Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
THE AACA MAGAZINE
“NO TRACKS”
AACA MAGAZINE Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc.
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Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
Table of Contents President‘s Message, Editor‘s Message Pg 1 Montezuma Castle Pg 2-3 Adventures on an Ohio Creek Pg 4 A 220 Pound Indian Turtle Pg 5 Interview with a Rookie Restoration Artist Pg 6-8 Nasty Suzie Pg 9 Animal In Situs Pg 10-19 Gallery of Cowboy Indian Art Pg 20-29 In Situ Section Pg 30-34 Editor Steve Stangland Design & Layout by Robert J Dills
On the Cover: ―No Tracks‖ by Olaf Wieghorst
AACA MAGAZINE Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc.
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Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
President's Message Another New Year and another hunting season is upon us, as well as the Artifact Show season across the country. We hope that our members have a fun and productive spring and summer in collecting ancient relics. On Christmas Day 2009, we lost former AACA President Cliff Clements of Ohio after a long-term illness. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to LaVonne and the Clements family in their time of loss. The Association will miss Cliff C greatly. Please note that the AACA is now offering the new AACA hats at DEEP DISCOUNT PRICES of two for $15, shipped to you. If you don't yet have one of these nice hats, order today!
Happy Hunting! Cliff Jackson AACA President
Editor's Message Welcome to the first 2010 issue of our magazine. Readers‘ interest in the ―Critter‖ section has continued to be high, so you will find a nice section of animal pictures to view in this edition. If you are a first-time viewer, please know that this publication depends upon you, the readers, to provide the viewing material. Although preferred, you don‘t even have to be an AACA member to have an article or a picture published. Take a look at this issue‘s interesting articles and pictures and you will see the kinds of things we are willing to publish. We can never guarantee publication of submissions, but if you have average and normal writing skills, scratch something out, include a picture or two, and send to sstangland@cox.net. If there is a participle or a comma that needs to be fixed, the Editor will do that. Don‘t be bashful. Send something in. It just might get published! That‘s about all I have to say, so I will leave you with a couple pictures of my first find for 2010. It‘s not spectacular, but to me it‘s a sparkling diamond and a great memory of my first hunt of the year with my son. Steve Stangland - AACA Editor
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Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
Montezuma Castle by Steve Stangland
The desert floor at Phoenix, Arizona is at 1100 feet of elevation; Flagstaff, about a hundred miles to the north, is at 6900 feet. As you drive north from Phoenix headed to Flagstaff, the elevation gradually increases. The saguaro cacti, commonly seen in and around Phoenix, soon disappear. About halfway between the two cities, running in a southeasterly direction, at an elevation of approximately 3200 feet, lie the Verde Valley and the Verde River. This area is a beautiful transitional zone between desert land and mountain forest….. the kind of area that has attracted humankind for thousands of years! According to National Park personnel, there are prehistoric Native American sites approximately every mile and a half along Verde Valley waterways. ―Montezuma Castle‖ is one of them, and is one of the very best preserved.
In October of 2009 I visited Montezuma Castle. Because of its uniqueness, its excellent condition, and the fact that it rests 100 feet above the creek floor in a spectacular cliff recess, my jaw dropped about two inches upon my first glimpse of the dwelling. Its spectacular setting overlooking Beaver Creek holds first-time visitors spellbound! There is something intriguing and magical about the place! Although not apparent from the photos I took, the dwelling has five floors that were built in phases over many years. There are 19 rooms that probably housed 35 to 50 inhabitants. Three sets of ladders provided access to the structure‘s different levels. The Southern Sinagua people began building the castle in the early 1100‘s. In the area are mountains called the San Francisco Peaks. The Spanish called them the ―Sierra Sin Agua‖ (mountains without water). Consequently, the early Indian culture of the Verde Valley became known as the ―Sinagua.‖ However, the Indians of Montezuma Castle were certainly not ―without water.‖ Beaver Creek, a year-round stream, flows within yards of the castle. The Southern Sinagua people made their living mainly as farmers, cultivating corn, beans, squash and cotton. They were also skilled hunters, harvesting the area‘s deer, antelope, bear, rabbit, muskrat and waterfowl. The castle was continually occupied for over 300 years. Sometime in the early 1400‘s it was abandoned. Like other southwestern Indian cultures that disappeared prior to European arrival, the possible causes were drought, overpopulation, disease, or depletion of soil and game. Conflict and war are other contributing possibilities. No one knows for certain.
