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300 N Ash Alley, Tucson AZ, 85701 • (520) 882-6946 • [email protected] • www.archaeologysouthwest.org Archaeolo~ Southwest volume 15, Number 1 Center tor Desert Archaeology Winter 2001
PreservingArchaeolo~ on an Unprecedented Scale william H. Doelle, Center for Desert Archaeologt)
OLD THE:: PRE::SSE::S! Another monument is Hcoming! To ensure a full count, I am doing my final writing for this issue ofArchaeology Southwest on January 20, inauguration day. Since 1996, President Clinton has proclaimed 18 new national monuments under the authority of the Anti quities Act of 1906. This issue of Archaeology Southwest explores the archaeology of six out of seven new monu ments located in the Southwest. The seventh - Sonoran cO III Vl Desert National Monument - arrived too late for an arti C ~ cle, but is on our map (see pages 10-11). t III .0o Some of the new national monuments are only 0:: known from very limited previous study, whereas others £ .8 o have had numerous surveys and excavations. A reason .c tL able esimate is that several hundred thousand archaeo logical sites are present within the 4-million-plus acres of the new monuments. What is even more significant, however, is that entire ancient landscapes are set aside in these monuments. The result is that places of remarkable natural beau ty and tremendous scientific value have been given added protection from the pressures of increased population and more intensive land use. Effective protection does not come about simply by presidential proclamation, howev er. There needs to be an inventory of what resources are A thirteenth century tower now part of the new Canyons of the present and positive measures must be taken to manage Ancients National Monument in southwestern Colorado. them for the long term. The lead responsibility for those tasks falls on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Previously, most national monuments were administered by the National Park Service, but these large new monuments are all administered by the BLM. On June 19,2000, the BLM announced the creation of a new National Landscape Conservation System. Its pur pose is to provide "more intensive management" of the national monuments and national conservation areas that are the agency's responsibility. This issue of Archaeology Southwest is an introduction to the archaeological values of the new southwestern monu ments. We have solicited articles from the archaeologists who know these areas the best, and through photographs, we try to convey the natural and archaeological diversity of these new monuments. Our final pages provide additional context and commentary regarding these monuments. It is still Archaeolof!l:j Southwest is a Quarterl,Y very early in the process of creating these monuments. It promises to be a very interest Publication ot the ing story. Center tor Desert Archaeolow c Q) "0 "0 Grand Staircase-Lscalante LL'" :;:" '"oOJ Doug McFadden) Bureau of Land Management o
VAST TRACT OF HIGH DESERT makes up A the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monu ment in south-central Utah. The monument encompass es several physiographic areas - entire landscapes - and an archaeological record that spans from at least 6000 B.C. to the Historic period. It is the effect that these var ied, and sometimes marginal, landscapes had on its occu pants that makes the monument's prehistory of interest. There are no great kivas, massive cliff-houses, or spectac the cave suggests an Top: Archaic pictograph, Escalante ular ballcourts. The artifacts are generally mundane - affiliation with other Canyons. Middle: Fremont picto created for function rather than effect - and the social early sites on the graph. Bottom: Virgin Anasazi picto history was simple and egalitarian. What is special is the Colorado Plateau. graph (Cave Valley style), Grand wholeness of the archaeological record on the monument Inventories conduct- Staircase. and our ability to study it in its natural setting. ed on each of the monu- ljj "0 From west to east, the monument includes three ment's landscapes have docu- ~ major landforms: men ted Archaic open sites. :;:" .:. The Grand Staircase: a series of "steps" defined by These are identified by a great 8'" cliff-lines and benches that ascend from about 5,000 variety of diagnostic projectile to 8,000 feet. points ranging from early .:. The Kaiparowits Plateau: rugged tablelands dis Archaic Pinto style through sected by countless, mostly dry, canyons. late Archaic Gypsum dart .:. The Escalante Canyons: an entrenched permanent points. stream whose tributaries head at over 10,000 feet on Gypsum points are also the Aquarius Plateau and flow through the desert to found during the early agri its confluence with the Colorado River. cultural period known as These contrasting natural settings presented very differ Basketmaker II on the Grand ent opportunities and constraints for their occupants. Staircase. This may indicate
Research to date has focused on the history of use for that agriculture here was c Q) each area and on sketching in the basic adaptations adopted by the local popula- ~
employed. This approach highlights the many different tion rather than introduced 't;:;: ways to make a living in these sometimes harsh environ by migrants from the south. ments. Perhaps the most intriguing example is the simul One important research taneous occupation of the Grand Staircase by the Virgin question is whether or not the Anasazi, and of the Escalante Canyons and eastern processes that led to the adop Kaiparowits Plateau by the Fremont. While each group tion of agriculture on the had access to the same basic technologies and agricultur Grand Staircase, which even al methods, they employed them in very different ways. tually became Virgin Ana A brief review of the monument's culture history will put sazi, were the same as those the Fremont/Anasazi (circa A.D. 500-1200) relationship in the Escalante, which even in context. tually emerged as Fremont? The earliest Archaic period dates in the area come Anasazi sites of the Agri from Broken Arrow Cave, located a few miles south of cultural period (A.D. 1-1250) are the most visible on the the monument boundary. The lowest stratum of a test monument and have received the most attention from excavation in the cave yielded radiocarbon dates of 6000 scholars. Several notable early archaeologists worked in B.C. The occupants appear to have used the site as a base the Grand Staircase region during the early twentieth to forage for native grasses and small game during the century. Neil Judd conducted fieldwork in Cottonwood spring. A type of sandal known as "plain weave" found in Canyon in 1919, and in 1920, Jesse Nusbaum excavated
Page 2 Archaeology Southwest Volume 15, Number 1 c Q) "0 the famous Basketmaker II ~ occupation, evidenced by scat u site, Cave du Pont. In the ! tered pithouse rock alignments 1930s, Julian Steward coo- 8 and small granaries concealed ducted an extensive survey off-site, is replaced by a large and several excavations on the Pueblo II occupation involving Grand Staircase portion of the a new settlement pattern with monument. diverse architectural styles and The recent intensive in site layouts. In 1961, 11 Anasazi ventory of large tracts of land sites were excavated by the by Bureau of Land Manage University of Utah (as part of Julian Steward's excavations at "Site 2" on the Grand ment (BLM) archaeologists has the Glen Canyon salvage proj Staircase revealed an adobe "pit lodge." These structures ect). The excavators believed focused on understanding the have recently been dated to the Pueblo I period and are distribution of different types of now recognized as an architectural type unique to the the occupants migrated from sites over the Grand Staircase Virgin Anasazi culture area. the Tsegi Canyon region of the landscape. Dispersed commu Kayenta heartland. They also nities of agricultural farmsteads, with densities of up to assumed, based on mixing of ceramics, that the Fremont 40 sites per square mile, occur in a variety of settings con and Anasazi sites were contemporaneous. Recent tree ducive to dry farming. The presence of both houses and ring and radiocarbon dates indicate, however, that the large storage structures indicates a sedentary, year-round Fremont and Anasazi occupations may have been occupation. Careful documentation of architectural sequential. styles, site layouts, and ceramic types indicates these pat The nature of the Fremont!Anasazi relationship terns of occupation spanned over 1,000 years - a remark remains elusive: Did the Anasazi/Fremont form a "soci ably long-lived adaptation that also suggests continuity ocultural continuum" as has