Fort Sill Apache Tribe Wins Right to Establish Reservation in New Mexico

Fort Sill Apache Tribe Wins Right to Eastablish Reservation in New Mexico
More than 125 years after the surrender of renowned Apache leader Geronimo scattered tribal members across the Southwest, the Fort Sill Apache have won the right to establish a reservation on homelands in southern New Mexico. “This is what I see as the start of a long journey home,” said Jeff Houser, chairman of the tribe whose headquarters are currently based in southwest Oklahoma. http://tinyurl.com/7jgg3mt – Washington Post

Join the Center for Desert Archaeology’s Next Archaeology Café on Dec 6th – Tucson
At the next Archaeology Café, ground stone tool expert Dr. Jenny Adams will present “No Stone Unturned: What Stone Tools Reveal About People.” Come settle in with a drink and a plate of delicious tapas at downtown Tucson’s own Casa Vicente. Arrive before 6:00 p.m.; presentations begin at 6:15 p.m. Seating is open on a first-come, first-served basis—be ready to make new acquaintances! https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/2011/08/06/no-stone-unturned/

Historic Florence, AZ – More than Just a Prison Town
When H. Christine Reid gives a talk about her adopted hometown, she titles it, “Fascinating Florence: Not just a prison town.” Indeed, Florence was a town before completion of the Arizona State Prison in 1912 – just not much of one. The 1910 census recorded a population of 807, but the tiny town’s residents had made substantial contributions to Arizona history. http://azstarnet.com/article_452fe7ac-375f-5499-963b-c7e89e11392b.html#ixzz1ey3FwXt4

New Curator of El Paso Archaeology Museum Seeks a More Local Focus
The new curator at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology would like to take the museum in a different direction. Matt Taylor wants the museum to emphasize El Paso’s archaeological past, instead of focusing on the general Southwest. “There is 14,000 years of archaeology in El Paso,” Taylor said. “I think it’s important that people understand the past because it’s their past. You have to know where you’ve been to know where you are going.” http://www.elpasotimes.com/communities/ci_19380352?source=most_viewed

Drying Texas Lakes Recede to Reveal Historic and Ancient Sites
Johnny C. Parks died two days before his first birthday more than a century ago. His grave slipped from sight, along with the rest of the tiny town of Bluffton, when Lake Buchanan was filled 55 years later. Now, the cracked marble tombstone – engraved with the date October 15, 1882, which is normally covered by 20 to 30 feet of water – has been eerily exposed as a year-long drought shrinks one of Texas’ largest lakes, north-west of Austin. http://tinyurl.com/6rr8lrs – Daily Mail Online

Mesa Seeks Nominations for Historic Preservation Awards
The East Valley Tribune reports that the Mesa Historic Preservation Board is seeking nominations to award residents who have made contributions to preserve the city’s past. The organization will give awards in the areas of adaptive reuse, restoration, archaeology, education, tourism, activism, general preservation and lifetime contribution. The recipients will join 46 other citizens who have been recognized since the awards began in 1998. They’ll be honored during National Historic Preservation Month in May and at the Arizona Historic Preservation Conference in June. Nomination forms are available at the Historic Preservation Office, city libraries, the Arizona Museum of Natural History, the Mesa Historical Museum or at www.mesaaz.gov/planning/HistoricPresAwards.aspx.

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
On December 5, Dr. Todd Surovell, Archaeologist and Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, will present “The Pleistocene Extinction of Megafauna” at 6 PM at the Hotel Santa Fe. Presented as part of the Southwest Seminar series, admission is $ 12 Dollars.

Lecture Opportunity – Tubac
Archaeologist Jeremy Moss will give a presentation to the Santa Cruz Valley Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society on December 8, 2011, 7 PM, at the North County Facility at 50 Bridge Road in Tubac. His topic will be “The Obsidian Trade in Chaco Culture.” The presentation is free and open to the public.

Thanks to Cherie Freeman for contributing to this week’s issue of Southwest Archaeology Today.