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By now the reader is probably wondering why this cliff dwelling is called ―Montezuma Castle.‖ Montezuma (more properly known in Mexico as Moctezuma with a ―c‖) was the Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) in 1521 when Hernan Cortes invaded - a hundred years after the abandonment of Montezuma Castle! Here is the explanation: Some of the first ―Americans‖ to see the castle had participated in the Mexican-American War and were aware of the architectural accomplishments of the Aztec civilization. They did not believe that Indians north of the Rio Grande could have been capable of building anything sophisticated. Consequently, they thought that there had to be a connection with the Aztecs and the name Montezuma Castle became the accepted norm.
Picture taken from signage at Montezuma Castle National Monument
Montezuma Castle was not an isolated structure. A twominute walk leads to an area known as ―Castle A.‖ This is a site that once had six stories and 45 to 50 rooms. It was built at the foot of the cliff without the benefit of protection from the elements enjoyed by Montezuma Castle. Completely unlike its cliff-dwelling neighbor, Castle A has deteriorated all the way to the ground. I did not even bother to take pictures of its meager remnants.
Nevertheless, it does tell us that there were probably several hundred people living on and near the limestone cliffs at Montezuma Castle and Beaver Creek. I have already mentioned that there is prehistoric sitage less than two miles apart all up and down the Verde Valley. Studies indicate that the overall Verde Valley ―community‖ could have included 6000 to 8000 people. After 300 to 400 years of continual occupation, it only makes sense that the Sinagua finally depleted the soil, the game and other natural resources. Toss in a few years of drought and the result had to be massive abandonment. The archaeological community has drawn no definitive conclusions as to why the Sinagua dwellings were abandoned. These people, after all, had disappeared long before Europeans arrived on Verde Valley soil. This last paragraph represents only what I would call my own ―logical speculation.‖ If you ever find yourself in the Phoenix or Flagstaff area, the castle is a ―must-see.‖ It is only ten to fifteen minutes off the main highway (I-17) and is a very short stroll from the Visitors‘ Center. Fifteen to twenty minutes away is another Sinagua site called ―Montezuma Well.‖ In less than a two-hour drive you can visit the Sedona area, Cottonwood Canyon, Tuzigoot National Monument (another impressive Sinagua village site), or the impressive cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon just east of Flagstaff. And don‘t forget, when you say ―Flagstaff,‖ you are also saying ―Grand Canyon!‖ - FIN Angular view of the Castle. Note the paddle-shaped door design. It had to have a special purpose, but to date no one has figured out what!? Access to many of the rooms was through a hole in the roof. PG 3
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Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
Adventures on an Ohio Creek by Greg Whetsell Hello, my name is Greg Whetsell. I have been a member of the AACA for well over a year now. Beginning at the age of ten, I have been collecting in Ohio for thirty years and do most of my hunting in the fields in central Ohio. I have found some decent stuff in the creeks, but nothing jaw dropping. However, I recently found two archaic side notched points while hunting in a Fairfield County creek. Here is my story: Starting around noon on May 11, 2009, I began hunting a stretch of creek I had never hunted before. By 5:45 that afternoon I had not found a thing - nothing, no flint and no brokes. I was starting to think this section of the creek was not going to produce any artifacts. It was getting close to the time to head for home when I started finding some flakes of Coshocton flint on a gravel bar. That bar didn‘t produce anything more than the flakes, but I noticed two more nice looking bars up ahead and decided to hunt those and then head home. Again, the next bar produced some flakes, but no artifacts. Walking through the water to the next and last bar, I was talking on the phone to a hunting buddy telling him… ―I don‘t know why I wasted my time hunting this creek!