THE DIRT ON WEEK FOUR

The final week went by like a blur. We really missed Joe and Ingrid, but Kim and Casey were awesome crew members!

We surveyed and recorded the very cool "Lizgrid" Metate Site on the ledge of a side canyon, did lots of mapping, and the entire crew worked incredibly hard to carefully take grid units in the south portion of the structure down to floor level, and defined a second occupation with artifacts that include polished turquoise, a carved bone awl, a ceramic pendant fragment, pottery sherds, a small piece of yellow ochre, and lithic debitage. We also had a very pleasant evening at the Tavaputs Ranch, with dinner, showers and a refreshing cool mountain retreat hosted by Butch and Jeannie Jensen. (The "better-than-sex" cake was delicious, and that's all we'll say about that!) The complete mano, bowl portion, trough metate fragments and several projectile points also appear to be associated with the later occupation, circa AD 1000. Our lowest floor is approximately 1200 years old with several hearths, burned bone, several large unburned deer bone fragments, a charred maize kernel, and numerous sherds near the hearths, a possible central posthole or large burned timber fragment, a stone ball, mano and metate fragments, a rounded subfloor pit with the rim and neck of an applique jar, a stone pendant, a large grayware jar fragment, and dozens of tiny microliths (very small stone debitage from pressure flaking- sharpening or finishing tool edges with an antler tip) in a small area of the floor near the posthole and stone ball.

This week Mel found lithics, ceramics and TURQUOISE ...

Celia found a ceramic pendant fragment, yellow ochre and ceramics....

Kim found floor contact applique and grayware ceramics...

Casey found many ceramics, lithics and faunal remains in several cultural levels ....

and Lisa found a complete bone awl sitting at the contact level of the upper, dark black cultural level with an orange, compact stratum interpreted as a second floor.

Lisa provides a thoughtful, intriguing interpretation of the site in her summary: "...Feature 8 is a large pithouse, possible pithouse, or tower that sits on a fairly steep slope about 100 feet above the flat alluvial floodplain of Range Creek. So far in our excavation of F8 we have found two possible habitation (sic) layers. Uinta grayware, a couple of Uinta points, lots of chalcedony lithic flakes probably originating from the San Rafael Swell, lots of Emery grayware, a bone awl, turquoise, applique pottery, a mano and metate, and a stone slab hearth. Most prehistoric sites if well-constructed have a second habitation. Its common. When I found the whitewash (slipped) ceramic bowl, I wondered if a second use was possible. I still think it is, especially because we can definitely see a orangey floor layer (above) the F11 floor. We also found two intact Uinta side-notched projectile points in higher levels than the F11 floor. These are not all too common within the Fremont culture of this area. Most resources come from the San Rafael Swell. I also think this site is not a permanent site. I don't think the amount of corn produced in these floodplains could support that many people. The game in this canyon would add substance but I still don't think it would provide enough sustenance for a small tribe or even a band. With Range Creek flooding (sic) in the early spring each year the houses would be left above the water. Also, with the amount of granaries above the flooding level of creeks and the extreme places most of the granaries are placed, from 60 to (hundreds of) feet above the canyon floor, may suggest securing food for return at a later date and to keep others and curious animals out of their food supply. The unusual placement of these granaries may also suggest a fear of neighbors competition among other cultures outside Range Creek or hostile bands within Range Creek, perhaps a shortage of food made people hide their food in obscure heights. The shortage of food could also explain the eventual abandonment of the canyon...."

Awl in awl, it was a pretty great week! We saw lots of birds and butterflies, heard coyotes in the morning, and had a Mr. Squirrel (aka Mr. Chipmunk) visit one day. We also had a very nice visit from Tom Curwen of the LA Times and several members of the Marriot Library sound team.

renee

Renee Barlow, Ph.D.

