Southwest Archaeology Today for March 17, 2006

Archaeology Making the News – A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

– New Exhibit on Bison Hunting Opening at the Greeley History Museum: Greeley History Museum will soon open the traveling exhibit Awakening Stories of Ancient Bison Hunting, and will become the permanent curator and manager of this educational program. The Northern Colorado Chapter of Colorado Archaeological Society (CAS), is very pleased to gift this exhibit to City of Greeley Museums who will help make this program available to public facilities throughout Colorado not often reached by traveling exhibits. An official welcoming of Awakening Stories will take place on Wednesday, March 22nd from 7-9pm, in conjunction with the opening of the national touring exhibit by Artrain USA, Native Views: Influences of Modern Culture. The Artrain will arrive at the downtown depot next to the museum for six days only, from March 22nd until March 26th. Awakening Stories will remain on display until August 31, 2006.
http://www.greeleymuseums.com

– New Cultural Center in Las Vegas will Interpret 5000 years of Human History: The Springs Preserve, the story of water in Las Vegas, is under construction on a 180-acre National Register of Historic Places site about 20 minutes west of the Strip. It is intended to create an identity for Las Vegas beyond its gambling mecca image. “Las Vegas has a great culture, but nobody knows about it. We need to share it,” says project director Francis Beland. And, while it may seem odd that water will be the focus in a desert locale where rainfall averages 4 inches a year, the site is where liquid gold once gushed from underground springs, sustaining life for inhabitants as far back as 5,000 years ago. “It is why we are here in one of the most arid deserts, why Las Vegas exists,” Beland says.
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_3578831

– Support Increasing for New Locations for the Arizona State Museum and Arizona Historical Society in Tucson: The Arizona State Museum and the Arizona Historical Society’s Arizona History Museum are both planning to move to a site west of the Santa Cruz River and would be adjacent to the proposed cultural plaza. The studies, conducted by ConsultEcon Inc., predict the two museums could draw about 332,000 visitors annually and generate about $52 million in economic activity in the metropolitan area. “The results of this study show clearly that these two museums can stand alone and thrive,” said City Councilwoman Nina Trasoff, who heads the council’s Rio Nuevo subcommittee. “We can close the door on planning and say we are now in the predevelopment and design phase.”
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/intucson/history_culture/031506a1_rionuevo
http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/allheadlines/120145.php

– Leupp Kiln Conference Will Teach Traditional Ceramic Technology in Late May: Tim Wilcox, Wayne Keene and the Institute for Archaeological Ceramic Research are pleased to announce that the 2006 Leupp Kiln Conference will be held near Yellowjacket (15 miles NE of Cortez, Colorado) on May 27, 28th and 29. This annual event is an opportunity for archaeologists, potters, students and other interested folks to come together to fire pottery replicas, learn from each other and have the opportunity to gather clays from the general area for making pots to fire at subsequent kiln conferences. If you are interested in the event, all are welcome.
http://groups.msn.com/LueppKilnConference

– BLM and NPS Seek Public Input on Old Spanish Trail: The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service are seeking public input in developing a management plan for the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. Designated as part of the National Trails System in 2002, the trail route crosses six western states – New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California – and links some of the West’s oldest communities from Santa Fe, N.M., to Los Angeles, Calif. Twenty public meetings are being held in communities near the trail through mid-May. One of the meetings will be held in Page on March 21, at the Townhouse Community Center from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Everyone with an interest in the trail and its history, possibilities for recreation and heritage preservation, or resources and opportunities along the route are encouraged to attend one or more of the scoping meetings, according to a joint press release from the BLM and NPS.
http://www.lakepowellchronicle.com/main.php?story_id=2667&page=23

– Marana Founders Day Celebration Looks to the Town’s Past: The Founders’ Day history pavilion will include Chinese, Hispanic and Tohono O’odham cultural exhibits, and a tribute to Marana’s time during World War II as a training site for military pilots, says Harn. There will also be a glimpse back at the area’s time as a Hohokam settlement, and the periods when it was visited by Father Eusebio Kino and the Spanish explorers, and later was part of Mexico, then a U.S. territory, Arizona and, finally, Marana.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/120118