As the inlet pipe was ceremoniously opened, filling the long awaited reservoir for the very first... more As the inlet pipe was ceremoniously opened, filling the long awaited reservoir for the very first time, the Vasco Adobe disappeared beneath the waters of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir. Built in the 1850s by a group of rough Basque cattle ranchers, the adobe had been the scene of tragedies, feuds, fights, failures, and betrayals. Its occupants made and lost fortunes for themselves, and for their lawyers. Only when the cascading series of lawsuits was settled was the adobe abandoned and its residents moved into a plain, wooden house. Melted by rain and buried by flood silts, the adobe remarkably survived the ownership of Oscar Starr, inventor of the Caterpillar tractor, who test-drove his bulldozers on the ranch. It also survived the tenure of gun-toting San Francisco socialite and party-girl, Edith Ordway, who buried her toothless pet raccoon next to the old building’s remains. Archaeologists, historians, architects, and folklorists studied the Vasco Adobe so that its stories would not be lost beneath the waters of Los Vaqueros Reservoir.
As it moved into the 21st century, the National Park Service embarked on an ambitious program of ... more As it moved into the 21st century, the National Park Service embarked on an ambitious program of public involvement and civic engagement explicitly geared to the use of heritage sites to inform the public on contemporary issues. Meanwhile, although Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act mandates the recovery and dissemination of the information recovered from important archaeological sites in the name of public benefit, the contribution of the cultural resource management sector to the public or to civic engagement and education has not achieved its potential. This article explores some of the reasons behind this failure and provides two case studies showing how such an endeavor might work, along with suggestions for the future.
AbstractArchaeologists have spent nearly five decades excavating sites associated with Chinese im... more AbstractArchaeologists have spent nearly five decades excavating sites associated with Chinese immigrants to the American West. They have studied hundreds of places and millions of artifacts and compiled enormous amounts of information. It is time for synthesis; it is time for sharing beyond the narrow archaeological community. The material is too rich, too important, to bury in technical reports and obscure jargon. It can connect contemporary American and Chinese communities in a common quest for an understanding of the past in the interests of the future.Chouxiàng考古学家已经对美国西部的中国移民遗址进行了将近五十 年的发掘。他们已经了研究了成百上千的地点与数不胜数 的文物, 并积累了大量信息资料。现在是我们应该进行综 合的时候, 也是我们应该跨出狭窄的考古学领域, 分享成 果的时候。这些材料太丰富、太重要, 不应该被埋没在技 术性的报告与含混的术语之中。它们可以使当代美国和中 国社区通过对理解过去和展望未来的共同追求而更紧密地 连结在一起。
Contributions To Global Historical Archaeology, 2010
Although our topic—the development of research design in urban historical archaeology—would seem ... more Although our topic—the development of research design in urban historical archaeology—would seem to be somewhat academic, it turns out to be a rather personal story. Reading up on the history of ideas in archaeology (e.g., Trigger, 1989), one might get the impression that the process of change has been largely an intellectual matter of dueling articles and influential symposia. And
As the inlet pipe was ceremoniously opened, filling the long awaited reservoir for the very first... more As the inlet pipe was ceremoniously opened, filling the long awaited reservoir for the very first time, the Vasco Adobe disappeared beneath the waters of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir. Built in the 1850s by a group of rough Basque cattle ranchers, the adobe had been the scene of tragedies, feuds, fights, failures, and betrayals. Its occupants made and lost fortunes for themselves, and for their lawyers. Only when the cascading series of lawsuits was settled was the adobe abandoned and its residents moved into a plain, wooden house. Melted by rain and buried by flood silts, the adobe remarkably survived the ownership of Oscar Starr, inventor of the Caterpillar tractor, who test-drove his bulldozers on the ranch. It also survived the tenure of gun-toting San Francisco socialite and party-girl, Edith Ordway, who buried her toothless pet raccoon next to the old building’s remains. Archaeologists, historians, architects, and folklorists studied the Vasco Adobe so that its stories would not be lost beneath the waters of Los Vaqueros Reservoir.
As it moved into the 21st century, the National Park Service embarked on an ambitious program of ... more As it moved into the 21st century, the National Park Service embarked on an ambitious program of public involvement and civic engagement explicitly geared to the use of heritage sites to inform the public on contemporary issues. Meanwhile, although Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act mandates the recovery and dissemination of the information recovered from important archaeological sites in the name of public benefit, the contribution of the cultural resource management sector to the public or to civic engagement and education has not achieved its potential. This article explores some of the reasons behind this failure and provides two case studies showing how such an endeavor might work, along with suggestions for the future.
AbstractArchaeologists have spent nearly five decades excavating sites associated with Chinese im... more AbstractArchaeologists have spent nearly five decades excavating sites associated with Chinese immigrants to the American West. They have studied hundreds of places and millions of artifacts and compiled enormous amounts of information. It is time for synthesis; it is time for sharing beyond the narrow archaeological community. The material is too rich, too important, to bury in technical reports and obscure jargon. It can connect contemporary American and Chinese communities in a common quest for an understanding of the past in the interests of the future.Chouxiàng考古学家已经对美国西部的中国移民遗址进行了将近五十 年的发掘。他们已经了研究了成百上千的地点与数不胜数 的文物, 并积累了大量信息资料。现在是我们应该进行综 合的时候, 也是我们应该跨出狭窄的考古学领域, 分享成 果的时候。这些材料太丰富、太重要, 不应该被埋没在技 术性的报告与含混的术语之中。它们可以使当代美国和中 国社区通过对理解过去和展望未来的共同追求而更紧密地 连结在一起。
Contributions To Global Historical Archaeology, 2010
Although our topic—the development of research design in urban historical archaeology—would seem ... more Although our topic—the development of research design in urban historical archaeology—would seem to be somewhat academic, it turns out to be a rather personal story. Reading up on the history of ideas in archaeology (e.g., Trigger, 1989), one might get the impression that the process of change has been largely an intellectual matter of dueling articles and influential symposia. And
Bill Rathje, Michael Shanks and Chris Witmore in conversation with Lewis Binford, Victor Buchli, ... more Bill Rathje, Michael Shanks and Chris Witmore in conversation with Lewis Binford, Victor Buchli, John Cherry, Meg Conkey, George Cowgill, Ian Hodder, Kristian Kristiansen, Mark Leone, Randy McGuire, Adrian Praetzellis, Mary Praetzellis, Colin Renfrew, Mike Schiffer, Alain Schnapp, Ruth Tringham, Patty Jo Watson, Alison Wylie.
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