Curator of Archaeology

College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum

451 East 400 North, Price, Utah 84501

phone/voicemail 435-613-5290

The Dirt on Archaeology in Range Creek June 22-28, 2009

This week we uncovered a beautiful paved hearth with ash originating on the first, bright-orange floor, with oxidized and charred areas along the edges, and found a whole, perfect two-hand mano just above the floor (hopefully this will match up with the trough metate found last week). We also uncovered part of the rim and shoulder of a large decorated grayware applique jar in a small subfloor pit not far from the hearth and mano, in addition to a complete Bear River side-notch projectile point, charred animal bone, ceramics and lithic debitage in the levels above the floor. The crew has been taking sediments for analyses from all levels, and we have found lots of charcoal for radiocarbon dates. Artifacts sitting on the floor are remarkably sparse, but do include the large jar fragment found near the hearth by the SciGirls last week and dozens of tiny micro-debitage flakes in one corner of floor-- It looks like we may have a layer of roof fall along with rocks from the back wall of the structure overlying the floor and associated occupation level in the central portion of the structure.

Melissa-  "This week I have really enjoyed! I feel like I've learnt alot- more than I have in the past 2 weeks. I also feel I have more confidence with the excavating techniques, identifying artifacts and especially with the total (station). I've also enjoyed working in two other grids with a different person- gaining experience in using hand-tools, learning about stratigraphy and all the recording procedures that are involved. Its definitely been a hot week (very different from the first two) but its been extremely productive. My highlight would have to be finding the mano- the most complete and larges artifact so far found! So far its still difficult to tell if the Fremont inhabited the site for a long period. I do think the site is a house of habitation, backed up by the hearth, the food grinding materials and the ceramics."

Lisa- "This week brought us gorgeous weather. It wasn't until Thursday that we got rain, and then it didn't stop until Friday morning, just in time for breakfast. Monday through Thursday we worked at the site. Mel found an intact mano!! (edit) Celia and Kim found some charred bone. Friday we (edit) surveyed. We leave this week once again with sunshine. Joe and Ingrid: unfortunately nothing else was found in the other half of F18. Sad day."

Celia- "Wow although we didn't find any really cool artifacts in our grid, I have to say this week has been a rather enjoyable one. I think mostly because of the warmer weather, it brought out a kinder attitude from everyone. Oh and the stream... so much more enjoyable, when one is not freezing (edit)! We finally got around to mapping F8, which actually wasn't so bad. The total station can be fun. I had originally started my grid unit w/ Mel for the first two weeks, but changed over w/ Kim for this week. :) Both girls have been great to work w/. Heard some stories about bears around the canyon, which was truly nerve-wracking. Missed some people back in town fierce this week. Got a terrific tan :) But now I'm ready to have a long shower, sleep in a warm DRY bed and visit people I haven't seen in weeks!"

Kim- "This was my first week of the Range Creek field school. I came in two weeks later than the other students that have been here all month. I spent four days of the week helping to get one of the grids in the site down to floor. Through the week there were several fairly large finds. A mano was uncovered and some pottery that was situated in a wall. There was one feature that was in the floor that was mostly charcoal that still needs to be excavated further to learn more. On the last day we (edit) surveyed (a) new site, and (discovered) more above and below (edit). The weather was nice mostly all week, except Thursday it rained. But apparently that was less than the other weeks so I was grateful for that."

Casey did not write a weekly summary this week, but says about the survey: "We found many concentrations of lithics including a projectile point (which Casey found) that showed a probable Fremont occupation of the area. Additionally, we found a tree that had been cut down in historic time. We finished the day having GPS'ed the site (Casey also did the GPS'ing) and logging what we found."

 

We excavated and mapped during the week, and then on Friday conducted a survey and found three new sites-- mainly lithic scatters, perhaps indicating hunting camps and/or butchering stations 1000 years ago. The crew did a systematic sweep of the site flagging debitage concentrations and tools, learned to record on an IMACS survey form, and gps'ed the site using a Trimble.

 

 

renee

Renee Barlow, Ph.D.

