new acquisition MISSOURI’S INDUSTRIAL BEGINNINGS

Missouri’s Industrial Beginnings

The Conservancy acquires the remains of a historic salt works.

In a small wooded ravine near Saline Creek outside Ste. Genevieve,Missouri,there is a concentration of limestone blocks and a few iron kettle fragments scattered amid a poorly vegetated patch of low ground.The vegetation is sparse because the soil is permeated with salt as a result of a once profusely flowing salt spring.The blocks and kettle fragments are all that remain above ground to mark the location of La Saline salt works,one of Missouri’s first industrial enterprises.

In the late 17th century, French colonists established their first settlements west of the Mississippi at Ste.Genevieve. Although the initial attraction of the area was its rich agricultural land, the salt spring was soon recognized as a useful resource.Surviving documents indicate that by the 1690s,La Saline had become an important source of salt. By the 1750s salt had become such an important part of the French colonial economy that it was declared an official medium of exchange.The salt works remained in production until the 1830s.It closed due to competition from Louisiana salt mines. After production ceased,the hamlet of La Saline, which sprung up around the salt works, was abandoned and the land passed into agricultural use.

Today extensive archaeological remains mark the former importance of the salt spring.To insure their preservation, the Conservancy has entered into an option agreement with the owners to purchase a 20-acre tract of land that encompasses the remains of the salt works and the hamlet. Limited archaeological excavations in areas surrounding the spring have discovered substantial historic and prehistoric deposits,the later resulting from Mississippian-period Native Americans who utilized the salt spring nearly five centuries before the French arrived. Considerable portions of the French-period furnaces— which were used to boil the brine to produce the salt— remain intact and buried.Excavations in the hamlet area have revealed remains of early French colonial poteaux en terre houses.A particularly intriguing find is a 1789 medallion commemorating George Washington’s first inauguration as President. —Paul Gardner

Conservancy Plan of Action

(Left) This 1789 medallion commemorating George Washington’s inauguration was discovered at the site. (Above) The 1986 excavation of La Saline.

SITE: La Saline

CULTURE and TIME PERIOD:

Late Prehistoric (A.D.1200–1400),French and Anglo-American Colonial (A.D.1690–1830) STATUS: The site is well-preserved agricultural land that is threatened by development. ACQUISITION: The Conservancy has until the end of the year to raise $75,000 to purchase the 20-acre property and pay for its management,including a prairie restoration. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Send your contributions to The Archaeological Conservancy, Attn:La Saline,5301 Central Ave. NE,Suite 402, Albuquerque,NM 87108-1517.

29

35

••••••••

Independence Kansas City

70

St. Louis

Jefferson City

44

Springfield La Saline

55

CONSER V ANC Y

FieldNotes

The Conservancy Acquires Third Parcel at Waters Pond

SOUTHEAST—In April,the Conservancy used POINT funds to purchase the Vance Parcel,the third and final parcel needed to ensure the permanent preservation of the Waters Pond site in northern Florida.This newest acquisition protects three acres of village and midden area on the south side of the site that dates to the Deptford Phase of the Early Woodland period (circa A.D. 200).

The nearly pristine prehistoric Indian mound and village are located in a lakeside subdivision.If left unprotected,they would have been lost to development.This past winter the Conservancy purchased two lots containing the mound and about two-thirds of the village area.The Vance family of the Tampa area owned the third parcel.Upon learning of the site’s archaeological value and the Conservancy’s mission to preserve it,the family readily agreed to sell the lot instead of building a house upon it.The site will be permanently maintained by the Conservancy and is available for professional research.

University of Florida archaeology graduate students help backfill a mound at the Waters Pond site during stabilization work that took place in March of this year.

Dumas Tract Acquired at Old Cahawba

SOUTHEAST—In March,the Conservancy acquired its 15th tract at the Old Cahawba site in Alabama.This latest acquisition is a five-acre parcel that was once part of the “Cahawba Commons,”a communal area where livestock were pastured and families kept garden plots.