been suggested? Did they between generations of local descent groups. reside together - for at least a while? Did the populations While the Virgin Anasazi were living in these dis persed communities, dry farming in the uplands, people of the Fremont culture were adapting to the well-watered canyon settings of the Escalante drainage. Unlike the sedentary Anasazi, the Fremont strategy appears to have been seasonally mobile. Clusters of pithouses best situat ed for big game hunting and winter residence, rather than farming, have been identified by recent inventories in the uplands. Inventories in the canyons have identified camps along arable segments suitable for summer occu pation. Isolated storage granaries, concealed in the canyon walls, facilitated seasonal mobility between the two locations. These allowed the Fremont to secure seed corn for the following year and also provided short-term storage during their absence. The Virgin Anasazi and Escalante Fremont se quences paralleled each other for several hundred years. Each was adapted to an exclusive setting and a way oflife which involved virtually no interaction. About A.D. 1070, both areas were affected by the "Pueblo II expansion" - a Three Forks Pueblo, Kaiparowits Plateau (excavated by the sudden influx of traits from the Kayenta culture area of University of Utah in 1960). northeastern Arizona. These traits include linear mason ry forms, Bull Creek projectile points, corrugated ceram simply "blend" as Jesse Jennings suggested for the near ics, and varied white ware designs, red wares, and orange by Coombs Site? Or does the unique settlement pattern wares. on Fiftymile Mountain - neither Kayenta, Virgin, nor These changes are most apparent on the eastern Fremont - suggest that some or all of these people "rein margin of the Kaiparowits Plateau, known as Fiftymile vented" themselves by combining knowledge and tradi Mountain. Here, at about 7,400 feet, a small Fremont tions to form a new, more suitable adaptation?
Winter 2001 Archaeolo&J Southwest Page) Sometime during the thirteenth century, pueblo an tion water, expanded into south-central Utah during the occupation of the monument ceases. Following a hiatus 1860s. Apart from the historic Paria town site, there are of perhaps a century or less, the distinctive projectile only light traces of Mormon use of the monument. The points and ceramics of the Southern Paiute appear in the most intensive use of the landscape was grazing, which archaeological record. Considered the "Neo-Archaic" by put severe pressure on the traditional Paiute foraging way some, the Southern Paiute way oflife focused on hunting of life. John Wesley Powell made the first ethnographic observations on the Paiute during his stay in Kanab c OJ "0 while conducting his historic triangulation surveys dur "0 u.. ing the 1870s (triangulation cairns occur on the monu u'" ::;; Cl ment). During the 1930s, ethnographer Isabel Kelly ::> o o described traditional uses on the monument by both the Kaibab and Kaiparowits Paiute bands. Regarding the fate of the Paiute way of life, Kelly says:
This kaleidoscope of experiences and of exposure to culture change can only be described as dramatic. It must also have been traumatic. Clearly, there are tremendous opportunities for researching all forms of culture change on the monu ment. During the past 8,000 years, major adaptive Fremont granaries (ca. A.D. 900) built under a rock ledge. changes occurred due to external social influences, cli matic shifts, and environmental change. In contrast, there was a lack of significant change and interaction and gathering. Indeed, the widespread distribution of during some periods. In fact, the long-term stability of camps and activity areas over a variety of environmental the pueblo an occupation seems particularly remarkable. settings evidences a highly mobile way of life with little Building upon a foundation of previous research, the or no agriculture. Paiute culture seems to have been sta monument's cultural resource program will not only pro ble until the mid-nineteenth century. tect these cultural resource values, but will encourage Mormon settlement, which was characterized by a archaeological inquiry to develop and enhance them. village pattern along streams capable of providing irriga-
The New National Monuments of the Southwest
Name . Acres Date of Proclamation
Grand Staircase-Escalante 1,900,000 September 18, 1996
Agua Fria 71,100 January 11,2000
Grand Canyon-Parashant 1,014,000 January 11, 2000
Canyons of the Ancients 164,000 June 9, 2000
Ironwood Forest 134,750 June 9, 2000
Vermilion Cliffs 293,000 November 9,2000
Sonoran Desert 487,000 January 17,2001
Page + Archaeology Southwest Volume 15, Number 1 1"
Winter 2001 Archaeology Southwest Page 5 Grand Can,Yon-Parashant past human occupations and uses. To date, archaeologi cal research on the monument has been extremely limit Diana Hawks) Bureau of Land Management ed. A number of small surveys have been conducted, and Lake Mead completed some larger inventories on the Shivwits Plateau. Approximately two percent of the HELICOPTER LANDED AT TUWEEP Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument has been A AIRSTRIP in barren Toroweap Valley. It left inventoried for cultural resources - which leaves about President Clinton and Secretary Babbitt near the north 980,000 acres left to walk. No archaeological excavations rim of the Grand Canyon. A table and chair, hastily bor have been conducted in the monument. rowed from Tuweep Ranger Claire Robert's home sever People occupied this landscape for thousands of al miles away, were the only props as the President signed years, with Archaic sites the earliest sites known thus far. a proclamation creating the Grand Canyon-Parashant These are represented primarily by points and large, National Monument. This million-acre monument will open sites. More research would almost certainly increase be managed jointly by the Arizona Strip Bureau of Land the count of early sites. Management (BLM) and Lake Mead National Recrea The majority of sites recorded thus far relate to the tion Area of the National Park Service (Lake Mead). Two Ancestral Pueblo an (Anasazi) occupation, perhaps be hundred thousand acres are on lands administered by ginning as early as several hundred years B.C., and last Lake Mead and 800,000 are on lands administered by the ing until at least A.D. 1250. Nearby Ancestral Pueblo an BLM. The monument was created for its geological, sites that have been excavated and dated, at Colorado archaeological, and historical resources, as well as for the City and at the Pinenut Site on the Kanab Plateau, show traditional western ranching and Native American life occupation to at least A.D. 1250. The diverse sites ways associated with it. include artifact scatters, rock art, villages, fieldhouses, The area is remote and rugged. The closest towns and trails, indicating that puebloan occupation and use are St. George, Utah, and Bunkerville, Nevada, each a of the monument was extensive. full hour from the monument's nearest edge. There are The monument is located within the heartland of no paved roads or services in the monument. Generally, the Virgin Anasazi. This westernmost branch of the the roads become progressively worse the farther south Anasazi (Ancestral Pueblo an) culture area stretches from one drives. This truly feels like a "land that time forgot." Las Vegas, Nevada, east along the Virgin River and south As such it fits well within the BLM's new National , to the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. It is possi Landscape Conservation System. ble that the monument area was a production zone for The monument includes portions of the Colorado several of the ceramic types found in the Virgin Anasazi Plateau and the Great Basin physiographic provinces. Bureau of Land Management area. Olivine (peri Elevations range dot) temper has from 1,500 feet to long been recog over 8,000 feet. nized as a distin Vegetation of the guishing charac lower Mohave De teristic of the sert region \D Moapa plain and cludes Joshua tree corrugated wares forests; the mesas of the Virgin and plateaus sup Anasazi. To date, port pinyon and source areas for juniper; the high- such olivine have est mountains been found only have forests of on the southern Ponderosa pine. Uinkaret Plateau Just as the at Vulcan's Thr topography and one, Mt. Trum environment of bull, and Mt. this new national Emma. Olivine monument are di Only a few rock art sites have been recorded within the monument. The largest is at tempered wares verse, so too were Nampaweap, easily accessible f rom Mt. Trumbull. Rock art styles at this site reflect are found west, Archaic, Ancestral Puebloan, and Paiute use.