Curator of Archaeology

College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum

451 East 400 North, Price, Utah  84501

phone/voicemail 435-613-5290

Range Creek Week 2: The SciGirls Episode

This week a PBS film crew from Twin Cities visited the field school in Range Creek, filming a new series called "SciGirls." It focuses on jr. high age girls in science, and the archaeology episode filmed with us will be the fourth or fifth in the series that will air beginning next January. The SciGirls chosen for this episode are Gates and Jazzy. Gates and Jazzy, their Moms Kristen and Carol, a little brother, and the Twin Cities Public TV film crew were with us Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then spent the morning on Saturday wrapping up the episode filming in the museum. In Range Creek we worked with them recording rock art, excavating a Fremont site and rappelling into a granary, and had lots of fun. The film crew provided s'mores, guitar music by the SciGirls and great company and conversation around the campfire.

The girls worked on their own hypotheses about life in Range Creek 1000 years ago. Very impressive! Gates has promised to come volunteer at the museum and help label and process artifacts-- we look forward to working with her and hope she will be a future CEU student and archaeology intern at the museum. Jazzy said she has decided to change her career plans, and will be a professional archaeologist!

The SciGirls Crew included producer Angela Ewald, associate producer Marissa Blahnick, director of photography Mike Phillips, audio recordist/mixer Brian Pederson, professional climber Greg Child and production assistant Bart. SciGirls Website Link: http://www.scigirls.org

The students spent Monday excavating, and Tuesday FS'ing artifacts, cleaning the site and flagging artifacts on the site in the morning, and visiting and recording rock art in the afternoon. Wednesday morning we excavated for about an hour and a half before the SciGirls joined us on site. The field school students gave the film crew a tour of the site and mentored Jazzy and Gates at the excavation, helping them trowel through a grid unit that had been taken down to the lower cultural level, screen for artifacts, take pollen and bulk samples, and map artifacts with the total station and prism.

The girls were fantastic, and found the largest pottery sherds recovered so far from the site! We were rained out around 2:30 pm with a major downpour, and went back to camp where we FS'ed and washed artifacts with the film crew. Thursday we visited a granary site with the SciGirls, and the students surveyed a side canyon of Range Creek before another big thunderstorm rolled in. They found a new site with a large trough metate and a possible pithouse that we will record using IMACS this week! By Friday, the crew had sunshine and hot temperatures and spent the entire day excavating and taking notes, and at the end of the day learned to profile. It was a crazy, terrific week....

We also were joined by two volunteers this week: Liz from Arizona State University, and retired General Greg from Rochester, New York. Liz helped excavate and take notes, and Greg did a great job screening for artifacts. They were a wonderful addition to the crew! (Greg also brought cold sodas and watermelons for the crew). Other visitors included Jeannie Jensen, Mark Connolly, the Greens and the Kirbys.

In the words of the students:

Ingrid- "Summary: My last day in Range Creek. I sure learned a lot. But I feel that I need to go back home to see my little family. I'm certainly going to come back here because I find the unanswered questions really interesting. This week was so crazy! We had a lot of fun around the fire with the film crew and I was really excited to see the two teens live their dream. The survey was one of my favorite moments of the week, and to find a metate was really exciting. It was also fun to have Liz and the general around! Liz and I opened a new grid and even if we didn't really get to do some trowel work it was exciting to dig something new. It was less rainy this week and we got the chance to have some toilets. It was so funny to wee everybody's faces when they arrived! We also saw more paintings and each time I find it special. To see a form of art and communication from the past painted on a wall is just amazing. We also got stuck with the pick-up and that was really a crazy adventure! In conclusion, I had so much fun during this field school and I can't wait to excavate again! Thanks to all the crew and thank you Renee for teaching me so much. :) " (Thank you Ingrid- you are amazing and I hope you will come back and work with us again!)

Lisa- "This week gave us sun, sun, rain, rain, sun, rain, rain, hail, rain, sun, rain, thunder, lightening, rain and finally sun. Monday we planned and made the site ready for the PS television crw visiting us for a few days. Tuesday the film crew came and the team gave a tour of the site. After the tour of the site we all went on a small tour of the canyon to visit three rock art murals. Wednesday the SciGirls found a large piece of the grayware ceramic while excavating 503 N 104 E. After excavating we cleaned artifacts in the rain and hail. Thursday brought a sunny morning, but rather wet day while exploring granaries and surveying the canyon. Friday we spent the first all-sunny day at the site! Finally."

