Dolores Archaeological Program Synthetic Report 1978-1981 Prehistoric Anasazi Sites Colorado
Prepared under the supervision of David A. Breternitz, principal investigator.
Published: Denver, Colo. : U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Engineering and Research Center ; 1984.
FOREWORD: Dolores Archaeological Program Synthetic Report 1978-1980 is the second publication in a series of reports by the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior, on the findings of the Dolores Archaeological Program including excavation activities, and the preservation and analysis of newly discovered artifacts. Preliminary investigations of the Dolores Project, a Reclamation water supply and delivery project near the town of Dolores in southwestern Colorado, found extensive archaeological resources which would be adversely affected by construction. In recognition of the unusual concentration of prehistoric Anasazi sites in southwestern Colorado, the Department of the Interior supported the passage of Public Law 96-301 in 1980. This law authorized an increase in program expenditures for archaeological research, from one percent to four percent of total project costs. The additional funds have provided for more comprehensive data collection, analysis, and documentation. A portion of the funds will be used to construct the Anasazi Heritage Center to provide public display and interpretation of the artifacts found. The Dolores archaeological reports discuss a portion of each year's activities. They are supplemented by more detailed contractor reports which will be available to the public through the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Technical Information Service in Springfield, Virginia. The Dolores archaeological research reflects Reclamation's commitment to quality scientific study. Without this research supported and published by the Bureau of Reclamation, and conducted by the University of Colorado, an important opportunity to learn more about the Anasazi peoples and their early culture would have been lost. It is Reclamation's policy that cultural resources should be preserved and interpreted for the best scientific and widest public uses. This series of publications is an example of Reclamation's dedication to that goal.
Dolores Archaeological Program
In 1977, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) contracted with the University of Colorado to perform archaeological and historical fieldwork and analysis in the McPhee reservoir area.
During six field seasons (1978-1983), Dolores Archaeological Program (DAP) archaeologists surveyed and recorded 1,626 archaeological sites on 16,000+ acres in the project area. They fully excavated 125 sites, and collected more than 1.5 million artifacts--including historic glass bottles, a prehistoric bone tool kit, and thousands of ceramic vessels and fragments (sherds). DAP maps, photos and records provide a vast knowledge base that otherwise would have disappeared forever. As a part of the overall project, the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum was constructed to preserve both artifacts and records in perpetuity. The Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum is an official federal repository for archaeological materials, which continue to arrive from permitted, legitimate excavations on public land in southwest Colorado. Many Dolores Archaeological Program artifacts are on display at the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum. The rest represent an invaluable resource for archaeologists, historians, graduate students, and other scholars and researchers. Anyone with a legitimate research interest may access the collection by prior arrangement with the museum's Curator. Even though the Dolores Archaeological Program material was excavated decades ago (the dam was completed in 1985), we are still learning from these artifacts today. New research technologies emerge and new questions arise, so these collections continue to provide new information and a deeper understanding of past lifeways. Some people think that artifacts, though pretty to look at, have no value beyond the aesthetic. But archaeology is how we discover the past when written records are unavailable. Most of the long story of the human race can only be reconstructed through archaeological methods. In our time of profound social and environmental change, archaeology is more important than ever. Studying how ancient people impacted their landscape can inform our own modern decisions regarding the public lands our children will inherit.
Keywords
Culture
Ancestral Puebloan • Archaic • Numic and Late Pueblo• PaleoIndian
Material
Ceramic • Chipped Stone • Dating Sample • Fauna •Ground Stone • Macrobotanical • Mineral • Pollen •Shell • Wood
Site Type
Artifact Scatter • Hamlet / Village • Hearth • Isolated Artifact • Isolated Feature • Kiln • Kiva / Great Kiva •Midden • Military Structure • Pit • Pit House / Earth Lodge • Plaza • Post Hole / Post Mold • Rock Alignment• Room Block / Compound / Pueblo • Water Control Feature • Wattle & Daub (Jacal) Structure