Page 6 Archaeology Southwest Volume 15, Number 1 c Q) north, and northwest of ~ A young Southern Mt. Trumbull wherever ~ Paiute man from the :;; Virgin Anasazi sites -g Shivwits Reservation ap occur. Future research ~'" proached me during a on the monument may ~ field trip to the Grand i" explore evidence for a5 Canyon-Parashant where this pottery was National Monument last produced and how it was February and asked if I distributed. knew where Sanup Oral migration his Mountain was. He said it tories from several clans was where his grandfa of the Hopi Tribe, living ther had lived. I had descendants of the An never heard of it, so we looked on the Arizona cestral Puebloan people, In the past, people lived within and near the monument in isolated tell us they lived within farmsteads, ranches, and small communities. Today, only a handful of Strip map and found the Grand Canyon people live year-round on land just outside the monument. Sanup Plateau. It is locat Parashant National ed within the present
Monument. c ~~mr~~--~----~-----'aE~ boundaries of Grand Q) Linguistic evidence ~ Canyon National Park, OJ suggests the Southern ~ immediately south of the :;; Paiute may have arrived -g monument. During the 1ll northern Arizona ...J'" course of that one-day '0 around A.D. 1100-1150, ~ field trip, several other i" ::J which implies an over OJ Paiutes quietly asked us to lap with the Ancestral show them other land Pueblo an occupation. marks they had heard This is a major archaeo about their entire lives logical question still to from their grandparents. be answered. Place names like Para It is certain that shont Wash, the Pakoon, Southern Paiute were on Toroweap Valley, Shivwits the landscape when the Plateau, Uinkaret Pla first EuroAmericans teau, and Mociac all tell arrived. The expeditions of Spanish explorers us the Southern Paiute were here before any English or Dominguez and Escalante in 1776, and later Antonio Spanish-speaking person arrived. Armijo in 1829, all occurred immediately north of the Making a living on the land has always been diffi monument. Mormon settlers arrived in the 1850s and cult within the monument and on the Arizona Strip. A began to occupy and explore the area. Southern Paiute few ranchers and dry land farmers homesteaded on families living on and near the limited water resources of remote family ranches. The Grand Gulch Copper Mine the region were probably immediately displaced. operated from the 1880s to the 1920s and then intermit Southern Paiute response to the EuroAmerican occupa tently until the 1960s. In the 1870s, large Ponderosa pine tion was mixed. Some were baptized and joined the logs were hauled to St. George, Utah, by wagon to con Mormon settlements; some remained in remote and iso struct the Mormon Temple. Today, that wagon road is lated portions of the Arizona Strip as late as the 1920s. called the Temple Trail, and it stretches some 70 miles The first ethnographies of the Southern Paiute resulted from Mt. Trumbull along the top of the Hurricane Cliffs from John Wesley Powell's expeditions to map and study and down into the St. George Basin. the region in the 1870s. Living descendants of these early Alfonzo Ortiz's characterization of the entire Southern Paiutes can be found today at the Kaibab Southwest seems particularly apt for the Grand Canyon Paiute Reservation at Pipe Springs, Arizona; the Shivwits Parashant National Monument: Reservation, west of St. George, Utah; the Moapa Here, truly, the imagination soars and the very spirit Reservation at Moapa, Nevada; and scattered among the is set free. Paiute Indian tribes of Utah.