Joe- "June 15th-19th: This week has been an interesting one. There was a film crew up at the site making a tv show for PBS. Most of the week was spent giving tours and monitoring the girls excavations. It was a little more relaxing but we didn't get as much work done. This field school has been great. The site has a lot of interesting artifacts and could turn out to be an important site. It seems that there were two separate occupations at this site or there was a roof collapse with the amount of large stones we have found, the site could be a tower similar to others found in the canyon. It will be interesting to see what comes of the site during future excavations."

Celia Jean- "Mother is bi-polar. So we've had a mixture of superb weather w/ massive cloud coverage and rainstorms. For the most part it was nice enough to get a tan though. We unearthed the rest of our metate which was (g)narly and have found over a dozen more lithics. Pottery in our grid unit hasn't really been a big find of ours. The SciGirls were here filming all week. I love the idea of teaching young girls that science can be cool for everyone, especially archaeology. Stay away from those hidden temples though girls... that's my find :) I've celebrated my birthday out here which was a kick a**. I wanted a great outdoor experience (alcohol-free) on my birthday and that is what I got- hooray for that :) The hike was intense but rewarding, we did find one metate and possibly one more feature "pithouse." Overall though the week was great. I'm hoping our site turns out to be some sort of communal hot spot big (....) the weird rock formation that appears to be w/in. We'll see though!

Mel- " This week has actually been really good with the film crew coming. We got to experience what a filming production is like. It was also a really good mix of excavation work and rock art with also some analysis and artifact cleaning. It's exciting that Celia and I are getting closer to the floor and we're taking more care. We have excavated F9/F16 and in parts have hit F17- very exciting! In addition, I found 5 lithic debitage today. First day I've found any- and found five- awesome. I really enjoyed the rock art too- analyzing the symbols- this probably is the best!"

--Well, that wraps up our week. On site the students uncovered a trough metate fragment, a mano fragment, a paved floor feature with ash (possible second hearth), ceramics that included applique, a lithic tool, debitage and animal bone, and lots of charcoal, ash and rocks.

renee

Renee Barlow, Ph.D.

Curator of Archaeology

College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum

451 East 400 North, Price, Utah 84501

phone/voicemail 435-613-5290

The Dirt on Archaeology: Field School Week One in Range Creek

Our first week excavating "Little Village" in Range Creek was extremely productive, in spite of unpredictable weather and adjustments to field conditions। We flagged artifacts and mapped with a gps and a total station, set grid stakes, took notes, assessed sediments, excavated, screened, bagged and FS'd many artifacts, and toured rock art and granaries. Celia Jean found a complete, beautiful side-notched point, and the 2-meter crew found a partial bowl associated with a possible second occupation about a meter and a half into the structure.

In the words of the crew

Ingrid- "Resume of the Week: This week passed so quickly! I had some ups and downs, but I've learned a lot for sure. I've excavated, described, screened, straightened walls, laughed, cried, learned, made some mistakes. I've learned to use the total station, it was scary and stressful at first, but after a few shots it's easy. I also learned how to use a GPS and I have to say that technology really helps in archaeology! I don't feel extenuated at all and I'm really excited to come back on Monday. I'm still asking some vocabulary questions (Ingrid's native language is French). I think that the discovery of the bowl was the moment of the week! And also the small projectile point. After this week, I really understand why it's important to keep a clean surface and straight walls. These are our guides, not only for the digging but also for the associations! This week was also the "rain week," maybe it's slowed us a bit, but with this beautiful sunny Friday I'll like to think that next week will be "sunny week." I want some Utah sun before returning to Montreal!"