‖ Arriving at the final bar, I hung up and hadn‘t walked more than two minutes when I found an archaic side notch! I was really excited; by far my best creek find ever! Three days later I decided to go to the same creek and started hunting where I had found the last one. I headed upstream about a half mile to a mile from where I had started and came up on this little gravel bar in the middle of the creek. It only took me a couple minutes to hunt it. I always go over my bars twice just to make sure I don‘t miss something, and sure enough, I had missed one on the first pass! I don‘t know how I missed it the first time, but I did. Holy cow! Finding two great pieces in nearly perfect condition (tiny ding on the base of this one and almost unnoticeable) out of the same material. Heck, they look like the same ancient knapped them out and in consecutive hunts relatively close to each other. Pretty amazing! Call it a gut feeling, but I think there is an ancient story no one will ever know about these artifacts. Were they lost at the same time? Did the same person make these pieces? Now they have a new story to tell– my story of how they were found!
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A 220 Pound Indian Turtle! Reported by Steve Stangland
As a kid back in southeast Kansas, it was always exciting to find a turtle in my yard, along a country road, in a field, or even in someone‘s garden in the middle of town! Well, imagine the excitement when Dirk Morgan dug this up in April of 2009 in the backyard of his farm near Fort Ancient in Warren County, Ohio! Dirk had walked by the mostly buried boulder many times, but when his wife needed an addition to her garden he started digging to see what was below the surface. Lo‘ and behold – a giant turtle head with eyes on both sides and an impressive, anatomically correct mouth cavity! The Morgans are convinced that the 220-pound boulder is Dirk and Lori Morgan with a 220 pound “turtle effigy rock” a turtle head carving made by the Hopewell Mound Builders over 1000 dug up in their back yard! years ago. Now of course, many of you knowledgeable artifact collectors are going to say that you have never seen anything like this before in your ten to forty years of hunting and that it is nothing more than an interesting, sandstone ―geofact.‖ A number of experts in the field would agree with you. One local expert said that…. ―It appears to be an eroded and waterformed sandstone glacial erratic.‖ On the other hand, there are those who believe that Dirk may have discovered an actual artifact! One of the opinions is as follows: ―Quite likely the artisan happened upon a rock whose natural form suggested to him (or her) the shape of a turtle head, and he went to work on the details.‖ Additionally, Dr. Eric Law, chair of the geology department at Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio inspected the piece in late May of 2009 and offered the opinion that the features suggest a high probability of human agency, although not an absolute certainty. James Bennett, well-know author and founding Director of the AACA, has this to say about the boulder: ―Who knows?! Very well could be a naturally shaped water-eroded geofact, or it just as well might be the real thing….. the eyes are placed right and the shape sure is convincing. With sandstone being so easily eroded, pecking marks on the surface from human alteration would easily erode over the last 1000+ years of Ohio winters, making it even harder to tell if it is altered or not. It sure is easy though for any collector with an imagination to envision this stone sitting at the entrance to the Camp of the Turtle Clan hundreds of years ago guarding against evil spirits!‖———What do you think?!!
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Interview with a Rookie Restoration Artist We have all found or acquired ―heartbreaker‖ points or those with one or two very minor ―flea nicks‖ that prevent them from being perfect. Sometimes it enters our minds that perhaps we should have them restored (expensive!) – or do it ourselves! If only we knew how and had the needed skills, materials and tools! This article is an interview with a ―rookie‖ restoration artist that may point you in the right direction! Our ―interviewee‖ is John Dillon of National City, California (a suburb of San Diego). He grew up in the area and has successfully hunted Southern California for the past 18 years. John has many ―heartbreakers‖ and dingedup points. Early in 2009, he decided to restore some of his collection. On May 28, 2009, your Editor interviewed John.