Winter 2001 Archaeology Southwest Pagel c Q) ancient puebloan farmers. The introduction of corn N THE: farming to the area likely occurred sometime in the first IHE:ART OF millennium B.C., although population was sparse until one of the world's the seventh century AD. Puebloan occupation of the best known arch monument increased dramatically at this time and flour aeological areas, ished until the end of the thirteenth century. During this the Mesa Verde interval, puebloan people constructed thousands of region of the nor homes and left behind a myriad of sites, including large thern San Juan villages, small hamlets, fieldhouses, granaries, shrines, River drainage, and rock art panels. lies Canyons of These seven centuries of intensive use occurred dur the Ancients Na- ing two distinct cycles of occupation, the first dating tional Monu- between approximately AD. 600 and 900 and the second Scenic canyon is capped by ancient walls. ment. The area is between AD. 950 and 1300. Remarkably, the two occu famous for the pational cycles share many characteristics. Both began spectacular cliff dwellings found in Mesa Verde National Park, but the park is less than one percent of the larger with low population density and ended with high popu lation density; they began with dispersed settlement and reglOn. ended with the formation of large, aggregated villages; Canyons of the Ancients lies to the northwest of Mesa Verde National Park in an area early European c Q) Page 8 Archaeology Southwest Volume 15, Number 1 and both cycles ended with migrations that left the region early research did a great deal to raise public awareness largely or completely depopulated. about the need to preserve and study archaeological sites. The archaeological sites most visible today are those As a result, the General Land Office set aside the Good dating to the thirteenth century. A shift in the location of man Point ruins in 1889. This was followed by the adop residential settlement from upland settings to canyon tion of the Antiquities Act and the creation of Mesa Verde environments occurred during this time. Communities National Park in 1906. also changed at this time from clusters of small farm The work of Paul Martin in the 1920s and 1930s sig steads scattered over several square kilometers, to villages naled a new era for archaeological research in the area. where hundreds of people lived cheek by jowl. The His report on the excavations at Lowry Ruin set a new largest villages in the region, some containing more than standard for archaeological documentation and interpre 500 structures, are found tation. However, it is within the Canyons of i the research of recent the Ancients National ~ decades that has expo c Monument. The preser- :::;;'" nentially increased our -0 vation at these villages is j knowledge of the an extraordinary, often in- ~ cient history of the cluding standing build- '"~ monument. Most of al ings that are several sto- Q) this research has been £ ries in height. Well-pre- '0 cultural resource man- >- served cliff dwellings - ~ agement projects con ::> o sometimes with intact U ducted in conjunction walls, doorways, and with energy develop roofs - are found where ment within the monu suitable alcoves are pres ment. In addition, long ent. Most numerous by term research in the far are the thousands of Lowry Pueblo National Historic Landmark. monument by the Crow small sites found in open Canyon Archaeological settings. At all of these sites the ground surface is littered Center was initiated in 1983, and continues to the pres with broken pieces of corrugated gray ware cooking pots, ent. Among the many achievements, this collective broken pieces of white ware bowls and jars that are dec research has outlined the basics of household and com orated with elaborate designs executed in black paint, munity organization, documented the presence of con and a variety of stone tools. flict and warfare, reconstructed the general configuration This wealth of material culture has attracted schol of the regional settlement system, and produced detailed ars to the monument for over a century. Their research reconstructions of both the paleoenvironment and the has played an important role in the development of subsistence economy. American archaeology as a professional discipline and in The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will the creation of an enhanced awareness of archaeology begin working on a long-term management plan for the among the general public. The earliest scientific study of monument sometime in 2001 and will ensure participa the area's archaeology was by William H. Holmes and tion by Native Americans and members of the local com William H. Jackson in the 1870s. Lewis Henry Morgan munity. Ultimately, this plan will guide activities such as visited the McElmo valley in 1878, and his maps and conducting site assessments, identifying preservation interpretations appeared in the 1881 publication, Houses needs, and addressing any impacts to the archaeological and House-Life of the American Aborigines. At the turn of resources. The monument designation should provide the century, T. Mitchell Prudden conducted archaeolog better funding for protecting and interpreting the irre ical investigations that documented the basic residential placeable cultural and natural resources located within unit used by pueblo an households. In 1907, Sylvanus the monument. In 2001, expanded funding will include Griswold Morley, Alfred Vincent Kidder, and John the establishment of several new positions, including a Gould Fletcher were recruited by Edgar Lee Hewett to manager, an archaeologist, and a law enforcement officer. conduct a survey in the McElmo drainage, and Morley The BLM's Anasazi Heritage Center, near Dolores, returned in 1908 to excavate Cannonball Ruin. Jesse Colorado, will provide information to visitors and Walter Fewkes also conducted a reconnaissance of the researchers interested in learning more about the monu- area, reporting his findings in 1919. Collectively, this ment. Winrer2001 Archaeology Southwest Page 9 C VERMILION CLIFFS, general view. GUA FRIA, Fort A Silver site. Page 10 Archaeology ~ ro I'" il5 RAND STAIRCASE:-E:SCALANTE:, G life-size Fremont pictograph. "E E'" '"OJ '"C :;;'" ANYONS OF "0 C C THE: ....J'" "0 OJ ANCIE:NTS, painted, '"~ OJ plastered wall inside m cliff-dwelling. RONWOOD FORE:ST, site of ICerro Prieto. outhwest Page 11 Agua Fria J. Scott wood, Tonto National Forest, and David R. wilcox, Museum of Northern Arizona The Perry Mesa population wo MESAS RISE w and cultural tradition appear to T MAJESTICALLY out of ~ @ have originated from the same the desert, a shield wall at the sources as the Hohokam of the northern boundary of the Salt River Basin. However, the Phoenix Basin. Capped with Perry Mesa inhabitants had basalt from an ancient volcano, developed their own distinctive the sheer cliffs of Black Mesa cultural tradition by the late and Perry Mesa soar a thou Classic period. Their trade, cul sand feet above the Agua Fria tural influence, and alliances River, reaching elevations as extended well to the east across high as 4,000 feet. Black Mesa the distant Verde River. is familiar to Arizona travelers, The earliest residents of Perry as it carries the twin ribbons of asphalt designated as Inter Mesa, aside from occasional state 17. Archaic hunters and gatherers, The Agua Fria National were a few pioneering Hoho Monument straddles the Agua kam homesteaders who estab Fria River and contains more lished several small pithouse vil than 450 archaeological sites. lages on the broad, grass flats of Two-thirds of these sites, in the mesa top. By late pre-Classic times, settlement locations had cluding the entire late prehis Badger Springs Ruin is part of a well-preserved, four shifted to the edges of the mesa. toric occupation, are concen teenth centtt1y landscape. trated at the south end on Black This pattern was consolidated in Mesa, and especially, Perry Mesa. Together, the mesas the early Classic period with the construction of surface cover nearly 50,000 acres; however, only about 38,000 masonry versions of the pithouse sites and the introduc acres are included in the national monument. About tion of the modular compound site layout. These features one-third of Perry Mesa is located within the Cave Creek became popular throughout the uplands between the Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest. Agua Fria and lower Verde rivers. During the late thir Perry Mesa looks foreboding and inaccessible on the teenth century, a network of fortifications was built along east side of the river. Deep, narrow canyons slash the