-758-4000, if you plan to attend.

Friday-Sunday, November 12-14. PAAC course: Perishable Materials. This class will be an introduction to classification of artifacts and will provide basic information on the recognition of perishables, cultural usage and alteration, and preservation. Please phone Loretta Mitson at 8435328 or 589-6740 to sign up. The PAAC classes fill quickly, so register soon.

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REPORTS ON RECENT ACTIVITIES:

FIELD TRIPS

The tour at Bonanza, conducted by Holly Felmlee on July 17, drew about 25 people from South Fork, Antonito, Alamosa, Monte Vista, Del Norte, and even Arizona. Of special interest to them were the Cocomongo Mill and the Exchequer Cemetery.

The field trip to Ludlow on July 30 was attended by six members and two school-age children. Although it was a sobering experience to learn about the coal camp and the tragic labor war of 1913-1915, the long drive by auto and one motorcycle to Ludlow proved to be well worthwhile. The archaeological project has been conducted by collaborating universities, and excellent historical and archaeological interpretation was provided for us by two guides, both of whom are using their field work at Ludlow as doctoral degree work.

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EXCAVATIONS AND SURVEYS

Reports by Vince Spero from Cochetopa Pass and Creede:

The Cochetopa Pass Test Excavation, Site 5SH73

The Cochetopa Pass Test Excavation, Site 5SH73, was done with the help of San Luis Valley Archaeological Network volunteers Jan Bennett, Art Glitzner, Marvin Goad, Kevin Lewis, Loretta Mitson, Walt Smith, and Ann Marie Velasquez on June 10, 11, and 12. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management archaeologists Vince Spero and Ken Fry directed the excavation. The site, consisting of a complex of stone structures on a ridge overlooking Saguache Creek, is thought to have been a seasonal habitation area which was revisited over time.
After the making of an initial map of the area, three test units inside three separate stone structures were excavated to a depth of about 40 cm. Artifacts found included several projectile points, grinding stone fragments, scraper fragments, and articulated bird leg bones. Charcoal was abundant and samples were taken for carbon dating purposes. One interesting artifact was a small bone fragment exhibiting scores of fine engraved marks on it, the purpose of which is presently unknown. One projectile point that was found resembles Late Archaic types dating from about 2500 B.C. to A.D. 1500, while other points are probably Late Prehistoric in age. These points resemble Ute types dating after A.D. 1500.

The three-day testing of Site 5SH73 indicates that the site warrants further investigation based on the presence of diagnostic subsurface artifacts and the associated datable charcoal deposits. A report will be written this winter with the help of the original volunteers to document the excavation.

The group had a fine excavation experience as well as a comfortable stay in the Forest Service Upper Crossing Guard Station, which conveniently was located within a short walking distance of the site. Many thanks go to the volunteers who helped in the project.-Vince Spero.

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The Rio Grande Hotel Test Excavation Project

The Rio Grande Hotel Test Excavation Project, done in Creede on the Fourth of July weekend, was a historical archaeological excavation project. It revealed some interesting clues to life in the early days of Creede's history. The Rio Grande Hotel, dating to 1892, was initially a hotel for railroad employees, then a boarding house for miners, and later a home for two Creede families. The building is being restored with funding, through a State Historical Fund grant, by the Creede Repertory Theatre, which presently uses the building as staff housing. An archaeological investigation, which was specified as a part of the restoration project, was done by San Luis Valley Archaeological Network members Vince Spero, Ken Frye, and Loretta Mitson. We were joined also by Richard Baxter of the Creede Repertory Theatre and theatre board member Margaret Steffens, while Creede Mayor Chuck Barnes provided photographic expertise and media coverage for the project.

Excavation units were established on a flattened area behind the hotel where artifacts were evident in a cut bank. It was soon realized that artifacts relating to the hotel were contained in layers of coal ash that were dumped on the ground. Artifacts found within these layers of coal ash included etched window glass, a brass eyeglass nose piece, a dresser handle, apricot and peach pits, extract bottle fragments, and a cuff link. Artifacts of note included a "Healy and Bigelow Kickipoo Indian Oil" bottle dating to 1895, fragments of a "Dr. Kilmer's Swamp Root Kidney, Liver, and Bladder Cure" bottle also dating to 1895, and a Rodger's silver serving spoon. A Kewpie Doll dating to as early as 1912 also was found. All artifacts were consistent with the roles of the building as a hotel, a boarding house, and a private residence.

A report is now being written to document the results of the excavation along with recommendations for future work needed at the site of the Rio Grande Hotel. On Friday, August 20, work at the site will continue in order to excavate the remaining estimated 15 cm of cultural deposits. If you would like to help with the excavation or would like to visit the site, please call Vince Spero at 852-6242.-Vince Spero

Click to download a copy of RIO GRANDE HOTEL TEST EXCAVATION PROJECT.doc

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Report by Holly Felmlee from Bonanza:

There has been a bonanza of activity and interest in the Bonanza Mining District this summer. As readers of the August issue of the Archaeo-Update may recall, the Saguache County Museum applied for and received a grant from the Colorado Historical Fund to survey 10-15 mine sites in Bonanza. This is a feasibility study for surveying all mines in the area, and to date three sites have been surveyed with the help of one teenage member of the San Luis Valley Archaeological Network, Ben Haslar, and several Boy Scouts.

Allen Sutak coordinated and directed the work of fellow Boy Scouts to earn his Eagle Scout promotion. Allen, Chad Sutak, and Spencer Mortensen, sponsor Chet Knight, and teen volunteer Ben Haslar, stayed with me at the Forest Service Brewery Creek Guard Station July 13-17. The Boy Scouts did the cooking while I directed the surveying activities. We surveyed the Memphis shaft downstream from the Cocomongo Mill, the Legal Tender Mine at the top of Round Mountain, and the St. Louis Mine (name?) along Copper Gulch.

The volunteers were a great help and very willing workers. Ben, who has participated in the Archaeological Network's PAAC classes, got a chance to see what archaeological survey work is like and took part in field decision-making. He also became the official photographer for the trip. (Moral: Let's invite more teenagers to attend PAAC classes and to join in volunteer activities.)

On July 17 I led a tour of the Bonanza area, sponsored by the Archaeological Network. (See above)
Still to come will be more survey work to finish this grant. A few long weekends or short weeks should see the survey completed. At this writing, I am looking at September 1-3 as the next survey trip. We will probably be able to stay at Brewery Creek again. I plan to have one more survey trip in late September-early October and will need volunteers again. Anyone interested?

One important point concerning the feasibility of surveying mine sites in Bonanza is that the work absolutely requires volunteers. The sites are too big and complex for one person to do alone. Besides, what makes archaeology so much fun is sharing an interest in the past with other people.
For more information about what's happening at Bonanza or about volunteering, call me at 589-4315.
Holly Felmlee

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Members of the former San Luis Valley Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society will remember Mary Clarke Nelson, an active participant in all our activities, including PAAC classes, in the early 1980s. After leaving the Valley she taught at Springer, New Mexico, where she lived with her husband Carl Nelson and son Robbie, who attended many activities with his mother. We are sorry to learn of Mary's recent death, and we wish to extend our sympathy to her family.
I wish to thank the volunteers and directors of projects who have given so much energy and hours to projects this summer. You have done a great job and, from what I hear,
had a good time besides. Also, my special thanks to Vince and Holly who wrote reports for this issue of the newsletter.
Vince will return as editor of the newsletter in October after his summer work at the US. Forest Service has quieted down a little.-Virginia.

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