Example of John Dillon‘s work
(I = Interviewer
JD = John Dillon, rookie restoration artist)
I:
Why and when did you decide to start restoring your broken points?
JD:
I started in October of 2008. I have hundreds of ―heartbreakers‖ and my collection of ―complete‖ points would double if I restored all of them.
I:
Where, or from whom, did you find the information on how to do restoration?
JD:
I saw an article in Indian Artifact Magazine on restoring points and it looked like it wouldn‘t be that difficult. Also, I install granite counter tops and often have to do chip repair and color matching with stone.
I:
How easy, or how difficult, was it for you to learn?
JD:
Because I have been doing stone repairs for 15 years, it wasn‘t that difficult.
I:
Would you describe the process as easy, difficult, or somewhere in between?
JD:
For someone without experience with stone, I would say somewhere in between.
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I:
What are the materials and tools that you use and how expensive are they?
JD:
I use ―bondo‖ auto body repair ($10), a dremel and bits ($20 and up), 30 different diamond bits (only a couple bucks each), razor blades or exacto knife, steel wool, sandpaper, paint, and sometimes dyes.
I:
What is the easiest part of the process?
JD:
Mixing the bondo and making a ―liquid preform.‖
I:
What is the most difficult, or the most frustrating, part of the process?
JD:
Color matching - because each face of the point can vary in coloration, so you have to re-mix for each color on the point. Sometimes I have to add dyes into the paint instead of mixing the paints together. To simplify the process you can do just one side of the point. That way, people will always know that the point has been restored. Once you put the piece in the frame, people only see one side anyway.
I:
Explain how you match the color of the bondo material to the color of the point.
JD:
I keep the point right next to my paint pallet and then mix the paints together until I get a color match.
I:
Explain how you make flake scars and what tools you use?
JD:
I try to match the size of the dremel bits to the size of the flake scars. By the way, the tool I use most is the dremel.
Two points with bondo restoration - Still need to be color matched and painted
I:
Let‘s say that you need to restore a point with about 20% of the tip missing. It is a simple repair with no serrations or other complicating factors to deal with. From start to finish, how long will it take?
JD:
Ten minutes, plus the time it takes to do the color matching. The color matching could take from five minutes up to twenty minutes. If you use dyes you have to be very careful not to overdo it or you will ruin the color and will have to start over.
I:
What is the maximum percentage of a point that you would recommend for restoration?
JD:
Twenty percent. PG 7
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I:
How many points have you restored so far?
JD:
Probably about 30.
I:
In terms of experience, where do you consider yourself to be? A beginner, intermediate level, semiadvanced?
JD:
I will say ―semi-advanced,‖ but mainly because I already have 15 years of stone-repair experience.
I:
What skills or things do you still need to learn or experiment with? (Examples: translucency, agate materials, etc.)
JD:
Translucency.
I:
In your opinion, can anyone learn how to restore points without ―butchering‖ or ruining the artifact?
JD:
Yes, definitely, with a steady hand and a little bit of patience.
I:
Is there anything else that you would like to add or share with your fellow collectors?
JD:
Complete points are getting harder and harder to find. With restoration, you can admire a point as it probably looked when made. Go ahead and try it. It‘s fun and rewarding!