the southern and western edges of the mesa. By the four western edge. Towering cliffs mark the northern and teenth century, the growing population had absorbed at southern boundaries overlooking Silver Creek and least some of the groups who abandoned the Prescott Squaw Creek. Dense vegetation runs up these drainages, Highlands in the late 1200s. Nearly all of these people framing the grasslands with riparian forest. were living in massive, multi-room, masonry structures. The few who actually reach Perry Mesa find a gen After the area was abandoned near the end of the tly undulating surface awash in a sea of bright tobosa fourteenth century, it remained largely unoccupied with grassland and juniper savannah. It is home to deer, ante the exception of relatively mobile groups such as the lope, mountain lions, and a few cows, but has no perma Tonto Apache, Yavapai, and Basque sheep herders. This nent human population. This was not always so. Well lack of subsequent residential occupation has left the pre over 300 archaeological sites have been identified on historic landscape relatively undisturbed. Consequently, Perry Mesa, situated on an essentially intact fourteenth Perry Mesa is a natural laboratory for archaeological century landscape. Seven major residential clusters, aver research, especially for settlement pattern analysis. aging about 200 rooms each, are the core of an ancient Additionally, the basalt cliffs are decorated with abundant settlement system. The residential clusters, composed of rock art - pecked and painted - and the mesa top itself is multiple massed room blocks, are arrayed in defensive covered with extensive agricultural fields interspersed positions around the perimeter of the mesa, while small with large agave roasting pits and clusters of bedrock farmsteads and field houses dot the interior. grinding features. Page 12 Archaeology Southwest volume 15, Number 1 Research by professionals has been limited. As early terning of four as 1955, the larger ruins were visited by university profes teenth century set sors and their students on field trips. In the late 1960s, tlements. Jerry was Peter Pilles recorded several dozen sites on the eastern an avid member of side of the mesa. In the 1970s, surveys and small excava the Verde Valley tions were conducted by Prescott College and Southern Chapter of the Illinois University (the Central Arizona Ecotone Project) AAS. Moreover, he and by the Museum of Northern Arizona. In 1990, the was a veteran of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) began a series of war III Vietnam cooperative efforts with the United States Forest Service who retired from (USFS) to inventory, protect, and ultimately interpret, the 101 st Airborne this unique area to the public. These efforts resulted in Division of the U.S. an assessment of vandalism to Perry Mesa sites, addition Army. Jerry drew al systematic survey, an archaeological overview, and on his military establishment of one the nation's largest National training, and he ob Register districts. served that the en- Vandalism has been a senous problem at Perry tire mesa top had Squaw Creek Ruin. Mesa. By the early 1960s, most of the larger ruins and been organized as their cemeteries had been looted. A second wave of van an integrated defensive system that served the whole dalism in the mid- to late-1970s thrust Perry Mesa onto population. the national stage. In 1977, three Utah men were caught We began working with Jerry to develop these ideas. digging on USFS land. Two years later, as a direct result A little fieldwork documented the presence of a series of of the judicial circumstances of that case, the defensive sites on and around Perry Mesa that could have Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) of 1979 served as a "command and control" system. They includ was passed. Those same three ed a sophisticated early warning system that covered the men pleaded to ARPA viola entire length of Squaw Creek and extended into Bloody 8 tions as an alternative to the Basin along an ancient trail system. This evidence from (f) -; penalties awaiting them un Perry Mesa became the center of a controversial proposal der the theft of government that suggested many of the shifts in settlement patterning property statutes. They were during the Classic period throughout central Arizona the first to be convicted, fined, were the direct result of regional warfare. Wilcox, and imprisoned under the Robertson, and Wood published this proposal in the new law. Summer 1999 issue of Plateau Journal. As a result of this notori Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior for the ety, Perry Mesa was soon sub Clinton administration, happened to read that Plateau ject to a different kind of visi Journal article. It caught his interest, encouraging him to tation - recreational tourism. explore ways with the BLM to protect and preserve the By 1985, Perry Mesa had ruins. A public assessment process by the BLM and become one of the most pop USFS focused on the Perry Mesa National Register ular field trips for the Arizona District and led to a published management assessment. Top: Human figure ji-om Archaeological Society (AAS) . Pueblo Pato. Bottom: Ultimately, President Clinton's proclamation expanded Since 1990, tours have been con Red deer from Squaw the size of the national monument but was limited to ducted on the mesa on a nearly Creek· lands under BLM jurisdiction. We see this as an exciting annual basis by opportunity. The two agencies, working in cooperation, both BLM and the may be able to design complementary management 8 USFS. strategies that would better enable each to provide a full (f) In 1997, after a -; range of recreational and research opportunities that Perry Mesa site might not be possible under a single jurisdiction. We tour, Jerry Robert need to ensure that both agencies receive the funding and son proposed an staffing resources necessary to protect, preserve, and innovative assess interpret these important and significant sites and their ment of the pat- equally fascinating setting. Winter 2001 Archaeology Southwest Pagel? Ironwood Forest enthusiasts. In addition to diverse human, animal, and geometric elements, a number of boulders show indica Paul R. Fish Arizona State Museum tions of continuous tapping by prehistoric hammer stones. When tapped, each produces a distinctively dif ferent ringing tone that, in combination, create an almost NE: OF THE: RICHE:ST STANDS of ironwood surreal musical atmosphere. These sounds have even O trees in the Sonoran Desert has become Ironwood been incorporated into commercial "New Age" record Forest National Monument. It lies along the northwest mgs. edge of Marana and Tucson in southern Arizona. The other national register district encompasses the Working with county officials and community members, early Classic period (AD. 1150 to l300) Los Robles Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt initially defined the Platform Mound Community and includes over 100 his monument as 129,000 acres in north-cen toric and pre tral Pima County. Over 5,000 acres in historic neighboring Pinal County were added Qi archaeologi shortly thereafter, specifically with archae- ~ cal sites with @ ological preservation in mind. in an area of Although only a small portion of the nearly 13,000 new monument has been surveyed, acres. Most numerous sites with preceramic, Hoho of these sites kam, protohistoric, and historic occupa were organ tions over a 5,000-year timespan are ized into an known within its boundaries. Two areas extensive are listed on the National Register of Hohokam Historic Places: Los Robles Archaeologi community cal District and Cocoraque Butte Arch along the aeological District. Along with some of west bank of the most impressive displays ofHohokam Los Robles rock art, these National Register districts Extensive natural and cultural landscapes are threatened by Wash and contain some of southern Arizona's most urban expansion. west into the visible archaeological sites. Samaniego The Cocoraque Butte Archaeological District is Hills. The Los Robles Community included a series of adjacent to the Tohono O'odham Reservation on the dispersed small villages, a larger village with a platform westernmost edge of Avra Valley. Artesian springs at the mound for ceremonial and other public events, and the base of the butte have attracted large, well-preserved trincheras, or terraced hillside vil people during both prehistoric lage of Cerro Prieto. and historic times. The Coco The Los Robles Community was defined as part of raque Ranch, owned by Oscar the Arizona State Museum's Northern Tucson Basin Robles, is