Cahawba was the first state capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1826, and it was visited by the Marquis de

Lafayette.By 1861,Cahawba was one of Alabama’s largest and most affluent towns.By 1875,it was a ghost town ruined by the ravages of war and a series of natural and economic disasters.Cahawba’s rapid demise made it a virtual time capsule of urban life in the Old South.

The Conservancy plans to ultimately transfer the Dumas tract to the State of Alabama for inclusion, along with most of the site,in a state park. The site will be open to researchers as well as the public. Cahawba is now open to the public every day. It’s located about 12 miles west of Selma off of State Highway 22.

Preservation and Educational Programs Underway at Barrio de Tubac

SOUTHWEST—More than 25 people attended the Management Committee meeting for the Conservancy’s Barrio de Tubac Preserve that was held in February at the University of Arizona in Tucson.The group discussed longterm management issues for the preserve, including site security, access, stabilization,and planned public educational programs.

The Barrio de Tubac site is the southern neighborhood of the larger Presidio de San Ignacio de Tubac,the first permanent European settlement in Arizona, which was established in 1752.The presidio is now preserved as the Tubac Presidio State Park, which lies adjacent to the Barrio site. The site is also associated with the activities of Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza,and an important

Volunteers from the Southwest Archaeology Team of the Mesa Southwest Museum place fill used to stabilize a slope where the stone footings of an 18th–century structure were exposed at Barrio de Tubac.

segment of the Anza Trail passes through the property.

The Barrio de Tubac project was financed in part by a grant from the Historic Preservation Heritage Fund whch is funded by the Arizona lottery and administered by the Arizona State Parks board.The project was also made possible through a charitable property donation from Baca Float Land Development,Ltd.The Conservancy acquired the 10-acre site in 2000 and established it as a permanent archaeological and educational preserve.Working closely with members of the Tubac Historical Society, the Conservancy completed the stabilization of exposed portions of the site in April and is now designing an interpretive trail that is expected to be open for guided public tours by the end of the year.

Between 1988 and 1996, Jack Williams,director of the Center for Spanish Colonial Archaeology, conducted excavations at the preserve, uncovering the remains of Colonialperiod buildings and more than 100,000 artifacts dating from prehistoric to recent times.As part of the Conservancy’s project, researchers at the Arizona State Museum are working to process and curate the artifacts recovered from the site,along with excavation notes,maps,and photographs.The museum waived accession fees for the collection.Some of these materials are currently on display at the adjacent state park.

It is hoped that the Barrio de Tubac preserve will ultimately become a part of the larger Presidio de Tubac State Park, and to this end the Conservancy is working closely with the park’s staff on preservation and public interpretation plans for the property.

The Moundbuilders’ Legacy

OHIO MOUNDBUILDERS T OUR

When: September 21–25,2002 Where: Southern Ohio How much: $799 ($175 single supplement)

Massive mounds and earthworks,some nearly 70 feet tall and others covering hundreds of acres,are the legacy of the Hopewell and Adena cultures that dominated the eastern United States from about 800 B.C. to A.D. 400.Archaeologists have found exotic mica objects,copper ornaments, burials,and the remains of wooden structures and stone walls at many of the mound sites.The significance of the mounds,which often were built in animal and geometric forms,is still a subject of great study.

Our tour begins in Columbus, Ohio, with a visit to the Hopewell collections at the Ohio Historical Center.From the Newark Earthworks—a magnificent Hopewell Mound complex that once covered more than seven miles—the tour heads to Chillicothe and Hopewell Culture National Historical Park,now a flourishing center of Hopewell research.You’ll also visit Serpent Mound,a massive effigy mound that stretches more than 1,400 feet.Throughout the tour,expert archaeologists give their insights into the world of the moundbuilders.

The Newark Earthworks, a Hopewell site in Ohio, once extended more than seven miles.