John says . . . ―Here is an artifact that I won‘t have to restore!‖ Special Note: This article describes one method of restoring points. However, as there is "more than one way to skin a cat,” restorers may use different materials and techniques than stated here. Other materials used include two-part epoxies of different types, or water putty. Carving techniques may include knife-carved flaking, as well as grinding as stated here. With both repairs and paint, restorers should always try to stay off of the original surfaces of the artifact. The objective is to restore, not to cover up. One way or the other, the important thing is for the collector to choose a method and get started! PG 8
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NASTY SUZY In early February of 2008, Guy Cuccio of Crowley, Louisiana, was hunting with a metal detector with a friend. His friend, afraid of snakes, spotted this intimidating serpent and let out a scream. The intrepid Guy nabbed the slithering mass of meanness and named her ―Suzy.‖ Here are Guy‘s words: ―These pictures were taken at a metal detecting site we hunt in Sabine Pass in a salt water marsh on a ridge where there was an 1820's U.S. garrison that disappeared before the Civil War. The cottonmouth is the biggest I have ever caught. I let her go unharmed to protect the site from trespassers!‖
The picture below is of a different cottonmouth that Guy caught on a bayou in Parish County, Louisiana. Once again, he let the slithery monster go unharmed to protect the site from future trespassers! The Editor is including this picture of a second snake for two reasons: 1) to show the serpent‘s nasty fangs, and 2) to demonstrate why these snakes have been dubbed as ―cottonmouths.‖ Additionally, after one of his adventures, Guy had forwarded me a thank-you email he had sent to his friend, Dave Guillory. I found the text of this email to be quite interesting because it captures the essence of why we all love this hobby. Guy gave the AACA permission to publish it. Here it is below: Dear Deacon Dave, I would like to take this opportunity to formally thank you for the wonderful time I had digging with you yesterday on the Bayou. Just being outdoors with you was awesome. We also managed to find some great and unexpected finds. It was an awesome day. It really did me some good to get away from work and spend some quality time with you enjoying God’s wonderful creations and
being in the outdoors with you. The wild huckleberries we ate off of the huckleberry tree in the woods were so sweet and very good. I really enjoyed learning from you about how to identify a Wax Myrtle tree that the Cajuns used to put in their candles for the menthol scent. Identifying the snake oil root plant that used to be used for old-time medicine was also special to me. Speaking of snakes, I was happy to have had the opportunity to catch "Suzy's little brother” and let him go unharmed to protect the dig site from future trespassers. He he…! Thanks for the wonderful dig and the great time we had. Best regards,
Guy Cuccio PG 9
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Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
THE CRITTER GALLERY Editor‘s Note: Our readers have indicated that they especially enjoy this section of our magazine. For this issue, we think we have a robust group of ―critters‖ for you to enjoy. The continuance of this popular section, of course, depends on you, the readers, and a steady stream of ―critter‖ submission being sent in. Priority is given to those types of animals and insects that are typically seen while artifact hunters are in the field. We will occasionally even publish pictures of wild plants….flowers for example. Other criteria for selection include picture quality, color, uniqueness, general appeal, and how wild or natural the scene appears. Send submissions to the Editor at sstangland@cox.net. Be sure to read the picture captions. We hope you enjoy all of the ―critters‖ in our ―gallery.‖
Does this guy qualify as the real ―Monster from the Black Lagoon?‖ This picture has been forwarded around the internet a few times, so I don‘t know whom to credit. What I do know is that he (she?) weighs 102 pounds and is for real! In late 2009 somebody spotted it along a road near Iota, Louisiana, where it was loaded into a pick-up truck. The monster was given to a casino that had an aquarium in Kinder, Louisiana. If anyone has additional information on this, contact me and I will clarify in the next issue of our magazine.
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This interesting sequence, rarely caught in the wild, was photographed in the late spring a couple years ago by John Dillon of National City, California. One of John‘s hobbies is ―snakes and lizards.‖ John was eating outside of a cabin site at the 8200 foot level on Paiute Mountain, northeast of Los Angeles, when he spotted some commotion under a nearby large tree root. Needless to say, ―snake and lizard boy‖ grabbed his cam and got lucky! The snake is a 2 ½ to 3 foot Whip Snake; the hapless victim a ―Uta‖ or ―Side Blotch.‖ Once the Uta was down the hatch, John carefully grabbed the snake, held it in one hand and took the last picture with his other hand. Look very closely at the bottom of the snake‘s eye and you will see John taking the picture! The square looking thing in the upper left is a man-made structure at the cabin site. John is a good guy and respects nature…. he released the serpent back under the tree root to enjoy its meal!