one of Arizona's old Survey. This full-coverage survey, with a study area of est established ranches. It has more than 900 square miles north of Tucson, was de been a working cattle opera signed to increase understanding about the settlement tion since the late 1800s. The structure of Hohokam desert farmers who lived away 300-acre National Register from the large irrigation systems of the Salt and Gila District and adjacent proper rivers. The resulting site distributions, including those of ties contain several long-term the Los Robles Community, have provided insights into Hohokam residential sites organizational trends in the Tucson area paralleling which were occupied from those of the densely populated irrigation communities in Colonial (AD. 700 or 800) to the Phoenix Basin, thus blurring earlier distinctions by Petroglyph portrays a head Classic times (ca. AD. 1400). archaeologists between the Desert and River Hohokam. less human figure. Cocoraque Butte stands out Detailed studies at Cerro Prieto have also played an however, because of the hun important role in changing traditional interpretations of dreds of Archaic and Hohokam petroglyph panels. These caras de trincheras as defensive refuges. Evidence from have made it a well-known destination for rock art Cerro Prieto demonstrates that rather than a fortification, Page 1+ Archaeolo~ Southwest Volume 15, Number 1 it was a large habitation site. The stone terraces and other The newly form cobble features may have had residential, ritual, and agri ed Ironwood Forest cultural functions. National Monument Christian Downum, in Between Desert and River: provides an unprece Hohokam Settlement and Land Use in the Los Robles dented opportunity Community, reports on investigations both within the in southern Arizona Los Robles Community as a whole, and at its most to preserve a related impressive site of Cerro Prieto. Downum suggests that set of highly signifi some of the masonry features at Cerro Prieto, such as cant cultural re massive compounds and dividing walls, were construct sources in a diverse ed for ceremonial and symbolic purposes. natural environmen Preservation of the Los Robles Community has tal setting over a been an important archaeological objective in southern broad area. The Arizona over the past two decades. In 1986, the Arizona monument will be State Parks Board designated it a state park. It was recog managed by the nized as a National Register District in 1988, as the result BLM for the primary Cerro Prieto's lower slopes have exten- sive residential terraces. of a joint effort by Arizona State Parks, Arizona State purpose of preserv- Museum, and Arizona State Land Department. Unfor ing environmental and cultural resources under most tunately, funds were never appropriated to manage these conditions of current use. Livestock grazing will contin cultural resources. For a time, the Bureau of Land Man ue and private property (approximately 5 percent of the agement (BLM) considered acquisition of the Los Robles total monument area) will not be affected. Land disturb National Register District and pursued public hearings ing activities such as mining and geothermal exploration regarding land exchange with the Arizona State Land will be prohibited. Such an approach fits well with the Department. However, the Land Department has never Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, Pima County's received a legal mandate to pursue such exchanges. emerging regional comprehensive land use plan, with a Despite continuous monitoring by Arizona Site Stewards philosophy of preserving habitat, historic, archaeological, and aerial surveillance by the Army Reserve National and ranching landscapes in an integrated fashion. Be Guard during the 1990s, vandalism has been an ongoing cause only a small fraction of the monument has been problem within the National Register District, as well as surveyed, an important first step in managing the cultur elsewhere within the monument boundaries. al resources should be a comprehensive inventory of archaeological remains. About the Authors Paul R Fish is Curator of Archaeology at the Arizona State Museum. He has extensive experience with both survey and exca vation in the northern Tucson Basin, including the area of the Ironwood Forest National Monument. Diana Hawks was Archaeologist for the Arizona Strip Bureau of Land Management for the past 10 years. She researched the archaeology of both the Grand Canyon-Parashant and Vermilion Cliffs national monuments. She just became a Planner for both new monuments. LouAnn Jacobson was recently named Manager of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. She has been Director of the BLM's Anasazi Heritage Center near Dolores, Colorado, for the last eight years and will retain these reponsibilities in addition to managing the new monument. Doug McFadden is Lead Archaeologist for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. He has been with the BLM for 25 years and has conducted numerous surveys and multiple excavations within the monument. Mark D. Varien is Director of Research at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado. He has been active in the archaeology of southwestern Colorado for the past 14 years. David R Wilcox is Curator of Archaeology at the Museum of Northern Arizona. He has a long-term interest in archaeological synthesis across the Greater Southwest and is working with Scott Wood in the Perry Mesa area. J. Scott Wood is Forest Archaeologist/Heritage Program Manager for Tonto National Forest. Scott has long held an interest and active field program in the Perry Mesa area that now comprises a portion of the Agua Fria National Monument. Winter 2001 Archaeology Southwest Pagel) Commentar~ and Context william H. Doelle} Center for Desert Archaeologt) ONTROVE:RSY WAS FE:ATURE:D in almost all press coverage of the 18 new national monuments. Some people spoke C. out strongly in support while others were adamantly opposed. In these final four pages, my goal is to place the Antiquities Act and national monuments in a larger context. To do this I went to a variety of experts, and I did a bit of research as well. The first individual to comment is Bruce Babbitt, who, as Secretary of the Interior, was at the forefront of putting the nation al monument proclamations in front of President Clinton. Second, Don Fowler, a former president of the Society for American Archaeology and an individual who has carried out sub stantial research into the history of archaeology, describes the "birth" of the Antiquities Act - amidst controversy. Third, I have excerpted information about the Antiquities Act from an excellent article by a lawyer named John Leshy. An early controversy over the Act went all the way to the Supreme Court, with interesting results. Fourth, Center personnel spend a good deal of time in the field along the San Pedro River east of Tucson. Talking with ranchers and other residents made it clear that many of these rural residents were displeased with the establishment of the new monuments. Numerous community members identified Lamar Smith, who holds a doctorate in range management, as the indi vidual who could best express their concerns over this issue. Fortunately, Lamar was willing to oblige our request. Finally, Bill Lipe, a former president of the Society for American Archaeology, offers a thoughtful and balanced perspective on the importance of the new national monuments. Back in 1974, Bill wrote a seminal article titled, ''A Conservation Model for American Archaeology." He pointed out that the archaeological record is a nonrenewable resource, and he called for its very care ful consumption. Hopefully this medley of opinions and information can broaden your understanding of the issues on a topic that so often stirs controversy. Protecting Archaeolo$ in its Natural Setting '"c Bruce Babbitt} former 5ecretar!