Tracking the Ancient Ones Part VI 2019 - Passport in Time

Go to content

Main menu:

Current Projects > 2019
Utah - Manti-La Sal NF
Closed! Tracking the Ancient Ones, Part VI

Eoc_pit_vols.jpg by Charmaine Thompson, US Forest Service
PIT volunteers identify pottery at Edge of the Cedars Museum



UT-4423
August 12-16, 2019

Volunteers must commit to entire session

Come join Edge of the Cedars Museum staff and archaeologists from the Manti-La Sal National Forest for Part VI of our ongoing “Tracking the Ancient Ones” PIT project! In the 1970s, archaeological surveyors on the Manti-La Sal National Forest documented hundreds of Ancestral Puebloan sites on the flanks of Elk Ridge and the Abajo Mountains in Southeastern Utah. They also collected thousands of surface artifacts. These collections are invaluable sources of information on the ages and functions of these sites. They are often the only source of that information as later, illegal artifact collecting has erased our ability to read the ages of many of these sites today. The artifacts are curated in the city of Blanding at the Edge of the Cedars State Park and Museum, a premier facility that includes fine exhibits on Southwestern archaeology and rock art, as well as a stabilized ruin.

Once again, we need your help cataloging the collections. You will learn how to identify Ancestral Puebloan ceramics and get an introduction to stone artifact identification. You’ll also see the inner workings of a museum, and learn how both artifacts and the information they provide are preserved. Most of all, you’ll learn how the information captured in these artifacts brings to life a complex story of migration during Ancestral Puebloan times! This is important work, and an opportunity for you to really learn about artifacts and their curation – we hope to see you this summer!

Number of openings: 12

Special skills: Previous curation and/or museum, artifact identification (especially Ancestral Puebloan ceramic and/or lithics), or related experience helpful, but not required

Minimum age: 16 years old; Any applicant under the age of 18 must apply with a parent or guardian, who must submit a separate application and indicate they plan to attend

Facilities: Blanding is a full-service community with hotels/motels, restaurants, and grocery stores; RV parks also available in Blanding and in nearby Bluff and Monticello (each ~25 miles from museum); RV parks offer full hookups, and some have wireless internet; volunteers responsible for own lodging, meals, and daily transportation to and from Edge of Cedars

Nearest towns: Project based in Blanding; Bluff, ~25 miles; Monticello, ~25 miles

Applications due: June 24, 2019

View Tracking the Ancient Ones, Part VI in a full screen map

 
Back to content | Back to main menu