Gotcha‘
Going….
Going….
Still Going….
Gone !!!!!
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This scorpion was photographed by John Dillon in April of 2009 in the Harcuvar Mountains, northeast of Quartzite, Arizona. John captured it, kept the critter for a few hours, fed him a giant black field cricket, and then released him.
This Western Whiptail Lizard, around 15 inches in length, was sitting on the edge of a gravel road on the western slopes of the San Diego County mountains when John Dillon snapped his picture in early June of 2009. Whiptails are members of the skink family and are characterized by their restlessness. They are very hyper and consequently do not do well in captivity. If you ever catch one, release it back into its natural environment.
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Typically about four inches long counting the tail, here is a Uta or ―Side Blotch‖ digitally captured by John Dillon in May of 2008. This gorgeous little rascal makes his home in the desert northeast of San Diego. Utas enjoys one of the widest distribution areas of any North American lizard. Their colors vary from dull earth tones to orange and turquoise blue. If you do a Google internet search you will find many pictures of Utas. However, you will search a long time before finding one as spectacular as this proud little dude!
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Well, of course, no ―critter section‖ would be complete without a ―Horny Toad‖ picture. The little fella‘ resides in San Diego County.
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Another John Dillon ―camera capture‖ from late April, 2009. No, this is not a Rattle Snake! It‘s a very young, perhaps one year, Gopher Snake. The picture is very close-up, making the serpent look larger. This youngster, about 18 inches in length, was shot in Kern County, Walker Basin, at 4000 feet in elevation.
The two pictures above were taken in January of 2009 by Steve Lewis of Petaluma, California (30-35 miles north of San Francisco). Both pictures were taken with a telephoto lens from Steve‘s backyard. The two white birds are Black Tip Kytes sitting in a neighbor‘s redwood tree. The bird on the right, about 12 inches tall, is a falcon. PG 15
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This Great Gray Owl had a ―traffic accident‖ and had to be captured and then rehabilitated. The capture was accomplished by Ken Schmidt at the request of the Montana Raptor Conservation Center. Ken (now known as the Owl Whisperer) got to do the honors of releasing the bird in mid-December of 2009. ―Comical Ken‖ had this to say about the release: ―What a hoot!‖
Ken Schmidt took this photo in late November of 2009 about a mile west of his place in Montana. This foursome was part of a group of about 150 Rocky Mountain Sheep. Ken was surreptitiously listening in on their conversation and says that these big rams were discussing who would get which ewes.
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Several years ago Rob Dills found this very uniquely-colored bullfrog walking into one of his sites in Wayne Co. Ohio.
In late spring a couple years ago, Rob Dills found this snapper invading one of his sites to lay eggs. There were several nests already covered up nearby. Momma Snapper was found doing her thing on the first small ridge about 75 yards above a creek. She really didn't seem to mind that Rob was taking numerous photos of her. Even though ―Momma‖ was exhausted after her ordeal, Rob decided not to invite her to dinner. From her appearance, he surmised that she probably had very bad table manners!
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A brightly-colored Ornate Box Turtle from Kansas and a Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel from North Dakota sent in by Joe Persinger of Kansas
A couple nice ―racks‖ sent in by James White of Wyoming
Ron Clough has some acreage in Maryland near the Eastern Shore. In April the doe deer drop their fawns on different parts of his property. While he hunts points in nearby fields he is often rewarded with opportunities to snap wildlife with his Canon Rebel digital camera. He captured the fawn on the left in August of 2009, and the fawn on the right in June of 2009. PG 18
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A ―bad boy‖ Whitetail buck of the Maryland forest - Ron Clough picture
The evening of Christmas day, Ron Clough captured these geese with the gorgeous sunset in the background. The geese were returning to roost on Still Pond Creek on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Ron often finds points along the creek‘s shore.