} of the Interior ~ ~ E (I) .r:; to HE: NE:E:D TO PRE:SE:RVE: the archaeology within the seven new o Z T Southwestern national monuments was made clear during planning ses o sions I undertook with the BLM and residents of southwestern states. For exam ple, when I visited the Hovenweep National Monument in southwest Colorado, I saw dramatic ruins of large pueblos located on small, dispersed parcels. The people who once called these sites home also had daily experiences in an exten sive open landscape of rolling hills and dramatic canyons. Establishment of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument will help ensure that something closer to that original landscape will be preserved as population increases and land use changes in this area in the coming years. In everyone of these new national monuments there is a striking and unique natural environment that was an ancient homeland. The national mon uments serve to preserve that environment for both the past and the future. It seems especially fitting that the Antiquities Act - a law approaching a century on the books - is the mechanism that made this happen. Threats to the antiq uities of the Southwest brought that act into existence back in 1906 (see article on page 17). While the BLM has the lead role in managing these new national monu ments, their scale and the remoteness of many of them means that all visitors Bruce Babbitt (left) and Michael Taylor must as-sume a stewardship role. It is fitting that we all bear a responsibility for (Director of the BLM Phoenix Area ensuring that this legacy remains intact to share with future generations. Office) on a visit to Pueblo Pato, Agua Fria National Monument. Page 16 Archaeology Southwest volume 15, Number 1 Edgar Lee Hewett and the 1906 Anti9uities Act Don D. Fowler, University of Nevada, Reno HE: 1906 ANT1QUITIE:S ACT was the culmina T tion of efforts throughout the nineteenth century to protect and conserve American antiquities. Rampant looting, especially in the Southwest, finally stimulated a coordinated effort in 1899 to pass legislation protecting sites on public lands. Various scholarly organizations were involved. Bills were drafted. Throughout this process, eastern universities and the Smithsonian Institution jockeyed for control of archaeological resources on western public lands. Bills were introduced in 1904 and again in 1905; all had fatal flaws in the eyes of one or another group wishing to control, or deny access to the public lands sites. In the spring of 1903, Edgar Lee Hewett of New Mexico and Iowa Congressman John F. Lacey, chairman President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into of the House Committee on Public Lands, spent two law on June 8, 1906. On September 24, Roosevelt created weeks on a horseback trip looking at various Southwes Devil's Tower National Monument in uyoming, and by the tern ruins and discussing problems of vandalism and site end of his term he had established a total of 17 national protection. Lacey's interest was quickened. monuments. Many of Roosevelt's national monuments are In 1905, Hewett became secretary and spokesperson in the Southwest: Chaco Canyon (1907), El Morro (1906), for the American Anthropological Association's Com Gila Cliff-Dwellings (1907), Grand Canyon (1908), Mon mittee on Antiquities. At a scientific meeting in Decem tezuma Castle (1906), Petrified Forest (1906), Tonto (1907), ber 1905, he presented a draft bill that, he said, would and Tumacacori (1908). resolve conflicts in earlier bills and be politically feasible in Congress. For Hewett, "politically feasible" meant a managed to block amendments that would have given bill that would not give control of western archaeology to control of western archaeology to eastern universities or eastern archaeologists. The draft was unanimously to the Smithsonian. Their roughshod tactics offended endorsed. many eastern sensibilities, but they got their bill through In January 1906, Congressman Lacey introduced Congress. When President Theodore Roosevelt signed Hewett's draft bill. Hewett and his flamboyant and ram the "Lacey Bill," - the 1906 Antiquities Act - he signed bunctious ally from California, Charles F. Lummis, Hewett's words into law. The Anti9uities Act in Court One of the strongest challenges to the Antiquities Act was a lawsuit by Ralph Cameron, who sought to over wi/Iiam H. Doelle, Center for Desert Archaeologt) turn Theodore Roosevelt's 1908 creation of Grand Can yon National Monument. Cameron held fraudulent min HE: ANTIQUITIE:S ACT was forged amidst con ing claims on the south rim of the canyon and on Bright T troversy, and controversy very often follows its appli Angel Trail which he used to control public access to the cation to establish a national monument. Like President canyon and to enrich himself through an access fee. On Clinton, many other presidents used the authority of the April 19, 1920, a unanimous decision by the Supreme act to establish monuments relatively late in their terms Court upheld both the Antiquities Act and Grand Can of office. For example, one of President Theodore yon National Monument. Now a national park, the Roosevelt's proclamations was in the last few hours of his Grand Canyon is the most-visited natural and cultural presidency. However, legal scholar John Leshy main park in the nation. Clearly, the way to judge national tains, "no matter how controversial the initial proclama monuments is on their merit, not on the level of contro tion - Congress has usually come to embrace these areas versy they generate. as its own within a relatively few years." Winter200l Archaeology Southwest Pagel7 5LM.s New National Monuments the BLM "monuments" generally have allowed contin ued multiple uses, although with some restrictions. The Lamar 5mith Cascabel) Arizona Clinton administration attempted to justifY "monument" designations based on the presence of certain features s A PROFeSSIONA L in natural resource man needing "added protection." However, laws already exist A agement, I find President Clinton's recent designa that direct BLM to manage all its lands to protect archae tion of a number of national monuments on Bureau of ological and historical features, endangered species, other Land Management (BLM) lands to be unjustified. As a wildlife, water quality, air quality, and other aspects of the citizen, I find the process disturbing because it reinforces ecosystem. I can only conclude that a national monu the trend toward management by regulation and litiga ment designation is the first step toward eventual elimi tion rather than by legislative action. nation of hunting, grazing, and woodcutting and severe The Antiquities Act was clearly intended to provide restrictions on public use of these lands. protection for landmarks such as historic buildings, bat Ironically, the designation of these new "monu tlefields, or cemeteries, not for setting aside vast tracts of ments" may have a net detrimental effect on BLM's abil land for "preservation." Although other resource man ity to manage its resources. BLM's staff has declined over agement decisions on federal lands require environmen the past eight years, along with its budget for on-the tal impact studies and public input, executive orders, like ground management. The remaining personnel are those which created the new BLM monuments, do not. increasingly occupied with litigation rather than moni The entire process indicates a desire to avoid public toring and management. Experience has already shown involvement in achieving the goals of some environmen that designation of monuments tends to divert resources tal groups that advocate restricting human use of large away from those areas not so designated, resulting in areas of our country - an objective that is not shared by even less ability to manage the majority of the public the majority of the public. In one case I know, there was lands. The constraints already imposed on the Arizona support from the local government because the designa monuments will increase the cost of management, as tion fit in with county planning efforts, but generally the they do in designated wilderness areas. Also, merely des response from local government and landowners has ignating an area as a national monument will attract been negative. Apparently, they are not convinced that much more human impact than the area probably would these "monuments" will be beneficial. have received otherwise. Of course, all of these conse Regardless of the process, the designation of these quences can be used as a basis to expand the "monu "monuments" was not warranted from a resource protec ment" concept to "protect" other BLM lands and/or to tion standpoint. BLM lands are administered under a put further restrictions on the use of "monuments" to philosophy of multiple uses established by Congress increase their level of "protection." Maybe that is part of through various pieces of legislation. Except for mining, the plan. See the Center for Desert Archaeology website for more information: HE CENTER FOR DESERT ARCHAEOLOGY, a private, nonprofit organization, promotes stewardship of archaeo T logical and historical resources through active research, preservation, and public outreach. The Center is a 501 (c)(3) organi zation and is supported through donations, memberships, and grants from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Center members receive an annual subscription