Lisa- "Week 1 Summary: This week met us with rain cloud after rain cloud. The drive into the canyon was gorgeous but it soon turned sour. By Wednesday everyone was soggy. However, the weather did not deter us from our primary goal: the Range Creek Arch Project. Monday we located artifacts below two known features and another possible feature. Tuesday the team recovered the floor that last year’s team had already excavated. Waiting for us there was a metate! Wednesday we mapped the artifacts below the features and lived through some pretty miserable weather. After lunch it finally reached 50 degrees and we made it to the site. Each grid completed about 20 cm of excavation before the day was through. Thursday was an exciting day. The first grid found an intact lithic biface, probably used as an arrow point. And the second grid found two sherds to a bowl and saw two others waiting to be excavated. Friday we mapped the site (Feature 8), mapping each open grid unit and the known, in situ artifacts, metate and bowl. After mapping we completed two bulk samples to be tested for (macrofossils) and small animal bones and two pollen samples to test for (maize pollen) and other plants the inhabitants may have used. We left the site Friday with lots of questions. What is this new F16 feature, were there other inhabitants, did a roof cave in?"

Joe- "June 8th - 12th Summary: This week has been pretty fun. This is my first dig and it has been a great experience. The weather has been awful. It was cold and rainy until Friday when it finally cleared up. While excavating we all found a lot of artifacts from tiny pieces of ceramic and lithic debitage to an arrowhead and a partial bowl. We also found part of an animal bone. I have learned a lot doing this field school, much more than can be learned in a classroom. The experience of working out at a site and camping in the freezing cold and the rain hasn't yet put me off from being an archaeologist. Hopefully next week brings as much knowledge and discovery as this week has."

Celia Jean- "Wow the week went fast. I think partially 'cause the dreary blur of the rainy weather. So yeah working with dirt is making me think. Water...Sand...Dirt. I definitely would love to give (underwater) excavating a try. I think it also matters on the crew. This group seems pretty cool so far. Everyone is so diligent and making sure things are done and each other is treated nicely/ helped when needed. the dig so far is kinda cool. Minus the weather mood swings and add some fitness to myself! Every trek up is a li'l harder for some reason. I think a weekend of no uphill hiking should do me good, oh yeah and rest on a bed! The tools we're using. I never really expected to have high tech. equipment out here, so it's really cool. That way I really am learning how to work a site, for future ref. What else can I say? The mountains are beautiful. The creek is sweet :) . The food is nice. My peers are from all over, but we are all so similar. Let's get this next week going!!

Mel did not write a summary this week, but says: "... the weather is finally looking good! Nice and sunny, although I am glad it's the weekend because I think my body needs a rest and it'll be awesome to have a hot shower and not be cold at night."

Stay tuned for next week, when we are visited by the SciGirls from Twin Cities PBS.

K. Renee Barlow, Ph.D.

Curator of Archaeology

College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum

May Saturday on the Swell

We celebrated Prehistory Week in May with a rock-art-bonanza Saturday on the Swell that was well-attended and lots of fun! We visited spectacular Barrier Canyon pictograph murals at Buckhorn Wash, Head of Sinbad, and Black Dragon Wash, dinosaur tracks, and carved snakes and a lizard and Kokopelli at Dry Canyon, and the enigmatic petroglyphs at the Rochester Panel. We talked about the differences between Barrier Canyon and Fremont styles, and identified some of each at most of the sites. Dale Harber, Chris Mungall, Brent and Kamille Burrows, Linda and Tim Patterson, Jim and Colleen Huffaker, Kerk, Alan and Joan Phillips, and an unexpected visitor from Seattle, Kevin Lashinsky, braved the crisp spring sunshine and perfect weather to explore these beautiful sites.

Kerk Phillips at Dry Canyon

Pictos at Black Dragon Wash

Ute Tipi

During prehistory week I also recorded a Ute tipi and campsite with Randy Jones from the local CVAS chapter. We identified and documented several lithic scatters and a windbreak feature with a hearth, and several possible areas with corrals or game drives. One of the most exciting aspects of this site is its lack of historic garbage-- no food tins, ceramics, glass or metal wires-- suggesting it is quite early and possible pre-Anglo in age, maybe dating to the late 1700s or early 1800s. BLM archaeologist Byron Loosle will be investigating how this site ties into his research on the Ashley National Forest and a wickiup site recorded by Steve Simms, and has already contacted the Ute tribe to identify elders who may have a memory or oral history of living or camping in this part of the Tavaputs.

Randy Jones Lost Tip Site

CEU Archaeological Field School

Range Creek canyon is green and lush with dozens of wildflowers in bloom. I am setting up the field camp this week, and eight to ten students and volunteers coming to excavate during the month of June. Students from as far away as Adelaide, Australia, and as close as Salt Lake City will learn the basics of archaeological field work and help discover what life was like 1000 years ago in a high elevation Fremont farming community in eastern Utah. The site is located on the first rise overlooking the creek and alluvial floodplain, where ancient farmers and foragers probably cultivated maize, squash and beans, hunted deer, elk, bighorn sheep and rabbits, and collected wild seeds, roots and berries. They may have fished for native trout in the creek. The artifacts, ecofacts and cultural features that we document will help us reconstruct prehistoric diet and overall modes of subsistence and storage, as well as the possible function of different areas of the site. We are hoping to determine how this site fits in the larger pattern of settlement and subsistence throughout the canyon and the greater Fremont region, and how lifeways in Range Creek compared to prehistoric communities in Nine Mile Canyon, the San Rafael Swell, Vernal, and throughout the Fremont culture region.

Range Creek Globemallow

We are excited to be hosting Twin Cities Public Television i, who will be filming an episode of "SciGirls," a new PBS program that highlights the role of girls in science. The Range Creek episode will focus on ..... archaeology.

Desert Lupine on the Burnout Village

Stay tuned for weekly updates during the field school. I will be posting the best student summaries of our weekly discoveries and adventures, along with pictures of the crew.

Renee Barlow, PhD

Back on the Swell

Archaeology is back in swing at the CEU Prehistoric Museum, with lots of trips to discover and record sites.

Tuesday we recorded a lithic scatter found by volunteer Craig Royce, and several Archaic projectile points on the San Rafael Swell. Mr. Royce is an expert in geology, regularly volunteers at the Paleo Lab with John Bird, and teaches literature at the Pinnacle Academy. He brought two of his best students, Victoria "Tori" Brandt and Trevor Burge, to help out at the site.

The day was hot, with temperatures exceeding 80 degrees, and it was a beautiful day on the Swell. Tori turned out to be an excellent artist, creating a very good sketch of a Humboldt concave-base projectile, and Trevor was a natural with the Trimble GPS, recording most of the artifacts on the site.

We have a beautiful Shoshoni eagle feather headdress that will be donated back to the Shoshoni Tribe. The headdress was presented by the tribe to KSL weatherman Bob Welty back in the 1980s at the Festival of the American West. It was brought to the museum by Chris Montague, the Director of Conservation Programs at the Nature Conservancy in Salt Lake. It is made of the primary flight feathers and plume feathers of a bald eagle, with ermines and rabbit fur and very nice beadwork. It is authentic, and quite striking. We are very pleased to be returning this beautiful artifact to Bruce Parry, Executive Director of the Shoshoni Tribe in Brigham City, so the tribe can display it in the new tribal museum at the American West Heritage Center.

Our latest Saturday on the Swell started balmy and ended stormy, with rain, snow, hail and hurricane force winds. Fifteen intrepid explorers/volunteers came on the expedition, including: CEU archaeology intern Jen Zivkovich, CVAS member Jim Huffaker, Weber State University Students Maren Svare, Stephanie Karren, Chance Cummings, Selest Sanchez and Debra Lynne, and volunteers Camille and Michael Davidson, Breanne Loosle, Linda and Tim Patterson, and professional archaeologists Alison Leick and Byron Loosle (Dr. Loosle is also the BLM state archaeologist). We left the museum in sunshine, but by the time we reached the site there was a strong wind and foreboding clouds. The volunteers flagged and recorded pottery sherds, lithic debitage and tools, and even a mano. The site is a Fremont village, and was so large that we had to concentrate on one activity area. We will be documenting, mapping, and eventually conducting excavations at this important site. After lunch, the temperature quickly dropped about 15 degrees and the rain/hail started, so we moved up to the Rochester site where we had calm weather for about 40 minutes. The rock art was spectacular, and the hike was very nice, and then we headed into town for a quick stop for hot chocolate and restrooms.