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GALLERY OF ―COWBOY AND INDIAN‖ ART Featuring the Artist Olaf Wieghorst An article by the Editor
People who love western art are very familiar with Olaf Wieghorst, often called the ―Dean of Western Art.‖ He loved horses, cowboys, Indians, and the early western lifestyle and was a master at capturing these things on canvas.
―The Renegade‖ by Olaf Wieghorst Olaf arrived in this country, completely broke, from Denmark in 1912. He worked for years for the U.S. Cavalry and the New York City Police Department. Occasionally, he worked on ranches in the West and by 1945 Olaf and his wife and son settled in El Cajon, California (a suburb of San Diego) where he built a house, a studio, and a stable and corral for his beloved horses.
By 1982 Olaf was named ―western artist of the year.‖ His works hang in many major museums and galleries. Many are found in private collections owned by such people as Gene Autry, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and four different presidents. In 1985 a pair of his original paintings sold in a private sale for a million dollars! If you like his work, don‘t fret; there are still many signed and numbered prints available starting at around $160. Professional framing, of course, can double or triple that price.
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Wieghorst was especially adept at capturing vast and majestic western landscapes and the people that worked and lived there. His focus was often on the horse and therein, perhaps, lies his greatest strength as an artist.
Dead Cottonwood
Olaf Wieghorst said of this picture: ―I was down in Nogales, Arizona doing the movie ―McClintock‖ with John Wayne some years ago. I saw these horses tryin‘ to get in the shade of the old cottonwood tree. These trees are very typical of the area around the Mexican border.‖
Your editor has several ―Wieghorsts‖ hanging on walls in his home. Were it not for many compromises made to his wife for wall space, there would be many more!
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Cheyenne Warrior (Private collection)
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Chief Hump (Eisenhower Museum in Kansas)
L: Cowpuncher R: Cree Indian - Both water colors – Both in private collections
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This picture adorns a huge exterior wall at the Wieghorst Museum in El Cajon, California (notice the fence). The original oil painting is entitled ―Navajos at Castle Creek.‖ The artist had this to say about this painting: ―I am particularly fond of the country in Central Arizona near Castle Hot Springs. It is not necessarily Navajo country, but the area is so rugged and picturesque I have used it in many of my paintings.‖
Wieghorst was also a great sketcher. The sketch on the right, entitled ―In Trouble,‖ is very well known
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A couple more nice Wieghorst sketches
―Cutting Cattle‖ - Oil on canvas in a private collection
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His Wealth ―After being discharged from the cavalry I bought a saddle horse and a pack mule and I tripped through the country. I ran across several cowboys doing the same thing. Some of them had several horses and that was all they owned. They used to work on several ranches and trade ponies. That‘s where I got the idea for this painting.‖ (Olaf Wieghorst)
The Olaf Wieghorst Museum in El Cajon, California PG 25
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Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
Here are some tough hombres that showed up at the Wieghorst Museum on June 6-7, 2009 for ―Western Heritage Days‖ re-enactments in El Cajon, California. I‘m not sure the dude on the right even knew who Olaf Wieghorst was. But it didn‘t make any difference ‗cuz some other tough hombres shot him dead, along with about six or seven other outlaws!
Navajo Madonna
The Navajo PG 26
AACA MAGAZINE Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc.
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Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
―When I was up in the Navajo country I took part in some of their sings and ceremonies. I saw many of their squaws on donkeys and they usually had a papoose with them. I added some of the big bluffs that are so characteristic of Monument Valley.‖ (Olaf Wieghorst)
―Navajo Madonna‖ is one of Olaf‘s best known oil paintings. In 1985 the original painting, along with ―The Navajo,‖ reportedly sold for one million dollars!