to Archaeolof!!j Southwest, substantial discounts on other Center publications, oppor tunities to participate in archaeological projects, and invitations to special lectures and events. For more information or to join, contact Linda Pierce, Programs Manager, at 520.882 .6946 or NEW ADDRESS [email protected]. Board ofDirectors: William H. Doelle, Ph.D. (President & CEO), Benjamin Smith (Vice President), Diana Hadley (Treasurer), and Gary Hansen (Secretary). Administrative Staff: Linda Center tor Desert Archaeology J. Pierce (Programs Manager) and Damaris Chong-Diaz (Administrative Assistant). Preservation 300 E. University Blvd. Archaeologists: Jeffery J. Clark, Ph.D.; Jacquie Dale, M.A.; Douglas Gann, M.A.; and Patrick Suite 230 Lyons, Ph.D. Tucson, AZ 85705 Archaeolof!!j Southwest (ISSN 1523-0546) is published quarterly by the Center for Desert Phone: 520.882.6946 Archaeology. Copyright 2001 by the Center for Desert Archaeology. All rights reserved; no part of FAX: 520.882.6948 this issue may be reproduced by any means without written permission of the publisher. Email: [email protected] Subscription inquiries: 520.882.6946. Web: www.cdarc.org Page 18 Archaeology Southwest Volume 15, Number 1 Managing Archaeological Resources tor the Future: A Monumental Task Bill Lipe, Washington State University and Crow Can!Jon Archaeological Center HE:. 2000 CE:.NSUS showed that Nevada, about backcountry site etiquette and will constrain or T Arizona, Colorado, and Utah ranked first through report the few malicious ones bent on causing damage. fourth, respectively, among the 50 states in percentage of Volunteer site stewards and a program of training and population increase since 1990; New Mexico was twelfth. licensing backcountry trip providers can also help multi In the twenty-first century, the Southwest's public lands ply the efforts of agency personnel. The Bureau of Land will increasingly be asked to meet multiple demands. Management (BLM) has shown national leadership in This includes outdoor recreation for these growing pop archaeological education and public outreach, and thus, ulations, as well as traditional uses such as grazing, min is well positioned to carry out such strategies. ing, logging, and hunting. In addition, Native Ameri What should be the role of research in these new cans will increasingly seek to influence management "archaeological preserves" full of irreplaceable archaeo decisions on public lands they consider ancestral. In this logical sites? Should excavation be postponed to some context of growing, and often conflicting demands, the indefinite future when archaeological methods will per designation of certain public lands as national monu mit ever greater amounts of information to be obtained ments is highly significant. What are the implications for from ever smaller holes in the ground? While once I the future of Southwestern archaeology? might have supported such policies, I have learned over In the new monuments, large numbers of archaeo the years that things are not this simple. Archaeological logical sites remain relatively intact in environments with research does more than satisfy the curiosity of a few considerable ecological integrity. These qualities are like archaeologists - it provides a flow of information that ly to become increasingly rare as urbanization and devel maintains public interest in archaeology. Research mora opment fragment the Southwestern landscape. There is, toriums eventually create informational "black holes" however, exceptional potential for the public to benefit, and undermine a major justification for protecting sites including new information about the past from archaeo in the first place. Furthermore, over the past 30 years, logical research, opportunities for the public to learn archaeologists have developed sophisticated field tech about archaeology, and preservation of sites that are cul niques and sampling designs that allow them to acquire turally important to Native Americans. These benefits a great deal of evidence from excavating only a tiny per ultimately provide the justification for protecting and centage of a site. Of course, research projects in the mon managing archaeological sites. Land managers have the uments must be well-justified and carefully designed, but daunting task of balancing site protection with delivering the public educational and scientific goals expressed in these benefits now and into the distant future. the Antiquities Act require research to continue. Recreational use will certainly increase in the new In implementing management plans that respond monuments, and with it, the threat that sites may be van to multiple values and interests, the BLM has extraordi dalized or "loved to death." Channeling visitors to a few nary opportunities and challenges. All of us who care exceptional sites that have been "hardened" in the na about the archaeological component of the new monu tional park mode seems impractical and inappropriate ments need to let the agency know our concerns. We for most, if not all, the new monuments. Instead, land must also work to ensure that those charged with man managers will need to educate visitors about "site eti aging the archaeological resources have the financial, quette," as well as an area's cultural history. If a critical administrative, and moral support required to get the job mass of concerned and informed visitors can be created, done properly. the knowledgeable ones will help educate those naive C LOSING GALLERY ... Left and center: petroglyphs, Ironwood Forest. Right: painted plaster wall at cliff dwelling, Canyons of the Ancients. Winter 2001 Archaeologrj Southwest Page 19 Back Sight RACK SIGHT IS A FORUM for discussing the mission of the U Center for Desert Archaeology. Because archaeological preserva tion is central to that mission, it is encouraging to witness the creation of these new landscape-scale national monuments. However, the com mentaries on the preceding pages point out that government efforts alone are not sufficient to ensure long-term preservation. Broad citi zen support and involvement are also essential. The new monuments are large, but it is important to remember that some of the most important archaeology in the Southwest is locat ed on private land. A prime example is the San Pedro River, where the Center has long been active. Recently we initiated a new program to hold conservation easements in order to protect sites on private prop erty. Offering an easement is a voluntary decision by a landowner. The Center's responsibility is to seek out potential easement donors and to work closely with them to ensure that they understand the archaeo logical values that merit preservation on their property. Through nego tiation, protection strategies are worked out that are ultimately record ed with the deed at the county assessor's office. The Center takes on the responsibility of regular monitoring of the land where we hold an easement. Because our monitoring responsibility is perpetual, we have set Dramatic landscapes along the San Pedro River are rich aside a $20,000 Preservation Fund as we embark on this new direction. in archaeological sites such as this ballcourt village We hope to expand that by at least $10,000 for every additional ease (ballcourt is oval depression in foreground). The Center ment that we take on. The Preservation Fund will help to underwrite is working with private land owners to achieve preser annual monitoring costs, and it is a reserve in the event that we have vation via education and by holding conservation ease to enforce an easement through legal action in the future. Donors ments. interested in supporting this program can contact me or Linda Pierce for additional information. We view conservation easements as very appropriate tools in areas like the San Pedro where we have a long-term com mitment to carry out community-based research and preservation activities. We will invest significant effort to develop this program in the coming years. Preservation must move forward on multiple fronts. Neither government nor private back sight (bak sit) n. 1. a sector efforts alone can accomplish all that needs to be done. reading used by surveyors to check the accuracy of their work. 2. an opportunity to reflect on and evaluate the William H. Doelle Center for Desert President & CEO Archaeology's mission. Center for Desert Archaeology Center for Desert Archaeology NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION Archaeology Southwest u.s. POSTAGE 300 E. University Blvd., Suite 230 PAID Tucson, AZ 85705 TUCSON, AZ Permit No. 878 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED