Statement by Archaeology Southwest President and CEO William Doelle
Washington (June 22, 2016) – Today, Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva will introduce legislation in the House of Representatives that seeks national monument designation for a remarkable cultural landscape known as the Great Bend of the Gila, which spans southern Arizona’s Maricopa and Yuma counties. William Doelle, president and CEO of Archaeology Southwest, an Arizona-based nonprofit, shares the following statement:
“Thirteen Native American tribes share historical connections to this cultural landscape. The real human stories richly preserved in the land and in tribal memories span thousands of years. Archaeology Southwest, whose offices are located in Representative Grijalva’s District, joins our partner the National Trust for Historic Places in extending our thanks to the Congressman for his vision in sponsoring this legislation.
“This stretch of the Gila River is flanked by rock art galleries with over 100,000 individual glyphs. It is a globally significant landscape—invaluable and fragile. National monument status brings recognition and protection, and it encourages respectful visitation.”
About the Great Bend of the Gila
The National Trust for Historic Preservation believes that Great Bend of the Gila is among the Bureau of Land Management’s most important cultural sites in the Southwest. It includes the archaeological remains of ancestral Hohokam and Patayan cultures, as well as three historic trails—the Juan Bautista de Anza, the Butterfield Stagecoach and the Mormon Battalion—marking the struggles of those men and women who braved the Western frontier. The Great Bend of the Gila’s irreplaceable cultural and historic resources include a world-class rock art site (Sears Point); a Hohokam ballcourt and numerous ancient villages; remnants of historic homesteading, mining and ranching; and the westernmost skirmish of the Civil War. Learn more at www.archaeologysouthwest.org/gila-bend.
About Archaeology Southwest
Archaeology Southwest is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Tucson, Arizona, that explores and protects the places of our past across the American Southwest and Mexican Northwest. For three decades, Archaeology Southwest has fostered meaningful connections to the past and respectfully safeguarded its irreplaceable resources. Learn more at www.archaeologysouthwest.org.