Buffalo Scout
Another very popular one! Oil on canvas - 20 x 24 inches
PG 27
AACA MAGAZINE Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc.
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Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
Stagecoach Crossing the Rillito
The setting for this painting is north of Tucson with the Catalina Mountains in the background. A 1978 oil on canvas measuring 40 by 50 inches.
―No Tracks‖ - an oil on canvas released in 1984 – 18 ½ x 25 inches PG 28
AACA MAGAZINE Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc.
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Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
Portrait of the artist, Olaf Wieghorst, in front of a canvas of one of his famous oil paintings entitled ―Salt River Canyon‖
PG 29
AACA MAGAZINE Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc.
www.theaaca.com
Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
IN SITU ARTIFACTS Editor‘s Note: This section for this issue is a bit short for the simple reason that the membership did not send in many in situ pictures. All of the artifacts, in fact, are from Southern California, and were found by friends of mine‌.or friends of friends. I think you will enjoy the pictures and the captions. However, the AACA Magazine would like for this section to reflect the regional diversity of the entire country. The spring hunting season is upon us. Take your camera into the deserts, the forests and the fields and snap some nice in situs. If the artifacts are above field grade in quality and the picture resolution is good, there is an excellent chance that we will publish your finds. Send submissions to sstangland@cox.net.
Forty to fifty years ago, these were occasionally found. If you find one of these nowadays, you should jump with joy! This one was found early in the morning (note shadows) on December 29, 2009 by Tom Leuty of San Diego. He had assistance from a fox, as he found it outside of a fox den sitting on top of fresh dirt at the base of a tree. Do you know what this artifact is? If not, see the answer at the end of this in-situ section.
PG 30
AACA MAGAZINE Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc.
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Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
Found in Southern California in October of 2009 by Gary Henson of Poway, California. The picture on the ground was taken after the point had been pulled from the soil. The point against the sky was taken at home. When he first spotted the point, Gary was so excited that he forgot to take an in situ. Well, you can‘t blame him!!
Above left is a one inch basalt arrowpoint found by John Dillon on December 2, 2007 in a high desert area of Southern California. You gotta‘ love those flaring ears! Above right is a quartz Desert Delta found by John on November 29, 2009 in a desert-to-mountain transitional zone. Your Editor was with John when he found this point. This one has no in situ because all John saw was a small exposed circular area, about 1/8 inch in diameter, that was shining in the sun. Thinking it was probably just a quartz flake, he flipped it with the trusty ol‘ flipping stick, and out popped this nice little point! The blades on both of these points appear to have gone through several re-sharpenings by Kumeyaay skilled at their craft!
PG 31
AACA MAGAZINE Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc.
www.theaaca.com
Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
Sorry, no in situ available. Just a very unique basalt point found in Southern California. The point now resides in the collection of John Dillon of National City, California
In November of 2009, Eric Oatman of Riverside, California was hunting in an eastern California desert valley when his hunting partner found this nice bowl. It was found on a Cottonwood site lying upside down in deep sand with only the top inch showing‌. about the size of a silver dollar. Eric‘s friend thought it was a mano poking through the sand PG 32
AACA MAGAZINE Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc.
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Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
Here is another nice Desert Delta found by John Dillon while I was hunting with him on December 13, 2009 in Southern California. The material is obsidian. John was too busy finding stuff to get an in situ. After he showed it to me, the best I could do was to place it on a nearby pottery shard to take the picture.
Above is a two-inch Pinto point found in November of 2009 by Eric Oatman of Riverside, California. Eric found this nice serrated Pinto only 10 feet from the Owens River in east central California. Although the picture has some shadowing, what you see at the bottom right is actually an ear that the abo made smaller than the other.
PG 33
AACA MAGAZINE Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc.
www.theaaca.com
Volume Number 8 Issue Number 1 Spring 2010
The answer to question above: This is a shaft straightener!
PG 34