Please join us for our next Saturday on the Swell during Utah Prehistory Week on Saturday, May 9. We will be discussing the Barrier Canyon Archaic and the San Rafael Fremont, and touring several famous rock art sites, including Buckhorn Wash, Head of Sinbad, Black Dragon, Dry Wash and Rochester. RSVP to Dr. Renee Barlow at 435-613-5290 or renee.barlow@ceu.edu by Thursday, May 7, and make sure to bring your lunch, snacks, plenty of water, a hat with a brim, sunscreen and hiking shoes. And rain gear-- just in case.



Renee Barlow, Ph.D.
Curator of Archaeology
College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum
451 East 400 North, Price, Utah 84501
phone/voicemail 435-613-5290

The Dirt on Archaeology

Spring is here and we are starting fieldwork again on the San Rafael Swell. We have already been out recording sites, including rock art and several lithic scatters. Our next Saturday on the Swell is scheduled for April 25. We will be recording and mapping a Fremont Village that we will be excavating over the next few years; starting the very important task of documentation. We will have lunch at the site—there is no shade so please bring a hat with a brim and plenty of sunscreen, and warm clothes in case it is windy. In the afternoon we will visit the famous Rochester site. A narrow, rocky hiking trail is involved, but well worth it for the spectacular Barrier Canyon and Fremont style petroglyphs.



Jen Zivkovich recording an archaeological site on the San Rafael Swell

Members, museum patrons, students, CVAS members and anyone interested is invited to come along. We meet at the museum at 8:30 am, and plan to return around 5 pm, so bring plenty of lunch, snacks, water, hiking shoes, a warm coat, hat and sunscreen. For more information, or to reserve a spot in the museum vehicle, contact Dr. Renee Barlow at renee.barlow@ceu .edu, PR Director Christine Trease @ christine.trease@ceu.edu, or Education Director Lloyd Logan at lloyd.logan@ceu.edu.

Oregon Public Broadcasting has finished up the pilot for the “Time Team USA” archaeology series. It will probably air on KUED in June. It features the U of U’s new excavations in Range Creek, and also the Pilling Figurines, with scenes shot right here in the museum. Stay tuned for more about the program…



Rochester Site

This summer we are working on archaeological sites in Range Creek (including excavation, survey, and further documentation of granaries and the flute site), Nine Mile Canyon, the Price River Canyon, and the San Rafael Swell. We will also be trying to identify the location of several sites in the area of Robbers Roost. There will be lots of hiking and hot, thirsty days, but is a great way to spend time out in the field. If you are interested in volunteering, if you know sites that need to be recorded, or if you just want to hang out with archaeologists for a few days, contact us at the museum.



Spiral Horned Snake Pegtroglyph

The College of Eastern Utah Archaeology Field School

The CEU/Prehistoric Museum Field School will run four weeks this year, from June 8 through July 3, in Range Creek. We will continue excavations at one of the sites we started last year: a small Fremont farming village with several pithouses and a stone masonry structure. We may also investigate a second group of three structures that we found above the excavation area last year, and begin mapping and excavations at the Burnout Village—the largest village in Range Creek.



photo of Casey Dooms

Time: June 8 to July 3
Where: Range Creek, Utah
What: Students will camp in the canyon Monday through Friday and gain experience excavating a Fremont Village with pithouses, hearths, ceramics, lithics and ground stone artifacts. Students will also participate in surveying and mapping archaeological sites for several days, and learn to process and analyze artifacts in a field laboratory.

The College of Eastern Utah has open enrollment, and accepts applications on a first-come, first-serve basis. The cost is $175 for three credit hours, in addition to a special fee. For more information contact Renee Barlow at 435-613-5290 or renee.barlow@ceu.edu.

Renee Barlow, Curator of Archaeology