Exploring the Land of the Anasazi

BEST OF THE SOUTHWEST

When: September 21–October 1,2002 Where: New Mexico,Arizona,and Colorado How much: $2,095 ($390 single supplement)

The American Southwest is home to some of the best-preserved evidence of prehistoric civilizations in the New World.The magnificent ruins of Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde are but two vivid reminders of the complex cultures that dominated the region between the 10th and 14th centuries.The Archaeological Conservancy’s Best of the Southwest tour includes these two settlements as well as other prehistoric sites and modern pueblos where ancient traditions persist.

In New Mexico, you’ll visit remarkable sites such as the cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument;the “Sky City”of Acoma,a pueblo flourishing atop a high mesa just as it did 600 years ago;and San Ildefonso Pueblo,which is famous for its pottery. Several nights will be spent in Santa Fe,providing an opportunity to enjoy the city’s museums and shops.

In Arizona,you’ll take a jeep tour through Canyon de Chelly National Monument and visit Montezuma Valley’s seldom-seen prehistoric pueblos.In Colorado,the worldfamous cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde,including Cliff Palace,Spruce Tree House,and Sun Temple, await. Back in New Mexico, you’ll stop at outliers of the Chacoan culture and tour Chaco Canyon,which was the center of a great civilization around A.D. 900–1150.Expert archaeologists will accompany you on this memorable 10-day excursion.

Placing Trust in the Conservancy

The Conservancy recently established a new leadership society, the Living Spirit Circle, to recognize those members who want to make a lasting contribution by including the Conservancy in their will or estate plans, or by making a lifeincome gift such as a charitable gift annuity.

One member who signed up right away is Carol Baker of Texas. Carol, who has been a member since 1997, let us know that she has included the Conservancy as a beneficiary of a trust that she established.

“I have some property in New Mexico, and I put the Conservancy in the trust. Since I live in Texas, it just seemed logical to avoid probate in two states. Plus I want to continue to support the Conservancy, and this is a good way for me to do it.“

Carol, who is in her 50s, believes that the land’s value will go up the longer she owns it. Rather than making a donation of any property now, she will hold onto it and let it increase in value. That way, by the time the Conservancy receives it, the gift will be worth much more.

“I really like the concept of being able to preserve sites that are threatened. Obviously, since I live in the Southwest, Southwestern sites are my first love, but all of them need to be protected. I love the philosophy that the Conservancy has of just going in and buying sites, and I love it that my contribution can help to get that done.“ —Martha Mulvany

TO MAKE A DONATION ORBECOME A MEMBERCONTACT: The Archaeological Conservancy

5301 Central Avenue NE • Suite 402 Albuquerque,NM 87108 (505) 266-1540 www.americanarchaeology.org

Patrons of Preservation

The Archaeological Conservancy would like to thank the following individuals,foundations,and corporations for their generous support during the period of February through April. Their generosity,along with the generosity of the Conservancy’s other members,makes our work possible.

Life Member Gifts of $1,000 or more

Caroline Wells Atkeson, Washington,D.C. Betty Banks, Washington David Bergholz, Ohio Richard Bost, Texas Nance and Barbara Creager, Texas Jeffrey Gosnell, Ohio Randy and Bryn Potter, California Suzanne Rice, Colorado Jeff Starkey, Illinois Miriam M. Sternberg, Texas James Thompson, Massachusetts LeRoy Weber,Jr., California

Anasazi Circle Gifts of $2,000 or more

Anonymous (3) Carol M. Baker, Texas R. M. and Joanne Hart, Colorado Jean James, Arizona J. E. and Memorie Loughridge, Florida Robert Robinson, California Harlan and Ann Scott, Delaware Melvin and Giulia Simpson, New York (in memory of Eleanor Simpson) Hervey and Sarah Stockman, New Mexico Gordon and Judy Wilson, New Mexico

Foundation/Corporate Gifts of $1,000–$4,999

Roth Family Foundation, California

Foundation/Corporate Gifts of $5,000–$9,999

Kinder Foundation, Texas Sidney Stern Memorial Trust, Connecticut

Foundation/Corporate Gifts of $10,000–$24,999

Colorado State Museum,Colorado Historical Society, Colorado The Roy A. Hunt Foundation, Pennsylvania Jordan Family Foundation, Texas Stockman Family Foundation Trust, New Mexico

Foundation/Corporate Gifts of $25,000–$34,999

Bartus Trew Providence Preservation Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington,D.C. Wallace Genetic Foundation, Washington,D.C.

Bequests

Joe Heuston, Colorado Thomas Morley, Minnesota Diana White, Nevada

Reviews

Cultural Resources Archaeology

By Thomas W. Neumann and Robert M.Sanford (AltaMira Press,2001; 304 pgs.,$25 paper; 800-462-6420) Most American archaeologists today work in cultural resource management (CRM) rather than pure research.The authors have produced the first guide to the process of identification, evaluation, excavation,and reporting of archaeological resources in a regulatory context.Emphasizing real-world problems and issues, this is an outstanding handbook for archaeology’s fastest growing field. The Fall of the Ancient Maya

By David Webster (Thames & Hudson,2002; 368 pgs.,illus.,$35 cloth; 800-233-4830)

The Classic Maya collapse is one of the great mysteries of archaeology. For more than a thousand years the Maya developed an advanced culture in the rain forests of Central America.Their culture’s manifestations included monumental architecture,a sophisticated calendar,true literacy, hereditary kings and lords,long-range trade,and stunning art.

But in only a hundred years, beginning in the eighth century A.D.,it disappeared.Not the Maya themselves,but the sophisticated aspects of their civilized,ordered society.In the southern Maya lowlands building ceased, writing stopped,artwork was discontinued, and the nobility disappeared.Many of the greatest Maya cites fell into ruins.The last recorded date at Palenque was A.D. 790. Copan collapsed shortly thereafter. By the end of the next century Tikal was in ruins.

Pennsylvania State archaeologist David Webster draws on recent research to present us with a comprehensive account of the vast changes that took place in the Maya world.The more you look at the problem, the more complex it becomes. Webster points out that while many of the great cities of the south ceased to function,Maya cities in the north continued to prosper right up to the time of Spanish conquest. Even in the south,the people didn’t disappear, just the complex culture.

Webster carefully examines the problems with Maya culture and weaves a complex story of the collapse.Several causes contributed to this major change. First and foremost was a growing imbalance between population and resources leading to a food shortage. There were also the destabilizing

effects of intercity competition and warfare.Finally, there was a rejection of the ideology and institution of kingship. While some scholars will disagree with Webster about the relative importance of the causes, few will reject them.

The Fall of the Ancient Maya is a very readable and persuasive treatise on a very important and difficult problem.

Plains Indian Rock Art

By James D. Keyser and Michael A.Klassen (University of Washington Press,2001; 326 pgs., illus.; $25 paper; 206-543-4050)

Archaeologists James Keyser and Michael Klassen have produced an outstanding study of the rock art of the northern Great Plains from Colorado to Alberta.This is the land of the Cheyenne and the Blackfeet,the Crow, and the Sioux. This area also contains some of the earliest evidence of human occupation in the Americas,and there is rock art covering thousands of years.It is carved on glacial boulders,cave walls,and riverside cliffs in spectacular settings of rolling grasslands, majestic mountains,and scenic rivers.

Keyser and Klassen carefully examine the various rock art traditions that include such fascinating examples as the Hoofprint and the Robe and Ledger art. Each is amply illustrated and interpreted.They use all the latest techniques to try to date and understand the meaning of the art in order to bring it alive to the reader.

This is a comprehensive study of a fascinating area of North American rock art.It is certain to be the standard for many years to come. —Mark Michel